Sam Presti’s peers envious of his draft cupboard and flexibility gained through trades

Work to be done:

Even with all these draft picks it doesn’t guarantee a generational talent will land in OKC plus there are protections on some of the picks. Moreover, of the bevy of first round picks Presti obtained only one draft pick is from the most desirable draft class of 2022.

It’s expected that will be the year the NBA reverts back to allowing high school players to forego the current obligation of spending a season in College, overseas or like Darius Bazley interning. In essence, the 2022 class will be like two draft classes combined into one year.

Throwing a wrench into the mix of 2022 if the OKC Thunder don’t fall into the lottery their own first round pick will be conveyed to the Hawks leaving them with just the Clippers pick.

Learning from his peers:

Moving forward it would behoove Presti to try to add picks for 2022. Watch for that scenario when/if Presti trades CP3, Gallinari and any other Thunder assets this season. Furthermore, there will be a slippery path to walk with so many picks. Teams like the 76ers and Celtics each had numerous picks but needed copious attempts to get their young talents.

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Danny Ainge made numerous picks prior to nabbing Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Likewise, not all of Sam Hinkie’s picks were successful, but like Ainge, he also landed two top talents in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.

Another GM who Presti should try to emulate is David Griffin who managed to augment his roster with assets by creating more from the initial pieces he had to work with. Granted Griffin already had Zion Williamson so giving up that Lakers fourth pick became more feasible.

Ideally, Presti learns from each of the 76ers, Celtics, and Pelicans to maximize his picks with the ultimate goal of gaining generational talents and using some picks for trades to gain valuable assets.

What we do know is Presti’s peers are salivating over the choices and flexibility he has. The only thing left to answer is what the OKC Thunder will do with a cupboard teeming with options.

For those interested in gaining insights on the rest of the Western Conference check out Smith’s article which offers insights on every West team.