OKC Thunder Trade No. 24 Pick in 2025 Draft for Future First-Round Pick

The Thunder’s second pick of the night is in, but they won’t be keeping it.

Oklahoma City traded the No. 24 pick, Nique Clifford, in Wednesday night’s draft to the Sacramento Kings, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Kings reporter Carmichael Dave reported that Sacramento will send a top-16 protected 2027 first-round pick via San Antonio to the Thunder, which would become two second-round picks in 2027 if not conveyed.

Coming into the draft, Clifford was one of the top potential prospects for the Thunder at No. 24 if they kept the pick. As the night progressed, it appeared that Oklahoma City would hold onto that pick and that Clifford would be an option with his name yet to be called.

However, the Colorado State product is now headed to Sacramento, where he will likely have a much better opportunity to see the floor, particularly in the early stages of his career. In his final season at Colorado State, Clifford averaged 18.9 points and 9.6 rebounds while knocking down 37.7% of his outside shots. Although he could have been a solid fit for the Thunder, he will begin his career elsewhere.

Only about 72 hours removed from winning an NBA championship, the Thunder used the No. 15 pick to take Thomas Sorber to begin their draft night. Sorber should fit in nicely with the Thunder’s big man rotation with his 6-foot-9, 262-pound frame, which should help him play the four or five without a problem in his rookie year and beyond.

The Thunder addressed their rebounding issue last offseason by signing Isaiah Hartenstein, but they still needed some size, which made Sorber a fitting pick. While it appeared that the Thunder might use their second first-round pick to address some other areas, they appear content to make their next big addition after the first round.

After rumors had swirled over the past few days about the Thunder potentially trading up or out of the No. 15 pick, Sam Presti held off and used the first of his team’s two first-round picks. While it was somewhat surprising that Presti chose to use the No. 15 pick, the Thunder dealing one of their picks is unsurprising.

While trades are likely in the Thunder’s future, their draft still isn’t over, with the No. 44 pick still on their hands for Thursday’s second round.