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The Oklahoma City Thunder have stated they’ve drafted people over players over the last few years and that continues to ring true for their most recent haul.
The Thunder added Cason Wallace and Keyontae Johnson to their young core with the No. 10 and No. 50 picks respectively of the 2023 NBA draft.
The Thunder’s interest in Wallace was pretty apparent after they traded up two spots with the Dallas Mavericks to acquire him. After his podcast interview with Thunder reporter Nick Gallo, we know the interest level was mutual.
Following his rookie introductory press conference, Wallace sat down with Gallo. During the conversation, Wallace revealed he told his agent to do everything in his power to make sure he was drafted by OKC, saying he meshed well with the organization in his pre-draft visit.
“Once I did my workout, I felt free. You don’t feel that at every workout. I just felt comfortable,” Wallace said. “I played well. I shot the ball well. Me and the staff, me and the front office, everybody made me feel at home. I went back and told my agent, ‘Get me here. This is where I want to be.'”
This adds to a recent trend of the Thunder’s top draft picks saying OKC was always their top destination. Chet Holmgren said something similar last summer: OKC was where he wanted to be. The year before, Josh Giddey said he pleaded with his agent to help him land in OKC.
It speaks volumes about the Thunder that recent top draft prospects have publicly said they’ve wanted to be drafted by them. The Thunder continues to build a strong culture that attracts players to them as an environment to help fully materialize their potential.
The full episode of the “Thunder Basketball Universe” podcast can be viewed here:
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