For nearly a decade, the LA Clippers have been hand-delivering the OKC Thunder unbelievably valuable assets.
From the acquisition of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the acquired draft rights that turned into stars like Jalen Williams, Los Angeles has played a major role in building Oklahoma City into not only a literal champion but also a potential dynasty.
Now, the folks at Bleacher Report believe one more highly valuable gift could be heading out to the Sooner State, as they have the Thunder sliding into the top 10 in their way-too-early 2027 NBA Mock Draft thanks to the Clippers.
Thunder projected to land top-10 pick in 2027 thanks to Clippers
While all the direct debts have been paid for the now-infamous 2019 Paul George blockbuster, the Clippers are still on the hook for another draft rights exchange with the Thunder thanks to their involvement in the 2023 trade that sent James Harden from Philadelphia to Los Angeles.
Considering LA's teardown over the last few months, most recently the still-pending trade that should end up shipping cornerstone Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors, it was already widely believed that this pick could realistically end up falling into the lottery.
B/R's Jonathan Wasserman seems to strongly agree with these expectations, as he not only has the Thunder projected to be on the clock within the top 14, but at seven overall, where he has team president Sam Presti snatching up soon-to-be third-year Duke center Patrick Ngongba II.
With 10 months and full seasons both for the NBA and NCAA to go, this predicted selection of Ngongba, who Wasserman believes would have drawn first-round attention had he declared for this past June's draft, is almost certainly bound to change.
However, this mock draft serves as an exciting reminder that the Thunder are still as well-positioned as any team in the association to circumvent the CBA's dreaded second-apron.
For months now, many have pointed to the fact that even though OKC is currently beelining their way toward having one of the most inflated payrolls in the game, the treasure trove of draft assets heading their way is bound to help keep their finances in check.
Already this summer, the front office has put this presumed strategy to great use, as they offloaded higher-priced players such as Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe, and subsequently filled their vacated spots on the roster with lower-cost recent first-round picks such as Aday Mara (the rights to whom they also received from LA) and Bennett Stirtz.
In the process, they cut their finances to nearly $7.0 million under the second apron.
With nine first-rounders still heading their way between now and 2032, including this Clippers pick that's currently projected at seven overall, this plan seems to have the makings of becoming even more brilliant than many may have already thought.
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