Thunder officially surpassed in valued category once dominated by OKC

The OKC Thunder set the standard for the quality of return packages middle-of-the-pack playoff teams can receive should they opt to trade away their stars and embark on a rebuild.

Back during the summer of 2019, GM Sam Presti called it quits on their stud tandem of Russell Westbrook and Paul George, as they traded the former to the Rockets in exchange for the expiring deal of Chris Paul and the rights to four future first-round picks while offloading the latter to the Clippers where they needed five first-rounders, two pick swaps, and, of course, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Now five years removed from this highly active offseason, due to this draft-heavy blueprint Oklahoma City has officially become the it-team in the association after rattling off 57 wins and becoming the youngest top-seed in league history during the 2023-24 campaign.

Currently, they also head into the upcoming season as the favorite to represent the Western Conference in the 2025 NBA Finals.

Considering how successful the franchise was in following such an agenda, it should come as no surprise that other organizations strewn across the league have attempted to follow in their footsteps, and, while the Thunder may always be viewed as the originators of this game plan, it appears their standing as top-dogs in the "cache of picks" department is no more.

Spurs surpass Thunder atop 'cache of picks' rankings ahead of 2024-25

In a recent piece penned by ESPN's Bobby Marks, the NBA Insider constructed updated rankings for each team sporting the most first-round picks, and, while the Thunder still have a league-leading 20 total first-rounders (their own and acquired via trades) coming their way over the next several years, ultimately, they were slotted in at second behind the Spurs.

Though Marks admitted it was a hard decision to keep Presti and co. "out of the top spot," in the end, he believes that San Antonio's quality of selections is superior to Oklahoma City's quantity.

Frankly, it's easy to see why.

Of all the 12 incoming first-round draft rights Gregg Popovich has secured over the last several seasons, only four have protections attached to them, two of which have a mere "top-one" stipulation.

On top of this, of the five that hold no protections, three are coming from the Atlanta Hawks, who many see embarking on a hapless journey over the next few years following the recent departure of Dejounte Murray and the shaky future of leftover star guard, Trae Young.

The Thunder, on the other hand, have seven first-round draft rights that are linked to protections, with their only unprotected assets coming from the Clippers and Mavericks, both of whom are viewed as serious playoff contenders moving forward.

Regardless of their standing as the top team in the pecking order or not, it's undeniable that this title-hopeful Oklahoma City squad is in as good of a position as any team could ask for heading into 2024-25.