One of the biggest luxuries the OKC Thunder have at their disposal is their treasure trove of draft assets that GM Sam Presti has collected over the past several years. Their ownership of said assets is a driving factor in this front office's recent branding as the best the league has to offer.
However, quantity isn't always the most valuable component to draft rights, and, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Oklahoma City will likely be looking to swap their influx of picks out for ones of higher quality instead.
Brian Windhorst suspects Thunder value quality of picks over quantity
In a recently surfaced social media Q&A, the NBA insider revealed that the Thunder will "likely trade some picks into others in later years or be aggressive in trading up," particularly regarding the 2026 NBA Draft, where they could realistically wind up with three first-round selections.
Windhorst would point out that Presti and company have established a reputation of trading up for picks over the years.
Along the way, there have certainly been some misses with their efforts on this front, such as when they coughed up three future firsts to the New York Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to Ousmane Dieng with the 11 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
However, there are plenty of success stories for the Thunder as well, as Windhorst highlighted in his post that they made three separate trades during the 2024 NBA Draft to nab Ajay Mitchell with the 38 overall selection.
Looking around the league, there are several possible trade partners Oklahoma City could look to engage with in an effort to accomplish this presumed goal.
The talent-starved, rebuilding Nets, for instance, could be an optimal option for the club to negotiate with, considering the fact that they own the unprotected rights to New York's 2031 first-round draft pick as well as Denver's 2032 first-round draft pick.
Being Brooklyn just used a record-setting five first-rounders in this past June's draft alone, it's evident that they're looking to flesh out their roster with quality players. Offering up a few picks in the near future for one of the aforementioned picks that come farther down the road could be a worthwhile exchange for both parties to consider.
To sweeten the pot, they could also consider throwing in Ousmane Dieng as a half-year rental should they strike a deal prior to the February 5 trade deadline.
Regardless of the path they take, Windhorst believes the end goal in any trade is to consolidate some of OKC's draft picks, a move that is already being universally accepted as their most logical approach.