The 2023 NBA draft is getting closer by the day, which means it’s time to look back and review the Oklahoma City Thunder’s short draft history.
Every team has swings and misses with draft picks, but the Thunder notoriously do an excellent job at utilizing their premium picks — which they’ll have another with the No. 12 pick.
Let’s look at the five worst draft picks made by the Thunder. For whatever reason, these five players never worked out in OKC.
For simplicity’s sake, this will only include drafts where general manager Sam Presti was the man in charge, which means the Seattle Supersonics will mostly not be in consideration for this exercise.
No. 5 Josh Huestis
Pick: No. 29 in 2014 draft
Notable players selected after: Kyle Anderson, Joe Harris, Jerami Grant, Nikola Jokic
The infamous domestic “draft-and-stash” first-round pick, Josh Huestis had an unorthodox start to his career.
The Thunder convinced Huestis to not sign a fully-guaranteed rookie deal and instead signed with OKC’s D League affiliate for $25,000. He would then sign his standard four-year deal in 2015.
It’s an outside-of-the-box idea that gave the Thunder an extra year of development without it counting against their cap or costing them a year of control.
If only it worked out for Huestis, who struggled to stay on the Thunder.
Overall, he lasted three seasons with OKC and played a total of 76 games. While it was a creative idea, Huestis never really developed into an actual NBA player.
No. 4 Darius Bazley
Pick: No. 23 in 2019 draft
Notable players selected after: Jordan Poole, Keldon Johnson, Nic Claxton
In terms of how his career has played out so far, I think Darius Bazley has had an average outcome for a late first-round pick. What makes his selection brutal is the fact the Thunder could’ve selected someone better if they stayed at No. 21.
The Thunder essentially chose Bazley over Brandon Clarke and Grant Williams — who have both developed into rotation wings for championship contenders.
Meanwhile, Bazley lasted less than four seasons with the Thunder and was a positive contributor for just his first two seasons. His development stagnated and his offensive woes never really improved.
No. 3 Terrance Ferguson
Pick: No. 21 in 2017 draft
Notable players selected after: O.G. Anunoby, Jarrett Allen, Derrick White, Josh Hart
Another project pick with a mysterious background, the Thunder took a swing on Terrance Ferguson despite more known prospects available.
OKC missed on Ferguson as he lasted only three seasons with the Thunder.
He was a solid starter for OKC in his sophomore season in the 3-and-D mold, but his 3-point shot disappeared following that season and was never rediscovered.
Ferguson averaged 4.8 points on 40.6% shooting and 1.4 rebounds in 191 games with the Thunder.
No. 2 Cameron Payne
Pick: No. 14 in 2015 draft
Notable players selected after: Kelly Oubre Jr., Terry Rozier
This one especially stings considering Devin Booker was drafted with the prior pick. Cameron Payne was OKC’s prize following an injury-plagued season that saw them miss the playoffs.
Payne never worked out for the Thunder as their backup guard as he lasted just two seasons before being shipped off. In 77 games with OKC, he averaged 5.1 points on 38.5% shooting and 1.9 assists.
To his credit, Payne’s resurrected his career with the Phoenix Suns, but this was a rare lottery miss for Sam Presti.
No. 1 Cole Aldrich
Pick: No. 11 in 2010 draft
Notable players selected after: Ed Davis, Patrick Patterson
The Thunder usually never miss in the lottery, but they did in 2011 with Cole Aldrich.
Projected to be OKC’s long-term answer for their starting center spot, Aldrich lasted only two seasons with the Thunder. He struggled to get on the court as he played just 44 games and averaged 7.2 minutes during his time in OKC.
In his two seasons with OKC, Aldrich averaged 1.7 points on 52.6% shooting and 1.9 rebounds. He was later shipped to the Houston Rockets as part of the infamous James Harden trade in 2012.
