Top 15 NBA Draft picks in OKC Thunder franchise history

The top 15 NBA Draft picks of All-Time for the OKC Thunder reflect luck, talent, and superstars.

NBA Draft week is finally here with the big night scheduled for Thursday, June 21. It’s common during this week to reflect back on the draft picks through history and gauge how those individuals affected the franchise’s direction.

For the Thunder, this also means looking at the former franchise who owned the team prior to moving to Oklahoma City. In retrospect, several of the players who had the greatest impact were technically drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics.

Notably, this past season marked the OKC Thunder’s first decade in the Association. Sam Presti began his tenure as General Manager in Seattle on June 7, 2007.

Presti is responsible for 26 picks including the 2007 and 2008 season when the team still officially resided n Seattle. Of the 26 NBA draft picks 17 were made under the OKC Thunder umbrella. Therefore, arriving at a top 15 NBA draft picks in history has to pay homage to the Sonics as well.

Luck, Risk, and Whiffs:

Luck prevailed on more than one occasion for OKC delivering an a-typical start for a new franchise. Case in point, Kevin Durant left open for the then Sonics second pick due to the Blazers being enamored with Greg Oden.

One season later Derrick Rose was an understandable top draft pick for Chicago. Yet, Sam Presti was fortunate once more as the Heat and Wolves selected Michael Beasley and O. J. Mayo ahead of Russell Westbrook. The trilogy of luck continued in 2009 when the Clippers made Blake Griffin the top draft pick and the Grizzlies inconceivably selected Hasheem Thabeet leaving James Harden open for the OKC Thunder to nab with the third pick.

With these propitious draft picks there is also evidence of monumental oversights. In 2010 the OKC Thunder traded away Eric Bledsoe as well as Quincy Pondexter (and Craig Brackins) for the 11th pick Cole Aldrich.  Still, this wasn’t irrational given the guard depth on OKC’s roster. Rather, it was more of a failure based on the return.

2014 Disaster:

Still, the 2014 Draft stands out as arguably Sam Presti’s worst performance ever on Draft Day. Long noted as a GM with the ability to recognize untapped talent (Russell Westbrook, Steven Adams), Presti missed the mark. In particular, his selection of Mitch McGary at 21 (as well as Josh Huestis at 29) is one of his most criticized picks.  What makes the selections so egregious is the talent he failed to recognize.  Still on the board when Presti picked 21st?

• Nikola Jokić (Denver – 41)
• Clint Capela (Houston -25)
•  Kyle Anderson (San Antonio – 30)
• Spencer Dinwiddie (Detroit – 38)
• Rodney Hood (Utah – 23)
• Jerami Grant (Philadelphia 39)
• Bogdan Bogdanović (Phoenix -27)
• Glenn Robinson III (Minnesota 40)

Credit to the organizations that developed each of the above prospects into serviceable players. Still, each would have been preferable to McGary.

The Top 15 NBA Draft picks:

With that let’s dive into the top 15 NBA draft picks of All-Time for the OKC Thunder. As with any list of this nature personal opinion plays a factor.

Parameters: To get to a top 15 it was essential to assign certain caveats. Specifically, extra credence was given to players who:

• played primarily for the OKC Thunder
• won a title(s)
• won an award(s) or made All-NBA teams
• led to the team landing a contributing talent
• delivered off the court via philanthropy or community contributions
• potential – rewarded for early-career production with a view to long term potential

Given the SuperSonics franchise ran from 1967 to 2008 this exercise would be far easier to complete focused entirely on Seattle. Instead, the list prioritizes Thunder players with a few key Sonics who deserve to make the list. In another decade this list will likely look much different, but for now, let’s celebrate the 15 All-Time NBA Draft picks.

Domantas Sabonis – the gift that gave:

2016 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 11

No doubt the initial entrant on this list of 15 will be considered a controversial selection. Logic would dictate choosing a player currently on the Thunder with potential upside. Instead, the player who grabs the opening spot is Domantas Sabonis.

