2024 NBA mock drafts: March first-round projections for OKC Thunder

2024 NBA mock drafts: March first-round projections for OKC Thunder.

While the Oklahoma City Thunder (41-18) continue to fight for the first seed as they’re set to make their first playoff run since 2020, they’ve been frequently mentioned in 2024 NBA mock drafts.

The Thunder are rich with draft assets throughout the rest of the decade due to several trades they made in their rebuild. OKC owns four 2024 first-round picks, but the two worst of the bunch will be rerouted to the Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers.

The Thunder had 2024 draft picks to shed due to their surplus of young talent already on the roster. In all likelihood, they’ll have a pair of lottery picks from the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz.

The Rockets’ pick is top-four protected and the Jazz’s pick is top-10 protected. Considering where they are in the standings, the Thunder will likely have both picks.

With that said, here’s a look at who draft experts have going to OKC (with the Houston and Utah picks) in the latest wave of mock drafts. The projected pick slot varies based on the date of each mock’s publication.

Updated OKC Thunder draft pick assets, protections through 2030

Updated OKC Thunder draft pick assets, protections through 2030:

Over the years, the Oklahoma City Thunder have accumulated one of the deepest treasure troves of draft capital.

During the early 2020s, Thunder general manager Sam Presti added many draft picks via the trades of Paul George and Russell Westbrook in the 2019 offseason.

Those two deals alone gave the Thunder plenty of future draft currency from the LA Clippers and Houston Rockets. The Thunder also own other valuable draft picks from separate trades such as Philadelphia’s 2025 pick and a Dallas 2028 swap.

With the trade deadline over, let’s update what the Thunder’s draft capital looks like through 2030. This gives OKC plenty of ammo for future trades as draft picks are the currency of NBA transactions.

OKC Thunder acquire 2028 first-round swap from Mavericks

OKC Thunder acquires 2028 first-round swap from Mavericks.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced they had acquired a 2028 first-round pick swap from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the second-least favorable of their four 2024 first-round picks.

The four 2024 first-round selections are their own pick, the LA Clippers’ pick, the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick and the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick.

The Mavericks sent the pick and Richaun Holmes to the Washington Wizards in exchange for forward Daniel Gafford.

This move was previously reported as a possibility for OKC. It kicks the first-round draft pick down the road. Considering how rich the Thunder are with young talent, they likely will not add several rookies to their roster this offseason, which means they have 2024 draft picks to shed.

The 2028 first-round swap could be very valuable. Who knows how the Mavericks look by then. Luka Doncic is under contract until 2027 with a $49 million player option in 2026-27. If he leaves, the pick could be a massively valuable trade asset.

OKC enriched the quality of its draft pick capital without sacrificing quantity. This is smart asset management that can pay dividends down the road.

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Rumor: OKC Thunder could acquire draft picks as contenders reach out

Rumor: OKC Thunder could acquire future draft picks as contenders reach out.

As the 2024 NBA trade deadline nears, expect contenders to make moves to help them win now along with possibly refortifiying their draft pick stock.

According to Yahoo Sports NBA reporter Jake Fischer, several teams, including the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, have contacted the Oklahoma City Thunder about acquiring first-round picks this year in exchange for future picks.

“The Bucks, along with the Sixers, are among several teams that have contacted the likes of New Orleans and Oklahoma City, sources said, attempting to trade future first-round pick swaps or packages of second-round picks to acquire extra first-round selections. Phoenix, you may recall, dealt two future first-round swaps (2024 and 2030) to Memphis for three seconds before this season began. Now it seems like several teams are trying to deal those same assets for an even more meaningful return.”

The Thunder own four 2024 first-round picks; the lowest is being sent to the Toronto Raptors. OKC owns its own pick, the LA Clippers’ pick, the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick and the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick.

Considering how rich the Thunder are with young talent, they likely will not add three rookies to their roster this offseason, which means they have 2024 draft picks to shed.

The Thunder can either use those picks to acquire win-now players before the deadline or to kick the draft can down the road once again by acquiring a contender’s first-round draft pick deep in the future.

