The Oklahoma City Thunder flipped one of their 2022 first-round picks for a future first-rounder in a trade with the Denver Nuggets.
Since Sam Presti became the general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, he has accrued tons of first-round picks in future NBA Drafts. This year, the Thunder held three first-rounders, which included Nos. 2, 12 and 30. Well, one of those is now gone, in exchange for, you guessed it, another future first-round pick.
According to ESPN senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder have acquired a protected 2027 first-round pick and forward JaMychal Green from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for the No. 30 overall pick and second-round draft selections in 2023 and 2024.
Thunder acquire another future first-round draft pick
Very on brand for Oklahoma City. But just how many first-rounders does the team own now following this trade? According to RealGM, Oklahoma City hold 13 potential first-round picks at their disposal from 2023 until 2027, and that includes the pick they just acquired from Denver.
The Thunder still hold their two picks in the Top 12 of this year’s NBA Draft. With the second-overall pick, it is expected that they will get one of Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith or Paolo Banchero, the top prospects in the entire class.
Besides the coveted draft picks, Oklahoma City gets Green, who as Wojnarowski notes is expected to opt into his $8.2 million player option for next season. In 67 games this campaign (eight starts), Green averaged 6.4 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 48.6-percent from the field.
Once again, Presti proved to the NBA world that nothing will stop him from acquiring future first-round picks. Meanwhile, the Nuggets will now have the No. 21 and 30 picks in this year’s draft.