The 2023 NBA draft is less than a month away, which means it’s time for mock drafts to ramp up.
In their latest mock draft, ESPN experts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo had the Oklahoma City Thunder selecting Arkansas guard Nick Smith Jr. at the No. 12 spot.
More interesting though was Givony reporting that the Thunder have been active in trade talks to move up from the No. 12 spot.
“Most NBA executives expect the Thunder to be active in trade discussions looking to potentially package this pick and future first-rounders in an attempt to move up on draft night, which makes sense considering the shortage of roster spots the Thunder could be working with moving forward with all the talent they’ve accumulated.”
This makes sense. The Thunder own up to four first-round picks in the 2024 NBA draft, which will likely be extremely difficult — if not impossible — to keep all four picks and add them to the roster.
Just like the Thunder did last year with Ousmane Dieng, a consolidation trade is a strong possibility. It gives OKC a chance to overpay to move up in the draft without hurting their treasure trove of draft assets.
The draft is scheduled for June 22. A full list of known prospects the Thunder have worked out for in pre-draft visits can be viewed here.
