OKC Thunder Acquire Another First Round Pick In Trade With Denver
The Oklahoma City Thunder have just acquired another first round pick, following the massive haul they received from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for six-time All Star Paul George over the weekend.
This time around, the Thunder dealt forward Jerami Grant to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for a 2020 first round pick, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Grant, 25, averaged 13.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks for the Thunder last season. He'll now join a Nuggets team that finished second in the Western Conference last season with a record of 54-28.
The Thunder previously traded Paul George to the Clippers for three unprotected Clippers first-round picks (2022, 2024 and 2026), as well as two future Miami Heat first-round picks (2021 unprotected and 2023 lottery protected). On top of that, OKC also has the rights to swap picks with the Clips in the 2023 and 2025 drafts. Not to mention, OKC also acquired All-Rookie point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari as part of the trade.
In total, the Thunder could have 13 first round picks over the next seven drafts, and they may not be done collecting future assets.
Shortly after news of the PG trade surfaced, Russell Westbrook and his agent reportedly began communicating with Thunder general manager Sam Presti about the possibility of a trade before the upcoming season. Westbrook, 30, has $171M remaining on his contract over the next four years, including a player option for $46.7 million in 2022-23.