The son of the uber-talented Arvydas Sabonis was technically drafted by Orlando. Yet, the power forward’s stay with the Magic wasn’t even long enough for a quick trip to Disney World.  He became part of the trade package (with Victor Oladipo) which sent Serge Ibaka to the Magic.

In his rookie season with OKC Sabonis started in 66 games and played in 81 of the full season of 82. Sabonis posted meager stats with Billy Donovan electing to utilize him as a stretch four failing to capitalize on his interior prowess.

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Trade Value:

But, this meager showing in Sabonis’ rookie season is not why he makes the list. Rather, it was his trade value and more specifically what the return was. Granted, Oladipo became the primary asset in the trade with the Pacers.

Still, Sabonis made major leaps this season doubling almost all his primary categories in Indiana. Indiana moved him to the center position where he thrived and became part of the Pacers’ future core.

Yet, the primary reason Sabonis makes the list is Paul George. Should PG re-sign this offseason then Sabonis warrants arguably an even higher position on this list.

Desmond Mason

2000 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 17 (Seattle)

Drafted by Seattle, Desmond Mason was a player who kept being pulled back to Oklahoma. Mason played his college ball at Oklahoma State University prior to being drafted by Seattle. Early in Mason’s career, he won the slam dunk title.

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The ‘paint’ master

A bit of a journeyman, Mason played in Seattle, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, and San Antonio.

When playing with the New Orleans it was during the time when Oklahoma City was the host for the team following Hurricane Katrina.

His third stint in OKC came with the inaugural season of the Thunder. Despite the team being a lottery squad Mason served as a leader and quality teammate helping Durant and Westbrook understand what would be required of them moving forward.

An interesting side bit is Mason is an accomplished artist who put that creative venture on hold during his decade in the NBA. So, it turns out Mason was a paint master on and off the court.

Scanning the players who were selected after Mason there was a couple of other quality picks like Jamaal Magloire or Morris Peterson. But, at the time based on the team dynamics of the Sonics Mason was absolutely the right pick.

His community efforts and role as a leader on the inaugural season in OKC land him on this list. 

Reggie Jackson

2011 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 24

Rumors of Reggie Jackson working in concert with the OKC Thunder surround his 24th selection in 2011. In truth, it’s hard to blame the Boston College product for wanting to land with the rising Thunder.

Just prior to the draft that summer OKC  made it to the Western Conference Finals succumbing to the eventual champion Mavericks.  Jackson canceled workouts and meetings he had with other teams and got his wish when Presti selected him 24th.

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Mr. Disenchanted

To say Reggie Jackson experienced a bumpy tenure in OKC would be a massive understatement. Theoretically, RJ appeared to be precisely what the Thunder were missing in terms of having another ball-handling playmaker who could complement their stars.

In his second season following James Harden’s trade his opportunity to stake a claim was prime for the taking. The spotlight got brighter with Westbook’s untimely playoff injury (thanks to Patrick Beverley!).

While Jackson performed well filling in for Westbrook the overriding belief moving forward was he would return to the bench and help offset Harden’s absence. That was everyone except Jackson who felt his presence deserved starters minutes. In just his second season with the Thunder, the issues began as RJ became disenchanted with his role.

Instead, Jackson spent more time complaining and talking like he deserved to be viewed on the same level as Westbrook or the recently departed Harden.  The problem was his numbers weren’t warranting his claims.

Jackson forced the Thunder’s hand and was traded to Detroit. In return, OKC got Enes Kanter, Kyle Singler, and D.J. Augustin back. Not bad compensation for the 24th pick of the 2011 draft.

In his four seasons with Detroit, he’s been hampered by injury. Given Jackson’s mindset, there was no getting around the chemistry issues and this has to be viewed as one of the better NBA Draft picks made by Sam Presti.

Andre Roberson – NBA Draft pick traded for piece of future core

2013 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 29 traded for Roberson who was selected 26th

Scan through the notes of the 2013 draft and upon landing on Andre Roberson it’s a convoluted mess of notes. Six different teams were involved in one way or another prior to Roberson finally landing with OKC.

