The Thunder have two late second round picks, so we look at the players can they target at No. 53 and No. 57.
The 2017-2018 season was quite disappointing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, especially after the additions of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony inspired all kinds of buzz during the summer. However, the 2018 offseason will, once again, bring a lot of attention to Russell Westbrook and his team, especially as George faces free agency, Anthony appears likely to opt in to a contract that will vastly overpay him, and Sam Presti deals with a roster that has limitations even in its current form.
With that as the backdrop, the Thunder don’t have an incredible amount of capital in the 2018 NBA Draft but Presti does have two picks (No. 53 and No. 57) to work with in late June. Obviously, the bigger names will all be off the board by the time the Thunder are able to make their first selection but there is potential value to be had and Oklahoma City may look to prioritize upside, even by attempting to package their selections together to slide up the board.
Only George and Jerami Grant are set to hit free agency among OKC’s rotation from a season ago but, clearly, the looming doom of George’s free agency could influence all kinds of actions for the Thunder. Regardless, a “best player available” approach (through the prism of upside) seems wise at the moment when it comes to the draft and here are a few prospects that might combine availability and talent that OKC could desire.
