Jaden Ivey rumors intensify, but how could the OKC Thunder acquire him?

Jaden Ivey is one of the top prospects in the 2022 NBA Draft. While many fans’ vision of this draft class has been clouded by the idea of a three-man draft with Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith, and Chet Holmgren leading the way, Jaden Ivey is no consolation prize. Many NBA teams have Ivey within their top three, and the narrative has swiftly shifted to a four-player draft.

The idea of Jaden Ivey finding his way to Bricktown on Thursday started a month ago during the NBA combine, which should raise some eyebrows. Immediately these rumors get thrown out, called a smoke screen, and James Bouknight is held up as the prime example…let’s just forget about that whole Aleksej Pokusevski draft cycle, sweep that right under the rug.

However, for this to be a smoke screen, someone has to gain something from these reports getting out. I do not think this is a smoke screen, I think we have a good old fashion rumor on our hands here in Oklahoma City. Though, what is the difference?

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been linked to Jaden Ivey throughout the NBA Draft process, and the rumors are only gaining steam, what will happen come Thursday?

The OKC Thunder hold the 2nd pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and many expect that to be too high to pull the trigger on selecting Ivey. Though, Sam Presti is a wild man and is not scared to go against the consensus. Not to mention, the Kings’ 4th pick is considered available, especially in a trade-back scenario.

The only issue becomes, how did one of the most tight-lipped organizations in sports allow their love affair with the Purdue guard to leak? My best guess as to what happened is this was a bad game of telephone. It is not a smoke screen considering no one benefits from this report.

For the Thunder, why would they leak that they will select Ivey two? It could lose them leverage in trade-down discussions. If the Kings are convinced  OKC is selecting Ivey, simple math suggests they will have one of the big three (Banchero, Holmgren, Smith Jr) fall into their lap without moving and giving up additional assets. Considering a month ago it did not appear there was a chance one of the three fell to four, the Kings would be happy to pick up anyone to fall. So it is not as though OKC would be doing Sacramento a favor at that point if they were truly dead set on Ivey.

Okay, well what about Sacramento? They might leak this so the 4th pick has more value with the idea of well now you could have one of the big three! Well, no. The history of the draft shows us, that a move for a top pick like 4th overall only happens on draft night, before the deal is agreed to the team moving up would simply wait until they had confirmation on who the pick at two was.

What about Ivey’s agent? They just do not have a great angle or reason to do this considering they have no control over where they are picked and have already leaked they do not want to go to Sacramento, but can not force OKC to save them.

The only form of leverage or reasoning behind leaking this is from a King’s brainwashing perspective. What does that mean?  Sacramento is one of the laughing stocks of the NBA, and there was a report this year that they respect Sam Presti so much they run trades by him that he is not even involved in. This angle would be selling your fans on Ivey, who would join an interesting fit of Fox and Mitchell, as “Look one of the smartest general managers in the sport likes our guy!” Short of that, there is no value to any party involved for this to become public knowledge for a month out. Therefore, it is not a smoke screen, but instead a rumor.

Look, if Sam Presti believes Jaden Ivey is the best player in this draft, who am I to question a man who has never missed on a selection within the top ten? I have talked with people within the NBA that believe Ivey can thrive off-ball and play alongside guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, and easing those concerns is good enough for me considering I have Ivey fourth on my big board.

This is how a game of telephone gets out of hand. Do you think Pistons General Manager Troy Weaver did not like Jalen Green last year? Did he think Scottie Barnes had no talent? How about Evan Mobley? Of course, he liked all of them, and with reports his mentor Sam Presti had Mobley ranked number one, I would bet Weaver liked the Cavs big man as well. However, you only get one selection at a time, and Cade Cunningham was valued for the 1st overall pick.

That does not mean Weaver does not think Mobley, Green, Barnes, Wagner, or Giddey are bad players, he just could not draft them all. I think Sam Presti likes Jaden Ivey. I would venture a guess that he likes a lot of the top prospects. But come Thursday, he has to side with one of them.

No one truly knows where OKC leans, not a month out from the draft, a day out from the draft, or even when the team is placed on the clock. All we can do is sit back, wait, and wonder.