The Oklahoma City Thunder had a Big 3 in the early 2010s that included Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and James Harden. They were never able to win a championship with that trio, but they are now on the edge of building a similarly stacked team once again.
Thunder GM Sam Presti has managed to move players and stars around in a way that has allowed the Thunder to draft high for the last three years, and they still have many future picks left. After a recent deal with the Atlanta Hawks, who needed to cut costs, OKC now has a wealth of picks coming up once again.
Following the deal with the Hawks, the Thunder now have a whopping 35 draft picks in the next seven years. And if that weren’t enough by itself, 15 of those are first-round picks, meaning they will constantly get an injection of promising rookies or have the assets to potentially build a whole new roster along with two superstars.
ESPN story on the Thunder completing an assets deal with the Hawks that takes them to 35 draft picks in the next seven years — including 15 first-rounders: https://t.co/4bCpEryojN
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 8, 2023
The Oklahoma City Thunder took on Patty Mills from the Hawks, who needed to cut salaries and managed to gain six future second-round picks from two deals with the Houston Rockets and the Miami Heat this summer. The other deal included taking on Victor Oladipo’s salary, and the Thunder have done that without compromising their cap flexibility next summer.
Oklahoma City Thunder Already Have A Promising Young Core Built Around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became an All-Star and made the All-NBA First Team in 2023, he has truly taken the next step and become a superstar. The Thunder also have a budding star in Josh Giddey, who can do it all on the court. And there is, of course, Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in 2022, who will be gunning for the Rookie Of The Year award this coming season.
It’s impossible to imagine that the Thunder will make 35 selections in the next seven years. A lot of these assets will come in handy then to put the best role players around their young core. And if any one of them doesn’t work out, Presti can always trade his picks and youngsters for the next big superstar that becomes available. One way or another, the Thunder look set to become a perennial contender again in the future.
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