The Oklahoma City Thunder own the 12th overall pick after the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery played out in Chicago during the NBA Draft Combine. While they did not win the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, the OKC Thunder still have flexibility come draft night.
The OKC Thunder owns the 12th, 34th, and 50th NBA Draft Picks in the 2023 NBA Draft. Thanks to their treasure chest of assets, they can still climb up the board with a draft day trade. Sam Presti is no stranger to this idea.
Heading into the 2023 NBA Draft, the OKC Thunder have an impressive draft day streak intact that should continue.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have made at least one trade on the day of the NBA Draft since 2019. In that draft, Sam Presti moved down the board to better position himself to select New Balance Intern Darius Bazley. Then, in 2020, Sam Presti used a trade to ensure he got his guy, Aleksej Pokusevski, with the 16th overall pick after originally being slotted for 21st. 2021 Presti consolidated second-round picks to grab Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who seemed to have first-round talent out of the University of Villanova. Finally, last year, the OKC Thunder General Manager traded three future first-round picks to acquire Ousmane Dieng with the 11th pick, who Presti had circled since Dieng was 16 years old.
Sam Presti has quite the streak of Draft Day trades:
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) May 17, 2023
2019: Traded down for Darius Bazley
2020: Traded up for Aleksej Pokusevski
2021: Traded up fror Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
2022: Traded back into the first round for Ousmane Dieng
I’d be shocked if that streak doesn’t continue.
The Oklahoma City Thunder settling in at pick 12, with four 2024 NBA Draft picks at their disposal, does not seem likely. I would imagine the OKC Thunder will take some of the 2024 picks, or future assets, to navigate their way up the board.
To walk away with a name like Jarace Walker, Taylor Hendricks, or even Gradey Dick would help the Thunder continue to build out their core.
Do you expect Sam Presti to make a draft day trade?