In return, contenders such as the Sixers and Bucks would have a chance to add immediate cost-control young talent to their expensive rosters. They could also package 2024 draft picks to acquire win-now players.

If that happens, OKC enriches the quality of its draft pick capital without sacrificing the quantity. It might not move the needle for the fan base, but this would be smart asset management that can pay dividends down the road.

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More Bronny James for USC with Isaiah Collier out with wrist injury

USC Trojans star freshman guard Isaiah Collier is out 4-to-6 weeks with a hand injury, which will lead to more playing time for Bronny James.

A bad season for USC basketball got even worse on Thursday evening after the Trojans announced star freshman guard Isaiah Collier will be out four-to-six weeks with a hand injury which he suffered on Wednesday against Washington State.

Collier came to USC as the top ranked freshman in the 2023 class, but his performance with the Trojans has been spotty at best. Across 16 games, Collier has averaged 15.4 points, 4.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 58.1% on two pointers but just 31.3% from three and 66.3% from the free throw line.

The big issue for Collier has been turnovers, as the dynamic guard is capable of taking over games and wowing folks with his athleticism – but his 3.6 turnovers per contest cost USC throughout the season, with most expecting to see continued growth in that area as the season went on.

Unfortunately, Collier won’t get that opportunity for at least the next month, and there is a very real chance his season is over if the team is out of contention by mid to late February.

For USC, it means more playing time and a bigger role for another highly-regarded freshman guard, Bronny James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James who did not make his season debut until mid-December after suffering cardiac arrest over the summer.

Across his eight games, James has played 16.9 minutes per night and is averaging 5.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 62.5% on twos but just 26.1% from three.

Now, however, he will likely step into a starting role alongside talented guards Boogie Ellis and Kobe Johnson, and will get a chance to showcase his skills and potentially push his way into the 2024 NBA draft conversation – which will be a huge storyline if LeBron continues to say he wants to play with his son next season.

2024 NBA mock drafts: OKC Thunder December/January picks projections

2024 NBA mock drafts: OKC Thunder December/January picks projections.

As the calendar flips to 2024, the NBA draft is roughly six months away. This also means college basketball is roughly two months away from starting March Madness.

2024 NBA mock drafts are rare during this part of the calendar, since it’s still incredibly early to project where teams land and which prospects rise and fall on boards. However, a handful of mocks have been posted during the last month.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, who have a 23-11 record and are second in the Western Conference standings, are rich with draft assets for this upcoming class.

The Thunder owns their first-round pick, a top-four protected pick from the Houston Rockets, a top-10 protected pick from the Utah Jazz and a first-round pick from the LA Clippers.

The Thunder also own the Rockets’ second-round pick. It’s important to note that the worst of the four first-round picks OKC owns will be conveyed to the Indiana Pacers.

However, it is unlikely the Thunder enter the 2024 NBA draft with this many draft picks. They can’t afford the luxury of adding several rookies to their roster.

This means a consolidation trade is likely whether to improve the roster by the trade deadline or to package picks for a future/better pick.

All these elements lead to a murky picture as to how exactly this year’s draft might go for the Thunder. Nonetheless, let’s look at the latest versions of mock drafts to see who could be added to OKC’s youthful roster.

For transparency, all three of these mocks were published at various times — Bleacher Report’s was published on Jan. 5, Tankathon’s was published on Dec. 28 and NBADraft.net’s was published on Jan. 5.

Why Gonzaga’s Anton Watson should be on 2024 NBA draft radar

Anton Watson’s size and defensive instincts make him an NBA draft prospect, and improved outside shooting should get the Gonzaga star selected.

It is incredibly rare for fifth year seniors to get selected in the NBA draft. The NBA values youth and upside above all else, and 23-year-olds who weren’t good enough to get drafted early in their college career rarely move the needle later on.

But the 2024 draft class is considered historically weak, which could lead to more teams prioritizing adding role players who can instantly contribute, rather than taking a shot on younger players who may have more upside but who aren’t performing well in college or overseas.

That leads us to Gonzaga’s 6’8 forward Anton Watson, a fifth-year senior from Spokane who has gone from a sub-20 minute per game role player to the leading scorer on a top-15 team in the country this season.

