The Oklahoma City Thunder will have a lot of critical decisions to make this offseason as they look to bolster their 57-win ball club from a season ago that sniffed a Western Conference Finals berth as they fell just shy of the achievement losing in six games to the eventual conference, the Dallas Mavericks.
The first affair of the offseason will be the 2024 NBA Draft at the end of June just mere days after a new Champion is crowned.
While many offer criticisms of this class, Thunder General Manager Sam Presti actually likes this year’s crop of prospects and for good reason.
Despite it being a bad draft for franchises yet to capture a franchise cornerstone, teams like Oklahoma City looking to improve their roster and get over the hump can vastly improve thanks to the litter of pro-ready contributors.
As Oklahoma City owns the No. 12 pick in this month’s draft, the Thunder have the luxury of flexibility. Trading up, moving back or staying put are all viable options for the organization.
However, with future draft classes projecting to be much stronger than the 2024 crop and the drop off between No. 12 and a minor shift back not being negligible – it could make for the perfect trade-back recipe.
With Oklahoma City picking up future draft capital in more talent-rich classes while still nabbing a contributor with their long selection this year.
Given the lack of true consensus throughout this draft board, there is a larger-than-normal chance of a draft night faller in the eyes of NBA decision-makers. Should someone’s circled prospect drop to No. 12 Presti and company would have the best of both worlds.
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