Fresh off championship, 5 reasons why Thunder fans should care about 2025 NBA draft
The schedule-makers continue to put the Thunder in a tough spot. They did it one last time in the 2024-25 NBA calendar with the NBA draft taking place just a couple of days after their Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals.
The Thunder have three draft picks ahead of the 2025 NBA draft. They own the No. 15 pick (via Heat), No. 24 pick (via Clippers) and No. 44 pick (via Hawks). Not a bad haul. Especially since the average champion only has the No. 30 pick.
Nonetheless, while most fans didn't have the emotional bandwidth to focus on the predraft process, here are five reasons why they should still tune in to the two-day event. The Thunder have climbed the mountaintop after coming up short for nearly two decades. But that doesn't mean they can rest on their laurels.
One of the best days of the NBA year
The NBA draft is one of the best days of the year. Even with Adam Silver weirdly breaking it up to two days, the extravaganza is the unofficial start to the following season. All 30 teams enter with the hope of a brighter future. Adding new talent is always a novelty that fans enjoy. It feeds their interest through most of the offseason with summer league overreactions.
It's also one of the busiest transaction days of the NBA year. Teams move up and down the board. Veteran players on rebuild teams are dealt to contenders for draft picks. A chunk of prospects are forced to wear the wrong team hat because of league rules.
Even though it's quite a whiplash, Thunder fans should enjoy this year's NBA draft. Cooper Flagg is set to join the Dallas Mavericks. That could reignite a classic rivalry that was prematurely ended when Luka Doncic was traded.
Lifeblood of the Thunder
As you should know by now, small-market teams can only upgrade their rosters with either drafts or trades. The Thunder won an NBA championship because of their 2022 haul of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. Cason Wallace was added in 2021. Lu Dort was an undrafted free agent in 2019.
Let's see if the Thunder can keep it up. With impending extensions to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Williams, the best way to navigate the second apron is by cycling through rookie-scale role players. The Thunder have the resume to show they can pull it off. This class could help them with that.
There's also the chance of a trade-up. It's already been reported by multiple outlets that the Thunder could look into doing that. History suggests they could be aggressive. We've already seen them overpay to move up for guys like Ousmane Dieng and Dillon Jones.
Intriguing choices at No. 15
The rich get richer. Even with an NBA championship, the Thunder are smack dab in the middle of the draft. The Rockets gifted them Nikola Topic with the No. 12 pick last year. The Heat did the same with the No. 15 pick. While not technically a lottery pick, it's still a valuable spot that could get you a solid role player.
Thoma Sorber and Derik Queen could be interesting center options. The Thunder will need to find a new backup big. Hartenstein is only under contract for two more seasons. Jaylin Williams will likely get priced out by another team.
Cedric Coward and Danny Wolf are also other options. Coward has been a late riser. Wolf is a skilled center. Good chance that most of these folks will be there at No. 15. It'll add excitement to summer league and give fans somebody other than Topic to pay attention to.
Hear NBA broadcast praise Thunder
This is the real reason why Thunder fans should slog through ESPN's four-hour broadcast. With the NBA Finals still fresh on everybody's minds, expect the Thunder to get plenty of praise from the broadcast crew. They're the standard now in the NBA.
The copycat league will see other teams try to emulate their roster-building techniques. But like Coca-Cola, there can only be one. Expect folks to say the Thunder are the blueprint. And that homegrown talent is the most efficient way to on-court success.
Get ready to hear an entire summer's worth of praise for the Thunder. Like Williams said at Tuesday's parade, nobody can say anything bad about OKC with an NBA championship finally on its long list of achievements.
Find out OKC's long-term plans
Even with an NBA championship, the business never stops. The Thunder are well-positioned to threaten a repeat next year. Everybody is under contract for one more year. After that, though, they might need to replenish their depth for the 2026-27 season and beyond.
This could be the draft class to do it. A backup center will likely be needed. As explained earlier by Hartenstein's and Williams' situations. A backup guard could also be in play. You can never have enough of those. Also, this team is in desperate need of some outside shooters. They won a championship despite being one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the playoffs.
The Thunder will have a lengthy title window solely because of their Big 3. But if they hope to win multiple championships, they need to continue to hit on draft picks for role players. They have enough draft capital to be afforded those types of luxuries.
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