Critics will cite Rudy Gobert being left on the board, but in hindsight, the ARob pick filled an equally important roster hole for the Thunder. Initially, the Thunder either were trying to manage their salary or weren’t completely sold on Roberson as they only offered 80 percent of the rookie scale. Typically teams pay their rookies 120 percent.

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Defensive Talent:

Flash forward and it was clear Roberson filled an extremely important role on the team. This was best evidenced this past season when the team experienced major regression defensively following Dre’s injury.

Accolades for Roberson extend beyond his own team as New Orleans head coach Alvin Gentry referred to him as the ‘best glue guy in the league’

TI’s own Gideon Lim demonstrates via film room how valuable the wingman is to OKC. And as Paul George prepares to make a big decision this summer his frequent comments regarding playing alongside Roberson stand out.

Related: The OKC ‘Suicide Squad’

In the end, Andre Roberson is a vital part of the Thunder’s core whereas the player most directly linked to him in the 2013 NBA Draft (Archie Goodwin)  played 30 games two seasons ago and none in 2017-18.

Ultimately, there is no denying Roberson’s defensive value, and if he ever adds a consistent 3-point shot expect to see him fly up this list.

Nick Collison  – Mr. Thunder

2003 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 12 by Seattle SuperSonics

Arguably no player epitomizes the culture of the OKC Thunder better than Nick Collison. Although never a top-rated star type player what Collison brought to the team is equally valuable. Collison spent his entire career with Seattle and OKC and did whatever the team required of him. He announced his retirement at the end of the 2017-18 season. Whether he lands on the sidelines in OKC or somewhere else it seems inevitable he’ll end up part of a coaching staff in the near future.

Throughout the decade of his service in OKC, there are numerous film clips that can be pointed to where his few minutes on the court resulted in full out effort. His contributions to helping Steven Adams’ growth were invaluable as well.

Collison ranks fourth in franchise history for total rebounds with 4,701 and third for games played (910). He also makes the franchise lists ranking sixth in blocks (469)

Collison was part of the infamous dinner trio (Durant/Westbrook) when K.D. ensured all was well heading into free agency. At some point, we’ll hope for a biography from Collison, though given his tendency to be ‘the best teammate’ it’s unlikely he’ll serve up the dirt.

In the interim, the film Mr. Thunder is available to view and we’ll have to wait to see if Collison ends up on the sidelines coaching.

Serge Ibaka  – Block heard round the world

2008 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 24 by Seattle SuperSonics

Although technically Serge Ibaka was drafted by the Sonics, he joined Russell Westbrook as the first picks for the OKC Thunder. His first season he remained in Europe playing for a Spanish team.

When he joined the team for the 2009-10 season he was ready to make his mark. Initially, his contributions were primarily on the defensive end. But, as Ibaka grew with teammates Westbrook Durant and Harden he became a vital piece of the core.

Ibaka worked to extend his shot range becoming one of the better stretch big men in the NBA. He was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate for most of his tenure in OKC. Serge channeled Dikembe Mutombo as he became one of the best shot blockers in the Association leading the league twice. Not surprisingly Ibaka is the franchise leader in total blocks (1,300).

With the Harden trade, more emphasis was put on Ibaka’s offensive output, and in some ways, this proved to be an issue. The power forward grappled with finding an equal balance on both sides of the hardwood.

The chemistry issues:

Although there is nothing concrete about the locker room there appeared to be ample tension between Durant and Ibaka. When the Thunder moved Ibaka to Orlando many assumed this was an effort by Presti to appease KD and ensure he re-signed.

In addition to the block record, Serge’s seven seasons resulted in Ibaka joining the franchise leader board as the ninth most rebounds (3,875) and 10th in games played (524).

Additionally, Ibaka was named to the All-Defensive team in three successive seasons starting in 2011-12 and also led the NBA in blocks in two of those seasons.

Personally, my favorite moment of Ibaka was when he returned from the calf injury to help the Thunder win four straight games versus the Spurs and go on to play in their first-ever finals.

