OKC Thunder Should Address Big Man Outside of Second Round of NBA Draft

The Oklahoma City Thunder's big man fix likely won't come on day two of the NBA Draft.

Mar 31, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Kyle Filipowski (30) controls the ball against North Carolina State Wolfpack forward Mohamed Diarra (23) in the second half in the finals of the South Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at American Airline Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder had a unique first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, adding Nikola Topic and Dillon Jones with picks No. 12 and No. 26. The two selections proved the Thunder have confidence in their backup center rotation or are going to use other avenues to add the talent they might need.

Addressing the backup center position in the second round of the NBA Draft just doesn't seem feasible, though. A second-round pick, more likely than not, won't be an instant-impact player if they become an impact player at all. It'd truly be a gamble.

If the Thunder wants to add a backup center, doing so in free agency makes much more sense and is taking much less of a gamble in doing so. They can go out and sign a proven player as they'll have north of $30 million available cap space, with key names like New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein available to pursue.

With plenty of young talent and draft capital to use as trade chips, they can go out and secure a backup big through a trade, too. Either way, there are avenues for the team to improve instantly rather than gambling on a day two draft pick.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti seems to be ready to take the swing on ready-now players to go all-in on building a contender in Oklahoma City. After the team posted a 57-25 record and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference a season ago, they traded Josh Giddey and his potential to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Alex Caruso, a win-now veteran.

The time is now in Oklahoma City, and the fix to the backup center position isn't in the draft. They don't even need to necessarily hit on their first-round picks given the nature of the team's roster and future.

---

READ MORE: OKC Thunder's First Round Picks Reaffirm Confidence in Jaylin Williams

Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.