The Oklahoma City Thunder have built their current team through the unexpectedly strong draft picks they acquired from other teams. With the news breaking that Paul George had knee surgery and is questionable to start the regular season, it looks like that pipeline of lottery talent will keep on coming.
Some championship teams are built entirely from a team's own draft picks and free agent signings. Most, however, require trades that take advantage of other teams. The Boston Celtics, last year's champions, won multiple trades to add to a core built on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown -- both drafted by the Celtics from picks they acquired from other players.
This year's champion was no different. The Thunder did draft Chet Holmgren with their own pick, uncovered Lu Dort, scooped up Isaiah Joe and signed Isaiah Hartenstein. Yet they also traded for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander when he was still a bright-eyed young guard from the LA Clippers, traded for draft picks and swaps that became Jalen Williams, Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber, and flipped Josh Giddey into Alex Caruso.
What is truly unique about the Thunder is that they just won the title and will be adding a pair of lottery picks in Topic and Sorber. Next year they have more draft picks coming. As their veterans get expensive, the Thunder have the pool of prospects available to start rising up to take their place. How they add talent with those picks will determine whether they win a single title -- or become the latest dynasty.
Next season, the Thunder have as many as four picks heading their way from other teams. The most lucrative of those picks is one coming all the way from Philadelphia, courtesy of the Al Horford salary dump in 2020: a Top-4 protected 2026 first-round pick.
The Thunder could get another lottery pick
Oklahoma City almost got its hands on that pick this season before the 76ers tanked the end of the season and then leaped up to the third pick to keep their Top-6 protected pick. Rather than evaporate, however, the Thunder's ownership rolled into a Top-4 protected 2026 pick.
Unless the 76ers finish with one of the first four picks of the NBA Draft, that pick will be sent to the Thunder. That means they could have as high as the fifth overall pick, potentially right after celebrating their second consecutive championship.
The announcement of Paul George's injury only increases the likelihood that such a pick will be a lucrative one. The 76ers certainly don't mind sending the pick next season, compared to the other options, but that's with an expectation that their talent level propels them into the playoffs. If George misses time, however, a small 76ers team will be put in a bind from the jump.
Given Joel Embiid's injury history -- and that he isn't even fully cleared for basketball activities yet -- he could go down at any moment. Tyrese Maxey has battled injuries in his short career. Jared McCain missed most of his impressive rookie season due to injury. This franchise tripped and fell last season; are they lining up for a repeat performance?
The Thunder will be kept alive as a title contender as long as they can add future contributors through the draft. Thus far they have done exactly that. Topic and Sorber both look like gifted young players who could turn into reliable rotation players -- nothing is certain, but they have shown the right kinds of flashes.
What if more is to come next season? What if the Thunder trade a couple of those firsts but still end up with a Top 10 pick to add another high level prospect? Names like Dash Daniels, Jayden Quaintance and Chris Cenac Jr. will be floating around next season's lottery. It would be a death sentence for the rest of the NBA if the Thunder add another future star in the draft.
Shorting the 76ers' health is the right move to make, and the Thunder already made it. With how things are trending, all signs are pointing to another disappointing season in the City of Brotherly Love -- and a strong draft pick heading to Oklahoma City.