Oklahoma City Thunder could use their owned draft picks to try to trade up in the NBA draft to select Cooper Flagg and pair him up with their young core.
Oklahoma City Thunder have stockpiled a massive collection of draft picks through savvy trades, positioning themselves for a bright future. One of their most notable moves was trading Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and four first-round pick swaps.
Now, with a treasure trove of assets, the Thunder could attempt to package their picks in a blockbuster deal to move up in the upcoming NBA Draft and select the highly touted prospect, Cooper Flagg.
NBA analyst Bill Simmons believes OKC should leverage their draft capital to acquire Flagg.
"Could this be the year OKC gets the 7th, 8th, or 9th pick from Philly, add like eight more picks to it, and just say, ‘Give us Cooper Flagg’?" Simmons speculated.
He further suggested that if a team like Charlotte lands the first overall pick, OKC could present an unprecedented trade offer loaded with draft assets.
"They’d get the all-time greatest war chest of picks just to move down six spots in the draft," Simmons said, emphasizing how difficult it would be for any team to turn down such a haul.
However, Simmons also noted that while Flagg is an elite prospect, teams would have to carefully evaluate the offer.
"You have to have a four-hour meeting about that. Cooper Flagg is really good, but you have to really think about it, because it's not like trading for a Wembanyama-level player," he added.
With their stockpile of picks, the Thunder have the flexibility to make a franchise-altering move—whether that means trading up for Flagg or continuing to build through the draft.
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