The OKC Thunder came away from this past June's NBA Draft with quite a haul, as they managed to snag two players who, at their respective positions, are widely regarded as steals in the likes of Thomas Sorber (14 overall) and Brooks Barnhizer (44 overall).
However, during the festivities, the ball club also seemingly helped a direct conference foe acquire a bargain of a player themself, as Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes believes that the Sacramento Kings landed one of the biggest steals from the 2025 draft via the trade that saw Oklahoma City ship them the rights to the 24 overall selection, Nique Clifford.
Thunder aided in Kings landing NBA Draft steal with Nique Clifford trade
As a result of their overflowing collection of draft capital mixed with an already fleshed-out roster, Sam Presti and company were forced to move on from the second of their two first-round picks in the 2025 draft, the rights of which were originally acquired from the now storied Paul George-for-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander blockbuster swap of 2019.
Clifford, the Colorado State standout two-guard, was the casualty for Oklahoma City, as he was dealt to Sacramento in exchange for a protected 2027 first-round pick.
While the 23-year-old has yet to see a lick of meaningful, regular-season action, his production in both Summer League and preseason has led Hughes to believe that Clifford is already showing signs of outshining his original draft stock.
Throughout his final season with the Rams and the pre-draft process, the wing built up a reputation of being a well-rounded, two-way talent who, with his five years of collegiate play, comes into the association with a level of maturity that most rookies tend to lack.
On a somewhat lost team like the Kings, having someone with these kinds of attributes could prove to be rather valuable, and may even have him already viewed as "one of their most balanced players."
Out in the Vegas games, Clifford dropped impressive per-game averages of 18.5 points and 5.0 assists on 52.9 percent shooting from deep.
In two games played in the preseason, he's continued to play at a highly servicable level, though this time his production came while running alongside full-time talents such as Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and DeMar DeRozan, as he's posted 12.5 points, 5.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals a night.
To Hughes, Clifford has looked more poised and prepared than a majority of his 2025 classmates, and "could be a godsend" for their rotation right out of the gates.
With this in mind, the Kings are likely more than thankful that the Thunder could facilitate such a talent to them.