Thunder landed one of offseason's biggest steals thanks to Lauri Markkanen

The OKC Thunder have proven to be one of the most active and overall successful teams during this year's offseason period.

From their signing of highly touted big man Isaiah Hartenstein early on in free agency to their splashy trade with the Chicago Bulls that landed them elite 3-and-D shooting guard Alex Caruso, Sam Presti has taken command of virtually all of this summer's festivities.

However, interestingly enough, one of the best things that happened to the franchise this offseason didn't even wind up coming as a result of a move they made themselves but, rather, one executed by the Jazz.

Though constantly rumored to be open to the idea of blowing up their core and rebuilding from the ground up, on August 7 Utah made the somewhat shocking decision to extend franchise centerpiece Lauri Markkanen to a lofty five-year, $238 million extension.

While some Thunder fans may have been a bit disappointed to see such an agreement made, as many viewed the All-Star as an ideal option for the team to fill the starting power forward position within Mark Daigneault's rotation, the 27-year-old's commitment to staying in Salt Lake City for the foreseeable future is something that could end up benefiting OKC even more than a blockbuster deal.

Jazz signing Lauri Markkanen gives Thunder enviable draft capital

Back in 2021, the Thunder acquired the rights to a future Jazz first-round selection for taking on the final two years of Derrick Favors' unappealing $27 million contract.

Said rights held a top-10 protection, which, due to their 31-51 finish on the year and their claim to the 10 pick during this past June's NBA Draft, the selection did not convey in 2024, thus allowing the franchise to hold onto it... for now, anyway.

With how the trade was designed, the pick is still owed to Oklahoma City at some point in time. Being they were able to have the ping pong balls bounce their way this summer, Presti now holds onto their rights for next summer's draft with the same, top-10 reservations.

Had the Jazz opted to part ways with Markkanen this summer, it almost certainly would have led to a chain reaction where Danny Ainge and co. ended up tearing coach Will Hardy's roster down to the studs and, in turn, unofficially set them up to tank which, more than likely, would have seen them land yet another desired high-end pick in 2025.

However, Utah's multi-year commitment to the 7-foot big who just dropped 23.2 points and 8.2 rebounds on 39.9 percent shooting from distance during last year's injury-plagued campaign suggests they may be looking to compete and possibly even try to snap their two-year playoff drought this season.

Should this happen, and Markkanen stays healthy for a majority of the year, it seems increasingly likely that the Thunder could find themselves adding yet another first-round pick to their arsenal and, considering Philadelphia and Miami's draft rights (protected 1-6 and 1-14, respectively) could also easily convey, the club could find itself on the board as many as four times during the first 30 picks.

What makes this scenario all the more exciting is the fact that 2025 is projected to be an incredibly deep class, one with a plethora of potential franchise-altering talents who, unlike this year's draft, could easily be available beyond the top-flight selections (generally 1-10).

Add this to the fact that if Utah doesn't have their pick convey next summer, the rights then become just top-eight protected in 2026, and, in some ways, it may be in the club's best interest to just get the exchange with the Thunder over with before they actually need a fresh start and, in turn, unteathered draft rights.