The Oklahoma City Thunder appear on the verge of becoming the NBA's next dynasty. Sam Presti's team already boasts a wealth of talent that is uniquely suited to survive the strictures of the league's new CBA, with cost-controlled impact players surrounding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. And whether they win the NBA Championship this season or not, they'll have the opportunity to get even better in the draft this offseason.
Oklahoma City has three picks in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft, two of which are in the first round. In Christopher Kline's latest FanSided NBA mock draft, the Thunder are set to add even more offensive talent to their already stellar backcourt.
Tre Johnson could be a perfect fit for the Thunder
With the 15th pick in this year's draft, Kline has the Thunder selecting Texas guard Tre Johnson. In his one season with the Longhorns, the former five-star recruit led the entire SEC in scoring (yes, even more than Johni Broome, Walter Clayton Jr. and Jeremiah Fears), averaging 19.9 points per game to go with 3.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 33 games played.
If drafted by the Thunder, Johnson will fit right in with the talented backcourt in Oklahoma City. Johnson will be joining a Thunder backcourt that features 2025 NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Carson Wallace, Alex Caruso, Ajay Mitchell and Isaiah Joe. With Gilgeous-Alexander commanding all sorts of attention with the ball in his hands, Johnson's ability as a dangerous movement shooter will open up tons of space.
While Johnson is a talented scorer, there are concerns about his defense. With Oklahoma City having one of the best defenses in the NBA, however, his lack of defensive skills shouldn't be much of a problem, as the Thunder can rely on other players around him.
Who else could the Thunder draft?
The Thunder also have the 24th pick in the NBA Draft, where Kline projects them to select Washington State forward Cedric Coward. Despite only playing in six games last season with the Cougars and not having much experience against top competition, he made waves at the NBA Combine and opted to stick in the draft rather than transferring to Duke.
In the second round, the Thunder hold the 44th overall pick, where they will add more depth to their backcourt with the selection of guard Ben Henshall from Australia.