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3 hours ago
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OKC Thunder trading No. 24 pick Nique Clifford to Sacramento Kings in 2025 NBA Draft
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. The Oklahoma City Thunder will trade the 24th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft to the Sacramento Kings. The Thunder selected Colorado State wing Nique Clifford with the 24th pick. The Kings are sending a 2027 first-round pick to the Thunder. That pick is top-16 protected and would become two 2027 second-round picks if it doesn't convey. Advertisement The deal will be finalized later. The Thunder drafted Georgetown center Thomas Sorber 15th overall earlier Wednesday. More: OKC Thunder draft picks: Grades for Thomas Sorber selection in 2025 NBA Draft 2025 NBA Draft first-round results This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder trading No. 24 pick Nique Clifford to Kings in 2025 NBA Draft
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3 hours ago
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OKC Thunder draft picks: Grades for Thomas Sorber selection, Kings trade in 2025 NBA Draft
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. The Oklahoma City Thunder selected two players in the 2025 NBA Draft. OKC first selected Georgetown's Thomas Sorber with the 15th overall pick. He's a 6-foot-10 forward/center who averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and two blocks last season as a freshman. Advertisement OKC then selected Northwestern's Brooks Barnhizer with the 44th pick. He's a 6-6 guard who averaged 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists last season as a senior. The two rookies will now join an OKC team that just won its first NBA championship in franchise history. Here's a breakdown of OKC's draftees and initial grades for the selections. Pre-order our new book on Thunder's run to NBA title More: 2025 NBA Draft tracker: Live updates on Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and all first-round picks First round, No. 15 overall | Thomas Sorber, F/C, Georgetown Sorber should fit right in with the Thunder. Advertisement OKC posted a league-best defensive rating of 105.7 during the regular season. It boasts plenty of elite defenders such as Lu Dort, Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso. Now, it adds another standout disrupter in Sorber. Sorber has great length, which he uses to swat shots and intercept passes. The 6-10 big man averaged two blocks and 1.5 steals last season as a freshman. Sorber is also able to finish around the rim. He can use his strength or his soft touch to score, and his high IQ allows him to make some impressive passes at his size. Sorber has room for improvement when it comes to being more switchable on the perimeter, and his range on offense is a work in progress. He also underwent season-ending foot surgery in February. Advertisement Those concerns prevent me from giving this pick an "A" for now. But Sorber has the potential to develop into a two-way contributor for OKC, which did well to land him outside of the lottery. Grade: B+ More: What to know about OKC Thunder offseason: Draft picks, contracts after winning NBA title Thomas Sorber (center) reacts after being drafted 15th overall by the Thunder the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 25. OKC trades No. 24 pick to Sacramento Kings, who select Colorado State's Nique Clifford The OKC Thunder sent the No. 24 pick to the Sacramento Kings, who selected Colorado State guard Nique Clifford. OKC is reportedly receiving a 2027 first-round pick that originally belonged to the San Antonio Spurs. It's top-16 protected, and it'll become two 2027 second-round picks if it doesn't convey. Advertisement This trade shouldn't come as a surprise. OKC entered the draft as one of the deepest teams in the NBA, and it selected Georgetown big man Thomas Sorber with the No. 15 pick. With limited roster spots, OKC opted to trade for a future pick instead of bringing in another rookie. And, considering the trajectory of a San Antonio team that recently paired De'Aaron Fox with Victor Wembanyama, it's likely to convey. OKC will also be a significantly more expensive team by 2027, so the addition of someone on a rookie deal will be good for the books. This isn't a splashy trade, but it's a necessary one. Grade: A- Second round, No. 44 overall | Brooks Barnhizer, G, Northwestern Barnhizer is going to be a fan favorite. Advertisement The 6-6 guard is a good on-ball defender, and he thrives at getting into passing lanes. He averaged 2.3 steals and 1.1 blocks through 17 games before his senior season was cut short due to a broken foot. Barnhizer is also as tough as they come. He had his two front teeth knocked out twice last season but didn't let that stop him from playing with an incredibly-strong motor. Still, there's work to be done if Barnhizer wants to stick around in the NBA. Even though he'll be able to hold his own defensively, Barnhizer will have to become a more consistent shooter. He only shot 31% from deep throughout his college career. Advertisement It's difficult enough to find minutes on an OKC team with plenty of depth. It'll only be more difficult if Barnhizer isn't able to knock down his shots. Grades: B- Justin Martinez covers sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@ or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder draft picks: Grades for selections in 2025 NBA Draft
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3 hours ago
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OKC Thunder selects Georgetown center Thomas Sorber 15th overall in 2025 NBA Draft
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. The NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder selected Thomas Sorber with the 15th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night. The Trenton, New Jersey, native declared for the NBA Draft after his freshman season with the Georgetown Hoyas. Sorber averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last season. Advertisement "I think I'm bringing a defensive-minded type of intensity," Sorber told reporters Wednesday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. "Just giving them all I've got on the defensive end. And then on the offensive end, just being a great player, a great offensive player. Just reading the right things, reading the right things to do. Reading the things on defense, hedging or coming back. Just being there at all times, just being able to be a good defender." The 6-foot-10 center spent his high school career in two separate Catholic schools, originally at Trenton Catholic Academy in his hometown before moving to Archbishop Ryan High School in Philadelphia. Driven by faith