For the first time in several seasons, the NBA Draft isn’t central to Oklahoma City’s summer.
Well, maybe it is. Perhaps Thunder general manager Sam Presti, as fond of the chase for talent and development as anyone, has lost just as much sleep over this year’s draft pool as previous years. But the Thunder undoubtedly has bigger fish to fry.
After a 57-win season, with one of the league’s youngest rotations, OKC is in a comfortable position to take a multitude of directions. The issues it’ll be left to address this summer probably couldn’t be immediately filled by the draft.
So what direction will the Thunder take next Wednesday?
With the 12th pick in the draft next Wednesday, a pool talked about as being free of obvious stars, Presti can swing for upside.
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That doesn’t have to be at power forward, though it easily could be. Cholet’s Tidjane Salaun fits the mold, and his ceiling sounds like the kind of player OKC wishes it could’ve called on this season. That ceiling doesn’t seem nearby, though.
There are other relevant frontcourt players; Dayton’s DaRon Holmes, Colorado’s Tristan Da Silva and Cody Williams, G League Ignite’s Tyler Smith among them. All offer different levels of upside and readiness, of obvious fit versus a potential range of potential checked boxes.
And of course, while fans might dread the thought, there are guards and wings that OKC could consider. Providence’s Devin Carter, Pittsburgh’s Carlton Carrington, Duke’s Jared McCain, Ignite’s Ron Holland.
Some of these could require a trade up, some will be viewed as a reach. With less than a week before draft night, the order still hasn’t remotely taken shape. The Thunder is free to bunt or swing for the fence, potentially developing an area of need for the future and inheriting a cheap contract.
But how ready-made does OKC want the player to be, and how much will it prefer upside over hopes of filling immediate needs?
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Value of the non-spacing big?
If the Thunder needed any reason to double down on its dedication to its five-out offense, it only needed to watch Boston’s sound NBA Finals performance. The fluidity, the drive-and-kicks, the bottomless options. The Celtics’ wrath has nearly become as inevitable as their spacing.
Despite snagging Bismack Biyombo at the trade deadline, OKC never quite acted on the rebounding, lob threat of a true rotational center that some hoped for. The Thunder kept rolling, accepting its deficiencies in exchange for its capabilities.
“I'd rather be a really good defensive team than a great rebounding team,” Presti said in his exit interview.
Presti noted that the team hopes to address any weaknesses without stripping its strengths. How far would he be willing to go?
Rumors have recently swirled with reports of the Thunder’s interest in New York center Isaiah Hartenstein. Hartenstein, who enjoyed a career year in an increased role, is reportedly commanding upwards of $25 million each season.
If OKC’s interest is real, what might that mean for the parts of its identity that it’s willing to sacrifice? Is it interested in moving Chet Holmgren to the pseudo power forward spot? Would it offer upwards of $20 million to a player — one the Thunder might be forced to turn away from in certain games — in a reserve role?
Would OKC be willing to go a step further? Could its interest extend to somebody that commands a larger role, like Jarrett Allen? Allen would undoubtedly change the way OKC’s offense operates.
It seems unlikely, but the Thunder will eventually be forced to come to terms with its identity this summer. That’ll start with how much it values a player like Hartenstein, and in what role. For all anyone knows, that could already be a forgone conclusion.
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What role is there left for Josh Giddey to carve with Thunder?
As enthusiastic as Presti seemed about Josh Giddey’s future, he didn’t have an answer for what it might look like on the court next season.
“I couldn't predict what the fit will be,” Presti said. “I will tell you that he won't have to fit on this team because that team is over. This team will look different next year and the year after that and the year after that.”
On the team that Presti buried, Giddey was used in multiple ways up to the very end, when he was forced to start games on the bench for the first time in his career. As a screener, as a cutter, in the dunker spot — everything off-ball players do. But Giddey, as he admitted himself, has never been one.
If Giddey indeed remains in Oklahoma City at the end of a summer, months of focus on improved shooting alone likely wouldn’t keep teams from defending him the same way in the same role.
What’s the mutually beneficial role for Giddey and the Thunder? A role that will see Giddey resurrect his value and impact Thunder wins. Will that be in a role he’s always known, facilitating while running the Thunder’s second unit?
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Can Ousmane Dieng develop into a rotational piece?
So many of OKC’s offseason questions could, more or less, be resolved by one man.
Dieng was once an upside swing, sandwiched between the Thunder’s selections of Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams in the 2022 draft. The idea of who Dieng would be in Year 3 would easily slot in next to both, resolving any desire to look outward to fill the power forward slot. He’d be a lengthy, shooting, playmaking finisher with enough fluidity to last a lifetime.
But as of mid-June, that isn’t the case. Dieng has improved. But his handle still isn’t so tight. His shot isn’t so consistent. His drives aren’t always so convincing. Despite flashes of promise, the complete picture wasn’t there to finish the season.
Still, having him nearby, working tirelessly with Chip Engelland and giving him the on-ball reps he received with the Oklahoma City Blue is probably the team’s best bet in Dieng fulfilling the initial vision.
Having him simply as a capable member of the rotation — as opposed to the chosen one as the team’s starting four — would suffice. Dieng being a viable option as a fifth member in a significant lineup would do wonders for this team’s standing, giving it flexibility and allowing the Thunder to sift through cheap and impactful contracts like a vinyl collection.
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NBA Draft
When:June 26-27
Where:Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
First round:7 p.m. Wednesday, June 26 (ABC, ESPN)
Second round:3 p.m. Thursday, June 27 (ESPN)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How will OKC Thunder, GM Sam Presti approach 2024 NBA Draft?
