Heading into the 2019 NBA Draft on Thursday, it seemed like North Carolina’s Cameron Johnson was a lock for the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 21. The Thunder need shooting, he’s a good shooter — one of the best, if not the best, in the draft — and Johnson was projected to go around the point in the draft where Thunder were slotted.
Then Johnson was selected at No. 11 overall by the Phoenix Suns, throwing the idea out the door. The Thunder would go on to make a move that turned into Memphis’ 2024 second-round pick and prep-to-pro forward Darius Bazely.
While Bazely is a solid move for the team’s future, there’s still the matter of the Thunder’s shooting in the here and now. Thunder general manager Sam Presti spoke about the matter with reporters, including The Oklahoman’s Erik Horne, following the draft:
We’re going to need some internal growth. We’ll certainly get to have opportunities to have conversations with people after July 1.
He’s not wrong. Though the Thunder could use some help from someone not currently on the roster.
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