and family, Sorber filled his school's trophy cabinet with all-Catholic, all-state and Philadelphia Catholic League championship trophies. One year after his graduation, he became the school's first NBA draftee. With a 7-foot-6 wingspan, Sorber tied Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner for second-largest wingspan in the 2025 NBA Combine. Here are five things to know about Sorber: Advertisement Get your Thunder championship keepsakes OKC Thunder draft picks: Grades for Thomas Sorber selection, Kings trade in 2025 NBA Draft Thomas Sorber underwent foot surgery Thomas Sorber dealt with a left-toe injury that ended his lone season with Georgetown in February against Butler. He's been unable to participate in workouts due to his recovery and is expected to miss the NBA Summer League. More: New Orleans Pelicans select Jeremiah Fears No. 7 overall in 2025 NBA Draft Thomas Sorber was a seven-time Big East Freshman of the Week In a conference with teams like UConn, Marquette and Villanova, Sorber stood out. The Georgetown star earned Big East Freshman of the Week seven times, averaging 14.5 points per game before his injury. He eventually lost the Freshman of the Year title to UConn's Liam McNeely. Advertisement Despite the injury, he earned a spot in the conference's All-Freshman team and All-Big East third team. More: 2025 NBA Draft live updates: Cooper Flagg goes 1st to Mavs; Thomas Sorber 15th to Thunder Thomas Sorber was a top-50 prospect out of high school A graduate of the Archbishop Ryan High School in Pennsylvania, Sorber was ranked No. 50 overall in the class of 2025 and No. 3 in the state of Pennsylvania. Before the draft, Sorber returned to his old school to give back to the community and talk to young kids in the school's summer camp. He tallied 18.9 points per game as a senior. More: OKC Thunder trading No. 24 pick Nique Clifford to Sacramento Kings in 2025 NBA Draft Get to know Thomas Sorber's family Thomas Sorber's dad, Peter, was a soccer player at 6-foot-5. Advertisement Sorber's parents fled Liberia in the 1990s during the nation's civil war, and since then have endured hardship to ensure the best life for their three kids. Sorber is not the first to play basketball, as the second oldest kid, Peter Jr., also took on the sport and committed to Morgan State University. Their older sister, Regina, played at Alabama A&M. Peter Sr. lost his battle to colon cancer when Thomas was 6. His mother, Tenneh, dedicated her life to giving the best to Thomas, and when his named was called by the NBA commissioner, she proudly stood by his side waving the Liberian flag. More: What to know about OKC Thunder offseason: Draft picks, contracts after winning NBA title Thomas Sorber is an 'everything' guy His own words. Advertisement Thomas Sorber wanted to make sure he highlighted his versatility when talking to NBA teams. He gets rebounds, blocks, shots, steals, anything that is asked of him. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder selects Thomas Sorber 15th overall in 2025 NBA Draft
USA Today
13 hours ago
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Report: OKC Thunder sign Pittsburgh's Zack Austin as UDFA
Just because the 2025 NBA draft is over, doesn't mean teams stop ringing the phones. As soon as the last pick is announced, a whole class of undrafted free agents hope to get signed by an NBA squad with summer league weeks away. The Oklahoma City Thunder drafted Georgetown's Thomas Sorber with the No. 15 pick and Northwestern's Brooks Barnhizer with the No. 44 pick. Now, they added somebody from undrafted free agency. The Thunder have signed Pittsburgh's Zack Austin to an Exhibit-10 deal, per Draft Express's Jon Chepkevich. He played in four college seasons from 2021-25. He spent his first two years at High Point and his last two at Pittsburgh. Austin averaged 9.2 points on 42.4% shooting, 4.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 32 games last season. He shot 38.1% from 3 on 4.6 attempts. He was also a 90.2% free-throw shooter. He tallied 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals. The 23-year-old is a 6-foot-7, 210-pound forward. Austin will get a chance to play for the Thunder on their summer league squad. If he impresses enough, he could get added to their G League's OKC Blue roster. The Thunder's summer league schedule can be viewed here.
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20 hours ago
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Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Thomas Sorber has HBCU ties
The post Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Thomas Sorber has HBCU ties appeared first on ClutchPoints. Former Georgetown Hoya Thomas Sorber is getting the opportunity of a lifetime after being drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who started the week by winning the 2025 NBA Championship. Sorber was selected with the 15th pick, giving the Thunder a talented center to further add needed depth to their front-line that helped them reign as the best team in the NBA this season. Advertisement Even more intriguing is Sorber's family legacy, with strong HBCU connections through his brother and sister. Sorber comes from a family with roots in Liberia, where Thomas's parents fled the devastation of civil war to seek refuge in the United States. After the tragic passing of Thomas's father, Peter Sr., in 2013, his mother Tenneh became the family's unwavering foundation. Juggling long work hours and parenting, Tenneh encouraged her children to pursue their passions. All three of her children chose basketball to pursue. His older sister Regina Sorber is who first cemented the HBCU legacy in their family, playing for Alabama A&M. Then came his brother Peter Sorber, who played for Morgan State to start his college career. After two years, he transferred to Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, an institution meaningfully linked to excellence and history. At Lincoln, Peter thrived as a forward, his game inspired by none other than NBA superstar Kevin Durant. His dedication paid dividends as he earned accolades, including an Athlete of the Week award in his senior season. Now, ironically enough, Sorber gets to play for the team in which Durant etched his name in NBA history and help them in their bid to become the NBA's next dynasty. Sorber showed talent during his short stint with Georgetown. He averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks while shooting 53.2 percent from the floor in 24 games. Although he is recovering from February foot surgery, Sorber should prove to be one of the standouts of the draft as he further cements a legacy of success in his family. Related: North Carolina A&T makes historic coaching hire Related: Six HBCUs partner to create first virtual university
