OKC Thunder: 3 top priorities for team this offseason

OKC Thunder priority No. 3) Come away from the draft feeling like they won

I know the wording of this one may be a bit confusing, so allow me to elaborate.

All year long, the mindset for this OKC Thunder team has been heavily focused on the 2021 NBA Draft.

Chants of “fade for Cade” have been heard and read within the media from fans of different tanking teams all year, and, really up until their last game of the season where they surprisingly beat the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City had as good of a chance as anyone to nab the top spot and, in turn, snatch up Oklahoma State standout, Cade Cunningham.

Now, with said win, the team has obviously dropped from these favorite odds and now see themselves in possession of the fourth-best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick (11.5 percent) and a 45.1 percent chance of landing within the top four.

Champaign problems, indeed, as the Thunder still have great odds of nabbing themselves a real difference-maker, and even found themselves snagging Gonzaga phenom, Jalen Suggs, in Bleacher Report’s most recent mock.

However, should they land at fourth overall and feel as though the top-3 is the only place for them to truly be happy, they should do what they can to move into said category by means of trade — almost certainly involving both of their 2021 first-round picks.

Should they feel as though they could still come away from the night as being successful outside of the first few selections — which strongly believe they can — they should stand pat and carry on.

No matter which way they feel about their position in the upcoming draft, arguably the team’s biggest priority is to come away from the night feeling as though they came away with a ‘W’.