Sadly, OKC never got to witness the evolution of Ibaka and Adams who in hindsight could very well have provided an unstoppable frontcourt for the Thunder. Regardless, Ibaka remains a beloved player who deserves his rightful spot cracking the top 10 of the franchise top 15 NBA draft picks.

Nate McMillan

1986 NBA Draft: Round 2, Pick 6 (30th overall)  by Seattle SuperSonics

While everyone is familiar with Nate McMillan as a coach his introduction to the NBA came as a player.  Like Andre Roberson, much of what McMillan accomplished can’t be found on a stats sheet. Rather, McMillan was among the first of many defensive guards to grace the court for Seattle and OKC.

The categories where the stats do the guard justice is assists and steals. McMillan’s best season dishing dimes came in his third year (9.3 per game) and in his eighth season averaged a staggering 3.0 steals per game which led the NBA.

Mr. Sonic

Like Collison, the point guard played the entirety of his career (12 seasons) with the same franchise. He arrived too late to be a part of the Seattle championship team but was an integral part of the team which contended throughout the ’90s. McMillan shares a similarity to Nick Collison in that he was dubbed Mr. Sonic by the Seattle fanbase.

His name is etched in franchise lore with multiple honors and entry to the top 10 lists. He made the All-Defensive second team in two successive seasons (93-94 and 94-95).  In terms of franchise records, McMillan ranks third in total assists (4,894) behind only Payton and Westbrook.

His 1,544 total steals ranks second only to Payton and he places fourth in total games played with 796. For his efforts, his is one of the jerseys which was retired into the rafters in Seattle.

Steven Adams – Potential to be best big in OKC history

2013 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 12 by OKC Thunder

Although there will be ample debate over Steven Adams’ selection at 12th with players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert still on the board there is no denying how well Adams has fit in OKC. At the time the Thunder still had Durant so adding Giannis may have seemed like too much of a risk.

Adams seamlessly fit into the Thunder system from the start and his chemistry with Westbrook is undeniable. It feels almost fitting that as Collison retires Adams is left in his wake to take over the responsibilities of leading the frontcourt.

His entry at number eight on the list perhaps seems a little high, but with the caveat of long term potential, it is an easily defensible selection.

In his short tenure of five seasons, Adams has climbed onto the franchise All-Time lists ranking eighth in total blocks (388) and needs just over 900 rebounds until he hits the top 10 rebound list.

Trending upward:

Moving forward Adams is trending in the right direction as in each of the past two seasons he has ranked in the NBA’s top 10 for total offensive rebounds (and percentage) and in field goal percentage.

Moreover, in two of the past three seasons, he has ranked in the top seven for offensive rating and this season ranked fourth for effective field goal percentage (62.9 percent).  If only Billy Donovan could find a way to implement him more in the offense consistently he might garner additional accolades.

Sometimes a player fits a team’s culture so perfectly, and Adams fit the Thunder like a glove. When he hangs up his sneakers this scribe won’t be shocked if the Big Kiwi finds himself among the top five All-Time on this list.

Shawn Kemp

1989 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 17th by Seattle SuperSonics

As we hit the top seven on this list five of the players hold copious career milestones and franchise records which deserve recognition and therefore have been noted.

Career Milestones:

• Six-time All-Star
• Three-time All NBA
• Five-time Western Conference Player of the Week
• Three-time second-team All-NBA
• Two seasons top 10 in blocks
• Three seasons top 10 in rebounds
• Two seasons top 10 in shooting percentage

Franchise Top 10 Lists:

• Second rebounds: 5,978
• Second blocks: 959
• Seventh points: 10,148
• Seventh steals: 775
• Eighth games played: 625

The Rim Destroyer

Long before Dwight Howard or DeAndre Jordan came into the league the Sonics had this physical specimen that defied logic. Shawn Kemp was primarily known for his dunks.

More specifically it was the brutal force with which he dunked. Prior to witnessing Kemp dunk, fans were familiar with the floating aerodynamics of Doctor J. but Kemp changed the entire dunking landscape with regard to power dunking.

The other earmark was Kemp’s relationship with Gary Payton. Oddly it was John Stockton and Karl Malone who became the main big-guard focus of the NBA during the ’90s, but arguably Payton and Kemp were the more compelling partnership.

