Thunder mock draft hammers home Sam Presti’s stranglehold on NBA’s next decade

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 27-5, the second-best record in the NBA, and winners of 12 straight. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has put together a legitimate MVP campaign, while OKC's supporting cast continues to show out despite the noteworthy absence of Chet Holmgren, a bonafide All-Star and DPOY candidate in his own right.

For the Thunder to mow through the competition without their best defender and arguably their second-best offensive weapon is... something. This team is deep, balanced, and connected. The postgame interviews are not gimmicks. This is a young group that has been together for a while, growing in unison and embracing their small-market, underdog status.

OKC's core is young, the supporting cast is brimming with cost-controlled, high-upside contributors, and Sam Presti still has wiggle room for major upgrades, should the right opportunity cross his desk. And that is precisely what is so scary about this OKC team. If Presti presses the right buttons — and there's every reason to believe he will — the Thunder could be top-shelf contenders for the next decade plus.

Need proof? Just look ahead to the loaded 2025 NBA Draft. The Thunder are presently slated to pick thrice in the first round. OKC is in possession of picks from Philadelphia (top-6 protected), Miami (top-14 protected), and the Clippers (pick swap). That is, potentially, a trio of affordable contributors on four-year contracts unaffected by cap restrictions.

FanSided's latest mock draft has OKC cashing in on several appealing prospects.

Subscribe to The Whiteboard, FanSided’s daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend! If you don’t like The Whiteboard, share it with an enemy!

Thunder mock draft is further proof of Sam Presti's front office brilliance

Kon Knueppel, the Duke freshman ranked No. 4 on the FanSided big board, is incredible value in the ninth slot. OKC will be looking for a day-one contributor who can slot into a deep rotation. Knueppel, a 6-foot-7 wing, can fit into a variety of unique personnel groupings. OKC loves to mix and match wings, prioritizing length, athleticism, and above all else, a variety of skills.

While not the best defender, Knueppel tries hard as hell and is always sharp on the mental side of things. As for offense, it's a clear fit. He's one of the best 3-point shooters on the board (don't let a little slump fool you) and OKC needs 3-point volume as badly as any contender in the NBA. He has also been extremely productive as a playmaker, averaging 2.8 assists (to only 0.9 turnovers) and scoring efficiently out of pick-and-rolls, strength and gear shifts to find angles to the rim and offset limited burst.

He'd thrive in OKC's drive-and-kick offense.

Collin Murray-Boyles, ranked No. 10 on the FanSided board, is — again — tremendous value for OKC in this spot. He's a somewhat polarizing and unique prospect, essentially operating as a 6-foot-7 big man, but the scoring efficiency around the basket pops. Murray-Boyles is extremely strong, listed at 231 pounds, and he is comfortable mismatch hunting in the post.

With a nice bag of slick post moves and smooth face-ups in his repertoire, Murray-Boyles has a skill set that should expand toward the perimeter in due time. He's a great passer for his position and showcases a feather-soft touch in the paint. He's comfortable putting the rock on the floor and attacking in space; he just doesn't hit enough 3s to space the floor, yet.

OKC doesn't really have a player in CMB's mold, though. His size, strength, and defensive versatility would play well on this team, and he'd spend plenty of time with a stretchy, floor-spacing big in Chet Holmgren, so it's an ideal fit.

This is a classic OKC upside swing with their third first-round pick. Dink Pate, ranked No. 34 at FanSided, is spending his second G League campaign with the Mexico City Capitanes. There are understandable concerns about his streaky shooting and poor finishing around the rim, but a 6-foot-8 slasher with point guard instincts is a hand-in-glove fit for OKC's style of play. Pate would learn from the best in SGA — a player he views himself in stylistic conversation with, as he told FanSided last year.

"I like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He’s another 6-foot-7 point guard. I think his game is way more finesse than mine."

OKC wins big with this mock draft. Talk about setting yourself up for the future.