OKC general manager Sam Presti instilled a culture where you could win instead of a winning culture with the Thunder. He believes that small tweak makes a big difference. BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Oklahoma City Thunder have an incredible amount of draft assets. Over the past five years since the end of the Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant era, general manager Sam Presti has slowly been building a war chest of draft assets. The idea is they work in a couple of ways. The first is simple. There are more opportunities to get great players when you have more opportunities. The second is that the Thunder can basically trade for anyone they want. The stockpile has been built. It is time to spend the capital.
Oklahoma City Thunder Draft Assets
I will try and simplify the draft picks here because some of them have a laundry list of conditions that I am still trying to wrap my head around. Here are just the first-round picks that the Thunder have in their war chest.
2024: Clippers (unprotected), Rockets (Top-4 protected), and Jazz (top-10 protected)
2025: Pick swap with Clippers, Nets, or Rockets (This is one of the most complex assets), Heat (Top-14 protected), 76ers (Top-6 protected)
2026: Rockets (Top-4 protected), Clippers (unprotected)
2027: Nuggets (Top-5 protected)
2029: Nuggets (protected with conditions based on what happens in 2027. Again very complicated)
This is on top of their own first-round picks and a slew of second-round picks as well. The most tantalizing assets are the unprotected firsts from the Clippers. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are some of the biggest question marks in the league and those could become premium picks.
The Oklahoma City Thunder Should Use The Draft Assets
The team has a bonafide star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who was selected to All-NBA first team last season. Joining him are Josh Giddey, Jaylin Williams, Chet Holmgrem, and a slew of other talented young players. The roster already is loaded with talent though probably needs a couple of pieces here and there in order to really become a contender. At this point, the Thunder can beat any offer. If the right player demands a trade, the Thunder can easily provide the best offer. The roster is ready and it is time to spend. The roster isn’t the only reason. Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder draft assets are suffering from a law of diminishing returns.
Law Of Diminishing Returns
At some point, the number of picks becomes unnecessary. It’s cool to say the team has all of these picks but it is unrealistic to think that the Thunder will be able to keep all of the players they draft. First-round picks need playing time and there is a log jam on this roster right now. Similarly, all of the players will need to get paid at some point. If they all demand top money, this roster becomes very expensive very quickly. I get not wanting to move on from the Clippers’ picks but there are so many other assets that could be used in order to acquire a player who could push the team over the top. Why are the Oklahoma City Thunder so stingy about spending their draft picks?
Keep The Job
What is the number one goal of a general manager of a team? Keep the job. At this point, these draft picks could be anything. They could be the next generational player or a complete bust. Once the chips are pushed in, there is no going back. Look at sports history. Any time a team goes all-in for a player and it doesn’t work, the GM is the first person that is fired. Teams can’t fire someone who keeps accumulating all of these premium picks! Presti knows this and is going to keep looking like one of the best in the business with his war chest of picks.
There are basketball reasons as well. The Western Conference has a lot of great teams including the defending champs, the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers, Warriors, Suns, and a host of other teams are slated for a battle at the top. Oklahoma City may be biding its time a little in order to make the move at a point when the conference is more vulnerable. With the age of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant, those teams could go into a rebuild sooner rather than later.
Spend Now…And Later!
The good news about the Oklahoma City Thunder draft assets? Presti can spend now and spend later! The team can make some moves for the future and set the team up for a successful run soon. Whether they do something this season will likely depend on the record midseason. If the Thunder surprise people and are sitting at third in the West before the trade deadline, Presti could get aggressive. If they stumble out of the gate, Presti may look to gather even more assets. Sooner or later though, these assets will have to be spent.
