How Would A Five-Year NBA Re-Draft Fare For The OKC Thunder?

The Thunder would be penalized in a five-year re-draft.

Apr 29, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) passes the ball to forward Chet Holmgren (7) against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half of game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

It's no secret evaluating talent and making correct selections in the NBA Draft is essential for a well-run franchise looking to build a prolonged contender. The Oklahoma City Thunder has done just that in their short history -- and that's helped them build a contender in a new era of basketball.

It started with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden in the team's first run at contention, and has spread to the team selecting Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to bolster the team's current roster.

How would things shake up in an "ultimate" NBA five-year re-draft? Bleacher Report answered the question, and, for the Thunder, they'd lose out on two of their star talents. With the Thunder selecting No. 14 with a draft pool compiled of players selected from 2019 to 2023, they land forward Franz Wagner, currently on the Orlando Magic.

"Somewhere, Sam Presti is smiling. Because in one sense, this exercise is all about evaluating how well each franchise has drafted during these five years," Bleacher Report wrote. "That the Oklahoma City Thunder lost both Chet Holmgren (No. 8) and Jalen Williams (No. 11) in the top half of this redraft just underscores the job Presti's done in his rebuild. But these alternate-universe Thunder are sorely lacking frontcourt talent following those losses."

As Bleacher Report alluded to, this is a compliment to the Thunder general manager and the rest of the staff. They've crushed the draft -- and every aspect of roster-building, for that matter. However, securing a star forward in Wagner certainly wouldn't be a loss.

"Orlando's Franz Wagner might not do as many things as well as Holmgren does and isn't as valuable as J-Dub—and at small forward he certainly isn't a direct replacement for either. He also needs to fix his three-point shot (28.1 percent) to be a true Robin to Paolo Banchero's Batman," Bleacher Report wrote. "But the 22-year-old can do a little bit of everything—and more than a little in the scoring department."

The alternate reality isn't as fun or easy for the Thunder, but they certainly still land a star forward -- though it doesn't make up for losing two young, rising elite talents. Again, it's a testament to the team's ability to draft well and maximize the opportunities they've been given.

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