Once seen as the biggest threat to an OKC Thunder dynasty, over the last few years, the Denver Nuggets have found themselves gradually falling from their place of residency in the top-tier of NBA title threats.
Starting with the departures of both Michael Porter Jr. and Russell Westbrook last offseason to the recent trade that shipped Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver has seen a number of key contributors head for the exits lately.
What has transpired along the way is a first-round exit in the 2026 playoffs and a recent entry into the dreaded second apron.
Now, with rumors circulating that superstar Nikola Jokic could theoretically be a flight risk himself come next summer, with Panathinakios Basketball Club owner Dimitrios Giannakopoulos recently revealing that he's already been heavily pursuing Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, many are wondering how much longer Denver can legitimately be seen as a serious powerhouse in the league.
Needless to say, the Thunder should be cheering for their demise, as there are serious draft benefits that could come from a worst-case scenario for Denver.
Thunder own the rights to a pair of future Nuggets first-rounders
Oklahoma City is, without question, rooting for the Nuggets' downfall, but not necessarily for the reason one may think.
Yes, their descent is certainly exciting for the Thunder on account of the fact that it would leave them with one fewer conference foe to fear, but it could also benefit them in the long-run from a draft picks standpoint.
Thanks to the wheeling and dealing ways of Sam Presti, Oklahoma City owns the rights to Denver's 2027 first-round (via the 2022 Peyton Watson trade) and 2029 first-round (via 2023 draft pick consolidation trade) picks, both of which are top-five protected.
Now, even in the unlikely event that Jokic moves on in the next few years, assuming Jamal Murray stays put, the Nuggets should by no means be expected to be in legitimate contention for the number one pick.
With that said, coming up short of a playoff berth in the always competitive Western Conference and, in turn, falling into the draft lottery á la this past year's LA Clippers would be well within the realm of possibility. Frankly, considering the restrictions on both picks, that would be the sweet spot for the Thunder.
Given Oklahoma City's track record of turning afterthought draft capital received from rival clubs into invaluable core rotation commodities (Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, etc.), this string of recent misfortunes out in Denver is something worth paying close attention to.
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