NBA-best Thunder have a chance to get even better

The Oklahoma City Thunder are on an 11-game winning streak and have the NBA's best record of 64-12. Thanks to a trove of 2025 draft picks, they could be on the verge of getting even better.

In June's draft, Oklahoma City could have as many as three first-round picks. It could have been four, but with 61 losses, the Utah Jazz are guaranteed not to pick no worse than eighth in the draft, and their pick is protected for picks 1-10.

But the Thunder could get more. They own the rights to the Philadelphia 76ers' first-rounder, protected for picks 1-6, thanks to a 2020 trade where the Sixers sent Al Horford to OKC to dump his salary. 

OKC gets the Miami Heat's first-round pick if it falls between picks 1-14, thanks to their 2019 trade of Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers (which also netted them MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander). That deal also gave them the right to swap their own first-rounder for the Los Angeles Clippers' pick, which could move them up as many as 10 places.

Not only that, the Thunder will have last year's lottery pick, point guard Nikola Topic, after a torn ACL cost him his rookie season. If the Thunder want to move up for a top prospect in 2025, they have a number of draft picks to offer besides their won, including a first-rounder in 2026 (from the Clippers or Rockets) and the Denver Nuggets' 2027 first.

A trade to move up in 2025 is likely, since the Thunder don't have a lot of roster space for rookies. Or, they could move one or more of the selections for future draft choices, giving them more cost-controlled supported talent for when stars Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are due for big raises in the 2026-27 season.

The Thunder's surplus of draft choices is reminiscent of how the Los Angeles Lakers managed to add No. 1 pick James Worthy in 1982, after winning the NBA title. They won three more titles with Worthy alongside Magic Johnson. The 61-21 Boston Celtics got the No. 1 pick in 1980, and traded it for Hall of Famers Robert Parish and Kevin McHale — then won three titles in the next six years.

Nothing helps sustain winning more than supplementing a great roster with high draft picks. The Thunder are poised to follow up a deep playoff run with picking and choosing in a deep 2025 draft.