Tag: Thunder picks

Breaking down the Oklahoma City Thunder’s future draft picks

See the list of future draft picks the Oklahoma City Thunder own, many of which were gained in the Paul George and Kawhi Leonard trades.

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With reports that the Oklahoma City Thunder are set to acquire the No. 28 pick in the 2020 NBA draft, they add another first-round pick to the seemingly endless haul they have amassed over the last two years.

The Thunder traded Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for a package that included three Clippers first-round picks, two Miami Heat first-round picks that Los Angeles owned, and the right two swap picks in two different years. This deal also netted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari.

Not long after, general manager Sam Presti traded Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for a package that included two first-round picks and the rights to a pair of first-round swaps. Chris Paul was, of course, part of the return, too.

Here are all the picks that the Thunder own moving entering the 2020 NBA draft.

Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Championship odds, picks and best bets

Assessing the betting odds and chances of the Oklahoma City Thunder winning the Western Conference and the 2019-20 NBA Championship, with picks and best bets.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were fifth in the Western Conference with a record of 40-24 when the 2019-20 NBA season was suspended. Below, we look at the BetMGM betting odds of the Thunder winning the NBA Championship once play resumes with a 22-team format in Orlando, Fla. later this summer.

Oklahoma City Thunder season recap

The Thunder were the hottest team in the NBA at the time of the shutdown, winning eight of their last 10 games, including their last three before the break. It helped them jump all the way to the fifth seed, which guarantees them a playoff spot in the West.

This isn’t the star-studded Thunder team of years past, with SG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the team in scoring at 19.3 points per game, closely followed by PF Danilo Gallinari at 19.2 PPG and PG Dennis Schroeder at 19.0.

PG Chris Paul is averaging 17.7 points and 6.8 assists per game, too, helping lead a relatively young Thunder team in the gauntlet that is the Western Conference.

Against the spread, the Thunder were great, going 40-24, including 23-8 away from home.

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Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Championship odds

Odds provided by BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday, June 15 at 11 a.m. ET.

The Thunder may have been one of the hottest teams in the league before play was halted, but that doesn’t mean they’re among the favorites to win the NBA title this year. They’re currently +10000 to be the last team standing, 13th among all teams left in the mix. The Houston Rockets, who have the same 40-24 record, are +1200, for comparison, which is fourth-best.

The oddsmakers just don’t see the Thunder being legitimate contenders, especially with how tough the path to the NBA Finals in the West will be. They have to go through too many good teams in order to even reach the Finals, and then they’ll have to beat someone like the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors, most likely.

I’d PASS on this bet because the Thunder simply don’t have the top-end talent to knock off the top teams in the league.

Oklahoma City Thunder Western Conference odds

The Thunder have the seventh-best odds to win the Western Conference at +6000, but there’s a big drop-off from the fifth-ranked Mavericks (+1800) and Oklahoma City. That suggests a real lack of confidence in the Thunder heading into the playoffs.

If they finish in the bottom half of the conference’s playoff seeding, they’ll have to face a team such as the Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, or possibly the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.

It just isn’t shaping up to be a long playoff run for the Thunder, which is why they’re NOT worth a bet to win the West.

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