OKC Thunder Still Retain NBA's Greatest Draft Pick Collection

Given that the Oklahoma City Thunder won 68 games in the regular season and are on the brink of a potential NBA Finals trip out of the Western Conference, one might expect its draft capital to be rather diminished.

Usually, championship contenders are forced to expend draft picks to compete. Whether that's to bring a co-star in to form an elite duo or go all-in on a superstar, it's always going to cost young talent and/or picks — unless, of course, a team hits big in the free agent market.

The Thunder is one of the lone exceptions to that rule. Since it traded Paul George and Russell Westbrook back in 2019, it is utilized all of the draft picks and talent — including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — to not only become a powerhouse in the NBA, but to expand its assets even further.

In ESPN's Bobby Marks and Jeremy Woo's draft asset rankings, Oklahoma City took the very top spot. To be the top performing team in the entire league in addition to having the best future is an incredibly occurrence, but general manager Sam Presti has managed to put the franchise in that desirable position.

The scope of the Thunder's future gets more fascinating as you look at it — not only will it potentially have three first round picks in the 2025 Draft, but 13 more through 2029. There are protections and draft swaps in that list, but teams such as the LA Clippers and Utah Jazz have questionable futures in differing ways.

Equally shocking is that Oklahoma City owns every single one of its own first round picks moving forward, even with trades it has made in recent seasons. That's probably going to change in the near future, but holding that ability now showcases how unnecessary any drastic moves are.

The Thunder got Gilgeous-Alexander for Paul George, and went on to fill up the roster with its plethora of picks. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams are franchise cornerstones to build alongside of the centerpiece, so it would never make sense to bring in another star with its assets.

Oklahoma City won't be able to use every pick on its current list, but you can never predict what they'll end up being used for down the road.