The pair led the Sonics to the finals in 1996 but failed to grab the title. Two years later Kemp was traded to Cleveland.

Consistency was a benchmark of Kemp’s time in Seattle with him leading the Sonics to seven consecutive postseasons. Additionally, Kemp averaged a double-double in six of his eight seasons. These factors are why Kemp lands at number seven on the top 15 draft picks in franchise history.

Jack Sikma -Generational big ahead of his time

1977 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 8th  by Seattle SuperSonics

Career Milestones:

• NBA Champion – 1978-79
• Seven-time All-Star
• 1977-78 All-Rookie team
• 1980-81 All-Defensive team
• Two time Western Conference Player of the Week
• Six seasons top 10 rebounding
• Five seasons top 10 free throw percentage
• Nine seasons top 10 defensive rebounding

Franchise Top 10 Lists:

• First in rebounds: 7,729
• Third blocks: 705
• Fifth points: 12,034
• Sixth games played: 715
• Eighth  assists: 2,345
• Ninth steals: 755

Jack Sikma was a big man who seemingly was far ahead of his generation.  His game would easily fit the modern day with his overall skill set. Although Sikma doesn’t run a camp like another unicorn big (Hakeem Olajuwon) he has made a big difference to Jonas Valanciunas’ game while working with him in Toronto. Since helping the Lithuanian he has developed post moves and stopped pump faking every time he was further than five feet from the basket.

A scan down the franchise All-Time lists punctuates how varied Sikma’s skillset was. The other factor is to remember this was the 80s when Sikma played and yet he ranks in the franchise top 10 lists for categories other than  blocks and rebounds like assists and steals

Sikma averaged a double-double in seven of his nine seasons in Seattle. Another defining factor of Goldilock’s career was his iron man capabilities as he played all 82 games in each of his initial five seasons and six of his nine seasons in Seattle.

James Harden – Oh what could have been

2009 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 3 by OKC Thunder

For most OKC Thunder fans they recall precisely where they were the moment the announcement of James Harden’s trade to Houston came out. In hindsight, it seems incredible Sam Presti couldn’t figure out a way to keep the young squad intact. Sure the new Collective Bargaining Agreement played a factor, but caveats were put in place for teams to utilize. For example, there were amnesty provisions that could’ve been employed.

Cutting to present day it’s likely Harden will become the third MVP member of the young OKC Thunder squad which looked poised to be what the Warriors are as of today.

While Harden has become a generational franchise star and most of his achievements will belong to Houston his lone trip to the finals came with OKC and he also won Sixth Man of the Year while still with the Thunder.

Another MVP?

Looking back at his draft class of 2009 Sam Presti proved fortunate once again as Hasheem Thabeet was selected second leaving Harden on the board.

For the rest of Thunder fans’ existence there will be debates on whether the foursome of Westbrook, Durant, Harden, and Ibaka could’ve been kept together and if they, in fact, would’ve been able to function as a unit to produce copious titles.

Regardless of where you fall in that argument, James Harden was apart of the most successful team in OKC Thunder history and for that finds himself in the top five of this list.

Dennis Johnson – The lone title and MVP from that series

1976 NBA Draft: Round 2, Pick 12 (29th overall)  by Seattle SuperSonics

Career Milestones:

• Hall of Fame Inductee
• Three-time NBA Champion (once with Seattle)
• NBA Finals MVP 1978-79
• Nine-time All-Defensive Team – (6x first team, 3x second team)
• Two times All-NBA (1x first team. 1x second team)
• Five-time All-Star
• Two time Player of the Week honors (once with Seattle)

With only four seasons on the Seattle SuperSonics Johnson fails to make the top 10 franchise lists. Still, his relevance is no less important since he led the team to their one and only championship and won the Most Valuable player of that series.