Watson is currently averaging 14.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 57.3% on two pointers and 42.9% from beyond the arc. He turned a lot of heads with a 32 point outburst against the UCLA Bruins in the Maui Invitational, and he paced the Zags with 20 points in a loss to the UConn Huskies in mid-December.

Watson is among the best on-ball defensive players in the country, with incredibly active hands, good body control, upper body strength, and athleticism which has resulted in 179 career steals – second in Gonzaga basketball history only behind Hall of Fame guard John Stockton.

His frame and defensive instincts have had him on the NBA radar since he was a freshman back in 2019-20, but his lack of consistent offense has always held him back – particularly his struggles to shoot from distance.

The modern NBA requires you to be able to space the floor and knock down threes, which is why even elite college players like Oscar Tshiebwe, Kofi Cockburn, Adama Sanogo, and Watson’s former teammate Drew Timme haven’t been able to make it.

However, Watson has made massive strides in this area, going from 11.1% as a freshman, 15% as a sophomore, 22.7% as a junior, 33.3% as a senior to his current 42.9% mark – while his attempts per game has increased in each season as well.

A 6’8 forward who can defend 2-5 and at least capably knock down open threes absolutely has a spot as a 3-and-D role playing wing in the modern NBA, and in a draft class without a lot of obvious long term NBA talent it should absolutely be on the minds of scouts and general managers to consider Watson with a second round pick.

He’ll be 27 by the time his rookie contract is up, but a contending team picking in the second round would be wise to lock him up as a rotational bench piece – rather than gambling on an underperforming underclassmen or an unproven international player.

Report: Sam Presti, Nick Collison spotted at UConn vs. Kansas game

Report: Sam Presti, Nick Collison spotted at UConn vs. Kansas game.

The highest-anticipated college basketball game on Friday was the clash between No. 4 UConn at No. 5 Kansas.

The top-five ranked showdown featured Kansas collecting a 69-65 win over UConn. The game featured several highly-touted potential prospects for the 2024 NBA draft, including Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, Alex Karaban and Kevin McCullar Jr.

Kansas came away with a 69-65 home win over UConn. The Jayhawks are now 7-1 on the season while the Huskies dropped to 7-1.

Such a talented game warrants a high turnout for NBA team representatives. That was the case as all 30 teams had at least one scout at the contest.

For the Oklahoma City Thunder, this included general manager Sam Presti and front office member Nick Collison, who played his college ball at Kansas, per Yahoo’s Krysten Peek.

While the Thunder’s first-round pick likely won’t be in the lottery, they have several other ways to get in that range — including the LA Clippers’ unprotected first-round pick and the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick.

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Who are the 10 WORST draft picks in Boston Celtics history?

Plenty of ink has been spilled about the worst draft picks made by the Celtics — this is our view.

Plenty of ink has been spilled about the best draft picks made by the Boston Celtics, and more than a few Monday morning quarterbacks have dissected the selections made by a given Celtics GM over the decades. Our task here is to make a case for the latter, but also doing it while avoiding the usual use of hindsight that tends to use contemporary knowledge of how the players who were drafted later turned out.

While the urge to use that awareness is strong, often there are too many factors to consider to blame the front office for not knowing how other prospects were going to pan out. Another criterion is that we are only focusing on players taken in the modern lottery range of picks 1 through 14; it’s rare to find high-value players outside that range.

So, with that in mind, what were the 10 worst draft picks in Celtics history?

Who are the top 10 Boston Celtics draft picks of all time?

The Boston Celtics have had a wealth of riches as far as the NBA draft is concerned.

The Boston Celtics have had a wealth of riches as far as the NBA draft is concerned, and it’s quite a challenge to try and rank the top 10 best draft picks ever made by the franchise. And given all the hardware pulled down over the years — as well as the long period of struggle between the late 1980s and late 2000s — trying to create a rubric that works in all eras is nearly as tough.

But that is our goal here, and at least in this assessment longevity with the team, individual contributions compared to teammates, and of course hardware will all be taken into consideration here.

So, let’s take a look at how they stack up over seven decades of history.