The 14-4 Oklahoma City Thunder are enjoying an excellent start to the season. It’ll look even better if the Philadelphia 76ers keep stinking it up.
Thanks to a trade from 2020, the Thunder will get Philadelphia’s first-round pick next year, provided it’s worse than the No. 6 pick.
The Thunder get the Sixers’ first-rounder next year thanks to a trade where they sent Danny Green to Philadelphia and took on Al Horford’s unwanted contract. For their trouble, they got that year’s No. 34 pick, Theo Maledon (now playing in France) and a 2025 pick, protected for selections 1-6.
The Sixers would have the NBA’s second-best lottery odds if the season ended today, but they should improve if and when Joel Embiid and Paul George return from injuries. So while it’s still unlikely they’d end up with top-six pick, it’s starting to get increasingly difficult for the 76ers to get back in the playoff picture. They’d have to win 60 percent of their remaining games simply to finish with a winning record.
The dream scenario for the Thunder would be the 76ers missing the playoffs, but not being so bad that they’d get a high pick. It’s part of an impressive war chest for the Thunder next June, where they have the right to swap first-round picks with the Los Angeles Clippers or Houston Rockets, and have the rights to picks from the Miami Heat (lottery-protected) and Utah Jazz (protected 1-10).
The Clippers pick swap and the Heat pick come from trading George, whose current knee issues may be giving his old team even more draft capital than the five picks and two swaps they already received for George, along with All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Four first-round picks might be too many young players, even for the Thunder, but it does give them impressive ammunition if they want to make an upgrade. Last year’s deadline acquisition was Gordon Hayward, which didn’t help much. They can aim a lot higher this season, and they might have to if Chet Holmgren struggles to recover from his fractured pelvis.
One thing that’s certain is that Thunder fans and GM Sam Presti will keep hoping the 76ers remain bad. Just not too bad.
