• NBA teams have been moving draft capital in recent years like never before
• A few teams have come in possession of over 10 first-round picks for the next seven seasons
• But which team has collected the most?
Draft picks have often been the most valuable pieces in a trade over 10 years ago, but nowadays they get thrown into trades without a second thought. Last year saw pick madness peak, as the Utah Jazz sold their All-NBA players Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert for a combined total of 10 first-round picks.
There are various teams in the last five years that got a whole new coffer of draft assets for one superstar player being traded away and today we want to evaluate which five teams are loaded with future draft capital.
5. Brooklyn Nets
First-Round Picks – 10
2024 NBA Draft – 0 First Round Picks
2025 NBA Draft – 2 First-Round Picks (Swap worse pick with Rockets, Suns)
2026 NBA Draft – 0 First-Round Picks
2027 NBA Draft – 3 First-Round Picks (Swap worse pick with Rockets, Suns, Philadelphia 1-8 Protected)
2028 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own)
2029 NBA Draft – 3 First-Round Picks (Own, Suns, Mavs)
2030 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own)
It wasn’t long ago that the Brooklyn Nets emptied out their own coffers to try and acquire James Harden from the Houston Rockets. But the team has seemingly bounced back into being one of the most draft-rich teams in the NBA by their winter moves sending Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant away.
Kyrie netted the franchise just one unprotected first-round pick from the Mavericks, but Durant fetched four unprotected picks, one of which was already cashed out at the 2023 NBA Draft. Even with their picks until 2027 being tied up in the Harden trade, the Nets have plenty of future assets to complete a rebuild with Mikal Bridges as their star. If not, the team could sell a lot of the valuable rotation players they have for further first-round picks.
4. New York Knicks
First-Round Picks – 11
2024 NBA Draft – 4 First-Round Picks (Own, Mavericks 1-10 Protected, Pistons 1-18 Protected, Wizards 1-12 Protected)
2025 NBA Draft – 2 First-Round Picks (Own, Bucks 1-4 Protected)
2026 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own)
2027 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own)
2028 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own)
2029 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own)
2030 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own)
The New York Knicks will slide out of the conversation of being one of the richest teams in terms of draft capital at the end of this season. They could have four first-round picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, still waiting for the final pick from the Kristaps Porzingis trade to convey. The other two picks from the Pistons and Wizards are looking unlikely to convey given their protections and the state of those teams.
They have complete control over every single one of their future picks, which gives them full authority to trade them however they see fit. If a superstar becomes available, the Knicks could theoretically offer four unprotected first-round picks and three first-round pick swaps to outbid virtually any team. They have till 2026 to make the Wizards pick convey and till 2027 for the Pistons pick.
3. San Antonio Spurs
First-Round Picks – 12
2024 NBA Draft – 3 First Round Picks (Own, Hornets 1-14 Protected, Raptors 1-6 Protected)
2025 NBA Draft – 3 First-Round Picks (Own, Hawks, Bulls 1-8 Protected)
2026 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own or favorable swap from Hawks)
2027 NBA Draft – 2 First-Round Picks (Own, Hawks)
2028 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own or favorable swap with Celtics Protected For No. 1 Overall Pick)
2029 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own)
2030 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own or favorable swap with Mavericks)
Not only do the San Antonio Spurs have one of the brightest prodigies the NBA has ever seen with Victor Wembanyama, but they are also stocked with draft assets to build a contender around him. They own all their picks and have three favorable pick swaps with the Hawks (2026), Celtics (2028), and Mavericks (2030). Given how uncertain futures can be in the NBA, the Spurs could become a contender and get better value with the favorable swaps than just holding onto their original picks.
The Dejounte Murray trade with the Hawks has really bolstered their draft coffers, but they could add more depending on how the season goes. If the Spurs want to continue selling players, they could possibly fetch a first-round pick for a veteran 3-and-D shooter like Reggie Bullock. Given the youth of their core and the smart future draft strategy at play, the Spurs could be a force to be reckoned with.
2. Utah Jazz
First-Round Picks – 14
2024 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own 1-10 Protected)
2025 NBA Draft – 3 First-Round Picks (Own 1-10 Protected, Cavaliers, Timberwolves)
2026 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own or lower to Cavaliers or Timberwolves)
2027 NBA Draft – 4 First-Round Picks (Own, Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Lakers 1-4 Protected)
2028 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own or favorable swap with Cavaliers)
2029 NBA Draft – 3 First-Round Picks (Own, Cavaliers, Timberwolves 1-5 Protected)
2030 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own)
The Utah Jazz technically owe their first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2024, with the protection on the pick extending till 2026 when they will likely lose their first-round pick or get a very unfavorable one. But if the Jazz manage to convey the pick in the next year or two, they will have a completely clear pick picture for the future.
We already talked about the haul they received for both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, so it’s not surprising to see that they have a lot of picks in their future. The pick value also alternates in years, meaning they got the Jazz and Wolves to give up the same picks without triggering the Stepien Rule. Most of these picks are completely unprotected, which makes them extremely viable in the future if these teams fall out of contention.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
First-Round Picks – 15
2024 NBA Draft – 3 First Round Picks (Rockets 1-5 Protected, Jazz 1-10 Protected, Clippers)
2025 NBA Draft – 3 First-Round Picks (Own or swap with Rockets Protected 1-10 or Clippers, 76ers 1-6 Protected, Heat 1-14 Protected)
2026 NBA Draft – 3 First-Round Picks (Own, Clippers, Rockets 1-4 Protected)
2027 NBA Draft – 2 First-Round Picks (Own, Nuggets 1-5 Protected)
2028 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own)
2029 NBA Draft – 2 First-Round Picks (Own, Nuggets 1-5 Protected)
2030 NBA Draft – 1 First-Round Pick (Own)
The pick kings of the NBA have been the Oklahoma City Thunder since they traded away Paul George and Russell Westbrook for hauls of picks from the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets. Both teams will continue paying the price till 2026, as the Thunder have already cashed in on most of those picks. The magic of what the Thunder have been doing is that they’re using the picks and accepting salary dumps from contending teams for more picks.
They will switch gears to contention sooner rather than later. This means they have the biggest arsenal of picks to throw at any NBA team with a disgruntled superstar. With murmurs of a possible trade offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Thunder could feasibly trade a large chunk of their assets and still have eight first-round picks to spare to continue building. This is a scary team and could finally reach their championship destiny if Sam Prestie continues using these assets the right way.
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