Since 2007, Sam Presti has been the general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder organization and is currently the longest tenured active general manager in the NBA. From drafting Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, to pulling off trades for superstars like Paul George and Chris Paul, Presti has done everything to make his team a contender over the years and now, he is building a dynasty.
The Oklahoma City Thunder finished 22-50 this season, their worst record since their first season in OKC during the 2008-09 season, but they have arguably the brightest future out of any team in the league right now. Not only do the Thunder have a young core highlighted by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort and Darius Bazley, but they have a total of 36 draft picks over the next 7 drafts.
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The Thunder own the rights to 18 first-round draft picks through 2027 and they own the rights to 18 second-round picks through 2027, which is insane when you think about it because an NBA roster only has 15 players on it!
Sam Presti and the Thunder’s front-office can literally build two full teams over the next seven NBA Drafts with all of the draft picks they own! We will touch on how many picks the Thunder have this year and what they plan on doing with them in a little bit, but what the Thunder have done over the years in terms of preparing to build their team of the future is remarkable.
Draft picks are basically the “currency” of the NBA and first-round picks are basically one-million dollars, meaning that it is safe to say that Oklahoma City is the richest franchise in the league when it comes to future value and the potential to build a dynasty!
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Just recently, the Oklahoma City Thunder made another big move, as they acquired Kemba Walker, the 16th pick in this year’s draft and a 2025 second-round pick from the Boston Celtics in exchange for veteran big man Al Horford, big man Moses Brown and a 2023 second-round pick. Not only do the Thunder get an All-Star point guard in Kemba Walker, but they also get more draft picks.
With the chance to hit multiple “home runs” in the NBA Draft this year and the chance to possibly begin luring some big names to Oklahoma City in free agency, this Thunder franchise has everything trending in the right direction and it should not be long until this team is right back near the top of the standing in the Western Conference, competing for their “second” NBA title.