Johnson is better known for his time in Boston, but his short time in Seattle remains equally impressive. Putting what Dennis Johnson accomplished in his four-season stint in Seattle let me put this in perspective. He was the 12th pick of the second round of his draft class or 29th overall selection. He won the Finals MVP in his third season. Additionally, he made first-team All-NBA defense in his third and fourth seasons and second-team All-NBA team in his fourth season.

The modern-day equivalent would be Chris McCullough or Josh Huestis winning Finals MVP this past season while landing on three All-NBA teams in their third and fourth years.

Subsequently, ‘The Airplane’ as he was dubbed lands on this list for these accomplishments.

Gary: Payton – NBA’s All-Time best defensive guard

1990 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 2 by Seattle SuperSonics

Career Milestones:

• Hall of Fame inductee
• NBA Champion (2005-06 with Miami Heat)
• Defensive Player of the Year:1995-96
• Steals Leader: 1995-96
• Nine seasons top 10 in steals
• Fourth All-Time NBA steals
• Assists Leader: 1999-2000
• Eight seasons in top 10 assists
• Eighth All-Time in NBA Assists
• Nine-time All-Defensive first team
• Eight-time All-NBA (First team – 1, Second team – 5, Third team 2)
• Nine-time All-Sar
• 1990-91 All-Rookie second team
• Three-time Western Confernce Player of the Week
• One time Western Conference Player of the Month

Franchise Top 10 Lists:

• First points: 18,207
• First steals: 2,107
• Most games played 999
• First assists: 7,384
• Sixth rebounds: 4,240
• Sixth in rebounds: 4,240

There is an argument for Gary Payton to be the number one draft selection of the cumulative picks of the Sonics and Thunder. But, since this is an OKC Thunder fansite we’re giving credence to Thunder personnel. No disrespect to Payton who remains one of the most fascinating and impressive players to ever grace the hardwood.

First of all, you’ll get an argument from yours truly Payton was the best defender ever. It’s highly unusual for guards to be considered equally when it comes to defense. To demonstrate how unusual, Gary Payton is the only point guard to ever win Defensive Play of the Year. In five out of six seasons the award was initially handed out it went to shooting guards. Michael Jordan was the last such winner in 1987-88. Payton was the last guard (and only point guard ) to ever win the award (1995-96).

The Glove:

Add to this Payton was probably the best defender of some of the best NBA talents like Jordan, Clyde Drexler, and Dominique Wilkins.

Nicknamed the Glove it was a moniker which could have been tied to his adeptness at dishing dimes or his steals since he excelled at both. If you missed his time in the NBA go pull up old game footage to catch his heroics and antics as he was also one (if not the best) trash talker in the NBA.

Like Sikma he was another player who was an iron man which seems to be a running similarity of the franchises’ best players.

Gary Payton was one of a kind and even in his post-retirement is fascinating to catch on TV in interviews. While I feel almost guilty for placing him third on this list, he undoubtedly deserves top three.

Russell Westbrook – The face of the current franchise

2008 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 4 by  Seattle SuperSonics

Career Milestones:

• Regular Season MVP: 2016-17
• Two-time All-Star MVP: 2015, 2016
• Seven-time All-Star
• Two-time scoring champ: 2014-15, 2016-17
• Total assists leader: 2017-18 ( 820)
• 17 time NBA Western Conference Player of the week
• 10 time NBA Western Conference Player of the Month
• Eight-time All-NBA (3x first team, 5x second team)
• All-Rookie first team 2008-09
• NBA PER leader: 2017-17

Franchise Top 10 Lists:

• Third points: 17,184
• Second assists: 6,113
• Third rebounds: 4,953
• Third steals: 1,300
• Fifth games played: 748

Sam Presti went through a three year period where he repeatedly benefited by teams ahead of him drafting players to leave transformational stars available. And, for as great as Durant and Harden are it’s rumored Presti feels the greatest attachment to Westbrook.

At the time Westbrook was selected he was considered a bit of a surprise with the fourth pick. And, although Stephen Curry was selected afterward you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doubts other players should’ve been taken higher. The fact Presti also nabbed Serge Ibaka in this draft class was beyond fortuitous.

Despite the naysayers, Westbrook has gone on to make Presti’s decision look brilliant. When Westbrook became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double his first season after Durant bolted he became the darling of the NBA.

