Thunder viewed as team willing to trade draft picks in 2022 draft

Any team interested in trading into this month’s NBA Draft may want to give Sam Presti a buzz.

Keith Smith of Spotrac reported this week that the Oklahoma City Thunder have been identified as a team that could be willing to trade draft picks. Smith adds that Oklahoma City’s No. 2 overall pick seems to be off the table but that picks No. 12, 30, and 34 may be in play.

If draft picks grew on trees, the Thunder would be a forest. On top of their four picks in this year’s draft, OKC’s extreme asset accumulation strategy over the last few years has netted them 12 first-round picks and 13 second-rounders (not even counting their own picks) through 2028, per Real GM.

In addition, the Thunder have a finite amount of roster spots available. 16 players are already under contract for next season, including 12 who are age 25 or younger. A player drafted in the late first or early second round might not be any more useful than a guy currently on the roster that OKC has already worked to develop.

At some point, the Thunder will have to cash in on their embarrassment of riches when it comes to assets. That could start as soon as this year’s draft, even if their current strategy has drawn the admiration of some of the league’s biggest stars.