OKC Blue Trade Sharpshooter for An G League First-Round Pick

The Oklahoma City Blue traded away their sharpshooting guard, Jaden Shackelford, to the Valley Suns for a NBA G League First Round Draft pick.
Jul 15, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos (15) dribbles past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jaden Shackelford (14) during an NBA Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Jul 15, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos (15) dribbles past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jaden Shackelford (14) during an NBA Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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The Oklahoma City Thunder NBA G League affiliate, the OKC Blue, is fresh off a historic season capped off with their first NBA G League Championship. This offseason, the team has seen plenty of turnover only a week removed from shipping off Caleb McConnell to the Swarm, the Blue made another move from their title team.

Wednesday it was announced by the team that the Oklahoma City Blue has acquired a 2025 NBA G League first-round draft pick from the Valley Suns in exchange for the Returning Rights of guard Jaden Shackelford.

The NBA G League Draft is set for Oct. 26 where the Oklahoma City Blue will now control the Valley Suns' first-round pick to bring in a highly coveted player from the draft pool.

McConnell, Shackelford and Waters III are already confirmed to be gone from the 2024-25 version of the OKC Blue - each getting a shot with a different NBA organization. The latest was a fan favorite as the Alabama product blitzed the Paycom Center nets to the tune of massive applause.

Shackelford was a valuable piece in getting the quality developmental reps for the players the NBA squad shuffled down to the G League given his floor spacing and ability to use his gravity to make life easier on others.


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Rylan Stiles

RYLAN STILES

Rylan Stiles is a credentialed media member covering the Oklahoma City Thunder. He hosts the Locked On Thunder Podcast, and is Lead Beat Writer for Inside the Thunder. Rylan is also an award-winning play-by-play broadcaster for the Oklahoma Sports Network.