The rich will continue to get richer. As the Oklahoma City Thunder battle through the NBA playoffs as the title favorite, their long-term future looks as bright. That happens when you spend the early 2020s monopolizing draft capital to build up your assets.
As Zach Lowe argued last summer, the Thunder are best set up to contend for the short-term and long-term future. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren headline the NBA’s best team right now. All three can be locked down for the foreseeable future with contract extensions this summer.
Meanwhile, their draft pick haul continues to be deep. They have their eggs in several baskets. From the LA Clippers to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Thunder have mild interest in several NBA franchises’ futures because of first-round protections and swaps.
That’s why it shouldn’t be a shocker that the Thunder are at the No. 1 spot in ESPN’s best NBA draft asset rankings. Bobby Marks and Jeremy Woo ranked all 30 teams’ draft capital. As most know, draft picks are the league’s currency.
The Thunder can either package picks together to acquire win-now players or use their draft picks to add cheap, young talent to surround their trio as their payroll gets more expensive. Either way, OKC has all the tools needed to lengthen its championship window.
“The Thunder hold two first-round picks and can wind up with a third on lottery night. Philadelphia’s pick is top-six protected, sits fifth in the odds and if it drops multiple spots will convey to OKC. Whether that happens, there’s still the matter of consolidation, as the Thunder currently have 15 players under contract entering the offseason and will need to create space to keep whichever draft picks they make,” Woo wrote. “With that in mind, expect the Thunder to be active around the draft as usual as they balance adding more young talent with bigger-picture roster decisions. GM Sam Presti has positioned the franchise remarkably well, and these are ultimately good problems to have.”
Having too many draft picks is a rich person’s problem. Worst-case scenario, the Thunder can overpay to move up in the draft for a prospect they’re infatuated with. They’ve used that strategy already once last year with Dillon Jones as OKC shipped five second-round picks for the late first-round selection.
Or the Thunder could kick the can down the road. Mortgage some of their short-term draft picks for distant future draft picks that could pay off, considering how much can change in the NBA over five years. Either way, Presti has set up OKC to remain a contender.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: ESPN: OKC Thunder ranked No. 1 in NBA draft asset rankings
The rich will continue to get richer. As the Oklahoma City Thunder battle through the NBA playoffs as the title favorite, their long-term future looks as bright. That happens when you spend the early 2020s monopolizing draft capital to build up your assets.
As Zach Lowe argued last summer, the Thunder are best set up to contend for the short-term and long-term future. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren headline the NBA’s best team right now. All three can be locked down for the foreseeable future with contract extensions this summer.
Meanwhile, their draft pick haul continues to be deep. They have their eggs in several baskets. From the LA Clippers to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Thunder have mild interest in several NBA franchises’ futures because of first-round protections and swaps.
That’s why it shouldn’t be a shocker that the Thunder are at the No. 1 spot in ESPN’s best NBA draft asset rankings. Bobby Marks and Jeremy Woo ranked all 30 teams’ draft capital. As most know, draft picks are the league’s currency.
The Thunder can either package picks together to acquire win-now players or use their draft picks to add cheap, young talent to surround their trio as their payroll gets more expensive. Either way, OKC has all the tools needed to lengthen its championship window.
“The Thunder hold two first-round picks and can wind up with a third on lottery night. Philadelphia’s pick is top-six protected, sits fifth in the odds and if it drops multiple spots will convey to OKC. Whether that happens, there’s still the matter of consolidation, as the Thunder currently have 15 players under contract entering the offseason and will need to create space to keep whichever draft picks they make,” Woo wrote. “With that in mind, expect the Thunder to be active around the draft as usual as they balance adding more young talent with bigger-picture roster decisions. GM Sam Presti has positioned the franchise remarkably well, and these are ultimately good problems to have.”
Having too many draft picks is a rich person’s problem. Worst-case scenario, the Thunder can overpay to move up in the draft for a prospect they’re infatuated with. They’ve used that strategy already once last year with Dillon Jones as OKC shipped five second-round picks for the late first-round selection.
Or the Thunder could kick the can down the road. Mortgage some of their short-term draft picks for distant future draft picks that could pay off, considering how much can change in the NBA over five years. Either way, Presti has set up OKC to remain a contender.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: ESPN: OKC Thunder ranked No. 1 in NBA draft asset rankings
