The upcoming NBA Draft has already gotten more interesting thanks to some eleventh-hour trades over the past few days, but there is likely more action where that came from.
According to ESPN's Jonathan Givony, the title-winning Oklahoma City Thunder—who possess picks 15, 24 and 44 in Wednesday's draft—could be looking to combine those selections to trade up, the analyst revealed during an episode of SportsCenter.
"I keep hearing rumblings that the Thunder are trying to move up," Givony said. "They could package all three of those picks to move up four, five slots, maybe six, to Toronto. It's not clear on their roster that they have any real need right now, so they can afford to take a swing on a high-upside prospect who fits that defensive DNA that won them a championship."
As for who that might be, Givony mentioned Frenchmen Noa Essengue and Joan Beringer, as well as South Carolina export Collin Murray-Boyles—in other words, a "young teenager that knows how to defend, knows how to bring physicality, knows how to play without the ball. All characteristics that the Oklahoma City Thunder covet."
As Givony noted, the Thunder aren't necessarily in need of a big roster refresh right now. Their championship-winning core is quite young, which puts them in a perfect position to start a dynasty, and their front office is hoarding a substantial number of future draft picks, meaning they're set for the coming years.
As such, the analyst believes it possible they'll fork over the three picks they do have to instead invest in one top 10 guy.
For what it's worth, Stein Line contributor Jake Fischer reported Tuesday that the Thunder had "some dialogue" with Houston about their No. 10 pick before the Rockets traded it to Phoenix as part of the deal to acquire Kevin Durant. Moreover, he noted how OKC's "looming roster crunch" is prompting "rival teams to project consolidation attempts from OKC to either move up the board or perhaps even trade out of either pick entirely."
All to say, Fischer's reporting seems to be in line with Givony's.
Should they opt to keep the No. 15 pick, however, Sports Illustrated's Kevin Sweeney predicts the Thunder will select Arizona Wildcat Carter Bryant.
It's all enough to make your head spin, but the good news is we won't have to speculate much longer. The 2025 NBA Draft gets underway on Wednesday, June 24, at 8 p.m. ET.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Analyst Says Thunder Could Be Looking to Trade Up in Draft.
