NBA Superstar's Extension Could Impact OKC Thunder's Future Draft Picks

One of the NBA's best is not going anywhere, which could leave the Thunder with a late pick in 2025.

Apr 2, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) battles for the ball with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22), forward Chet Holmgren (7) and guard Luguentz Dort (5) during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City’s future first-round picks might not hold the value it once hoped.

On Friday, Shams Charania reported that Joel Embiid is signing a three-year, $193 million extension to stay with the Philadelphia 76ers. With the Thunder holding the 76ers’ protected 2025 pick, the chances of it turning into a lottery pick is as slim as ever.

While the 76ers plan on contending this season, a catastrophic season of injuries could still lead to Philadelphia keeping its pick if it lands in the top six. Considering the health concerns of Joel Embiid and Paul George, the Thunder might still end up with a solid pick if the 76ers finish in the play-in as they did in 2024. 

However, a season filled with injuries leading to a poor record easily could have led to a 76ers rebuild. With Embiid’s extension, this version of the 76ers appears to be in place for the foreseeable future.

If the 76ers chose to rebuild and trade Embiid after a hypothetical failure next season, they might have also looked to regain control of their 2025 pick from the Thunder. Of course, that could have given Oklahoma City a chance to take control of future picks from Philadelphia, similar to how it has done so in previous years.

This is not the first blow to Oklahoma City’s future picks this offseason, as Denver re-signing Jamal Murray to a long-term deal also keeps its core in place for the future. Oklahoma City owns Denver’s first-round picks in 2027 and 2029, but considering the Nuggets’ commitment to competing for a title for at least the next half-decade, those picks are also unlikely to convey into anything juicy.

Still, any future picks are a valuable commodity under the new CBA, and the ability to easily add cheap talent is a significant advantage for Sam Presti and the Thunder. But after getting lottery picks from the LA Clippers and Houston Rockets in recent drafts, it is a bit disappointing for Oklahoma City to see its luck run out.

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