OKC Thunder: Leonard injury could have a major impact on 2022 draft

The NBA Draft will occur two weeks from tonight and with that, the OKC Thunder are actively preparing. It’s a busy time in OKC for Sam Presti, and the coaches as they bring in prospects for workouts.

If nothing changes for the club the Thunder will make 10 percent of the picks on July 29th including the sixth, 16th, 18th, 34th, 36th, and 55th selections. That’s of course assuming Presti doesn’t make any deals.

OKC joined a group of squads actively invested in tanking for the Cade Cunningham sweepstakes. Fortune didn’t favor the OKC Thunder as their first pick fell to sixth and they lost out on the Rockets pick by virtue of staying in the top four (second).

That punctuates how volatile the situation can be for a team trying to tank. Nothing is guaranteed. The good news is the OKC Thunder have six more years to hit the jackpot including another potential 32 picks after this season.

Sam Presti has compiled an impressive group of picks from other teams including the ones he amassed from the Clippers for the Paul George trade:

• Unprotected 2022 first-round pick
• Can swap 2023 own first-round pick with Clippers (or Heat lottery-protected pick)
• Unprotected 2024 first-round pick
• Can swap own 2025 first-round pick with Clippers (or Rockets top-10 protected pick)
• Unprotected 2026 first-round pick

Kawhi Leonard injury could have a major impact on OKC Thunder 2022 draft

Fans learned this weekend that Kawhi Leonard underwent surgery to repair a partially torn ACL. No one ever wants to see a player get injured but we can’t ignore how this injury could impact the Thunder.

Leonard will have big decisions to make regarding his future with the Clippers. He has several options

• Can opt-out of the final year and re-sign for four years (projected $176 million contract)
• Leonard can opt out and sign with another team.
• Can opt into his final season and earn $36M and then make a second decision:
  • Wait and re-sign at the end of 2022 to a five-year max contract
  • Extend for four years (projected $182M contract).

The presumption is he’ll remain in LA because he left a championship team in order to play for his hometown club. Although injuries can impact contract negotiations it’s a safe bet that team governor Steve Ballmer will give Leonard whatever term he prefers. The Clippers didn’t move heaven and earth two seasons ago just to deny their superstar now.

The timeline for Kawhi to rehabilitate from the ACL injury will be between seven months up to a year. No exact timeline was provided by LAC, but given his injury history, it would be a safe assumption that he’ll lean to the longer term.

In addition to Leonard’s injury, the Clippers have several decisions to make this offseason. At the top of their list will be re-signing free agents Nicolas Batum and Reggie Jackson.

Other free agents include Patrick Patterson, Amir Coffey, and Jay Scrubb. Serge Ibaka underwent back surgery at season end but may elect to opt out of his second year. Plus, DeMarcus Cousins was only added to finish the season, and the Clippers may want to bring him back but at what cost?

Adding to the Clippers’ dilemma is they don’t have the draft capital to barter with thanks to that Paul George trade with the OKC Thunder.  Nor is it likely they’ll land a top talent in the 2021 draft given they have a single pick — the 25th in the first round.

Looking ahead to next season this means the Clippers will be hard-pressed to repeat their 2020-21 performance. George will be the primary scoring option until Leonard returns. PG showed in OKC three seasons ago and during the playoffs, he has the ability to deliver at an MVP level.

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Moreover, much will depend on who the Clippers are able to retain and surround George with. In the ever-competitive West, it will be a battle for LA to land a top seed. Even if PG plays out of his mind, what toll will that take on his body? While he was exceptional for the OKC Thunder in 2018-19 inevitably the wear and tear of being the primary option resulted in injuries leading to two offseason shoulder surgeries.

This all adds up to the likelihood the Clippers will fall down the West pecking order until Leonard returns (if at all next season). Regardless of which players the Clippers retain without their best player, they’ll be in a battle to stay on the playoff ladder or get into the play-in tournament. At that point, if Kawhi is back they could take their chances on knocking off a top seed.

All this to say, the Clippers’ 2022 draft position should be much higher next season. It’s conceivable the Clippers’ pick will be in the 15 to 20 range which is 10 to five positions higher than their 25th pick this year. Again, no one ever wants a player to get injured but the universe balances negatives with positives and in this case, it’s the OKC Thunder who’ll benefit from Leonard’s misfortune

Intentions send Kawhi Leonard our best wishes for a quick and speedy recovery.