But, flash forward to this season when Westbrook repeated this feat and no one seemed as impressed.  OKC Thunder fans can be driven to moments of angst defending the Brodie’s brilliance. As Westbrook said “if it’s so simple to get a triple-double then why isn’t everyone doing it?

One of a kind:

Yet, Westbrook is one of the most polarizing individuals on the hardwood. Search the Association for a  player who gives their all 100 percent of the time and you’ll most likely be speaking of an energy reserve player, not a superstar. This will to win and drive separates him from his peers and is what most of his fans cite for the reason they fell in love with his game from the start.

Scanning the franchises All-Time lists it’s easy to imagine Westbrook may one day own most, if not all the key categories. Let’s just hope his loyalty to the organization results in a title so he can be the player celebrated for doing what his partner in crime felt was easier elsewhere.

Though there is an argument to place Westbrook third or even first on this list he clearly makes the top three. Nor will it be a surprise if he ends up atop this list – after all, he’s Russell Westbrook!

Kevin Durant – The initial unicorn

2007 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 2  by Seattle SuperSonics

Career Milestones:

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Regular Season MVP: 2013-14

All-Star MVP: 2011-12

NBA Champ: 2016-17, 2017-18

NBA Finals MVP: 2016-17, 2017-18

Eight-time: All-NBA (six on the first team, twice on the second team)

Rookie of Year: 2007-08

All-Rookie Team: 2007-09

Nine-time All-Star

Four-time scoring champ: 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2013-14

26 time Western Conference Player of week honors (24 with OKC)

19 time Western Conference Player of the month honors (5x Rookie of month 13 x  POM with OKC,1x with GSW)

NBA PER leader: 2013-14

Franchise Top 10 Lists:

• 2nd points: 17,566
• Fourth blocks: 639
• Fifth rebounds:  4,518
• Seventh assists: 2,363
• Seventh games played: 641
• Eighth steals: 774

The defection to Golden State will forever be a highly personal hurt for OKC Thunder fans and many NBA fans in general. Long the darling of the franchise it was expected Durant would always be the loyal one. He himself noted he was against super teams when LeBron joined the Miami Heat. Then again like burner accounts, we’ve become all too familiar with KD exercising his right to change his mind. (Hey, I gave him the top spot – there had to be a little salt included)

Yet, given the opportunity to form the greatest super team of all time he jumped at the chance. Listen, we can debate until we are blue in the face the semantics of the defection, but it doesn’t remove who or what Kevin Durant is. Moreover, what he meant to the franchise, particularly as a  new franchise cannot be ignored.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Debating number one:

And, while I considered giving this spot to Westbrook the fact is Durant has two titles now along with ranking higher than Westbrook on a few of the franchise top 10 records.

Eventually, Westbrook will likely surpass those franchise top 10’s Durant leads him in, and then we’ll re-evaluate the placement. It may require a title even then to consider him the higher-ranked draft pick.

What Westbrook has going for him is unlike Durant, Westbrook was not considered the top draft pick in his class. So, since this is not the best ‘All-time players’ list that will work in his favor.

In spite of this, as an OKC Thunder fan you’re pulling for a title, so Westbrook can lay claim to all the Thunder records. If nothing else,  he’s earned that right via his loyalty.

In closing, to reiterate these lists are meant to be debated and will reflect personal preference. Hopefully Adam Silver will figure out a way to once more have a franchise in Seattle as their fan base so rightfully deserves. I’m hopeful that occurs soon as I personally know many Seattle fans who are among the most passionate NBA fans I know.

With that, I leave you to dissect the top 15 draft picks in franchise history and offer your opinions in the comment section.

Note: should you want more NBA Draft prospect information prior to Thursday’s NBA Draft event click the link below. At the end of each preview, the next prospect is linked for your perusal.

Next: Deandre Ayton has skill-set to be the next generational big man

*The 60 prospects are ranked via ESPN’s current draft ranking.

Unless otherwise noted all stats are from Basketball-Reference and NBA.com