NBA Mock Trade: Thunder Acquire No. 1 Pick in 2021 Draft

Oklahoma City has assembled the assets to draft wherever they choose in the 2021 NBA Draft. InsideTheThunder.com takes a look at what it will look like for the Thunder to land the top pick.

The 2021 NBA Draft is coming up.

With a loaded war chest of assets, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be looking to make a splash.

With 18 first round draft picks in the next 7 drafts, the Thunder will have the flexibility to move up in the draft. The only question is what that move will cost.

Here are SI Thunder’s thoughts on what it will take to trade up for the top pick in the 2021 Draft:

Derek Parker: In an already loaded draft, Cade Cunningham is the top prize. Regardless of how Detroit feels, he'll more than likely end up the top pick. It's highly unlikely, but OKC has a pathway to landing him. It just depends how much they're willing to give up. A trade up to No. 1 more than likely will take at least four first round selections. Even more than that, the Thunder will likely want to hang on to one of No. 16 or No. 18. Oklahoma City has the assets to shell out, but they'd better be confident in Cunningham's abilities. 

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Read more Mock Trades:

• Pick No. 2

• Pick No. 3

• Pick No. 4

• Pick No. 5

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Nick Crain: Cade Cunningham will more than likely be taken first overall at the end of the month by the Detroit Pistons. However, the Thunder are one of the teams that have done their due diligence on that top pick and what it would take to acquire it. A backcourt of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cunningham would have the potential to be the best in the NBA at some point. However, to get there will take Sam Presti being willing to move a huge chunk of his first round draft capital. For a guy that hasn’t even played a single NBA game yet, the right to acquire him could take at least four first round picks. If you’re going to make a move like that, you better be sure Cunningham is a future superstar.

Ryan Chapman: Trading for the No. 1 pick is always an interesting proposition. Oklahoma City doesn’t have much to offer on their roster, at least much they would be willing to part with. Trading Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the top pick is preposterous, there is no reason to send a known quantity to Detroit for a player Sam Presti would just be projecting to the NBA — even one as appetizing as Cade Cunningham. So the next best trade asset on the roster would be Lu Dort. As interesting as that would be, it seems more likely that Oklahoma City would send a record number of first round draft picks to help Troy Weaver rebuild Detroit instead of parting ways with either Gilgeous-Alexander or Dort. That way, if the Thunder pulled off the coup, they would be primed for the “arrival” back to the playoffs that Presti spoke of in his exit interview at the end of the season.

Oklahoma City’s First Offer: No. 6 pick, No. 16 pick, Clippers 2022 first round pick, Suns 2022 first round pick, Clippers 2024 first round pick,