So, the Thunder wound up with the No. 14 pick in the upcoming June NBA draft.
What should OKC do with the pick? Here are the two options:
Keep the pick
Well, the Thunder and general manager Sam Presti have had a pretty good, not perfect though, track record of drafting well.
Last season, the Thunder got Mitch McGary with the No. 21 pick and McGary contributed a bit this season. Steven Adams was the No. 12 pick in 2013 and you know about him. Perry Jones and Reggie Jackson as well as Serge Ibaka are recent Thunder draftees by Presti, so there has been a level of success in first-round picks. In addition, the picks of James Harden and Russell Westbrook sure didn't turn out so poorly.
The good news is, despite it not being a great draft, the Thunder aren't in a spot where they have to get much help. Sure, if there's a good deal to be had, via trade, the Thunder could do it, but they have such a strong team coming back this fall, there's no reason to panic, even if they stay put at No. 14. The team is pretty much set for next year, a player, any player, the Thunder draft won't have the pressure to come in and contribute immediately. That may not have been the case if the Thunder wound up with the first or second pick, but it won't be the case with the No. 14 pick.
A top-tier pick would have forced the Thunder to take an elite talent. Not that it would be such a bad thing, but now OKC can really try to pinpoint a player who can come in and fill whatever void there may be. Andre Roberson and Kyle Singler at the 2-guard spot seems to be an area where they need to improve. Possibly Sam Dekker, a 6-foot-9 shooter from Wisconsin might be a good fit. Cameron Payne from Murray State might be a possibility at back-up point guard. The fact is, Presti can really do some homework and pick a guy who can come in and be a contributor â maybe not this year, but in the future.
Keeping the pick is a no-pressure, no-lose situation for the Thunder. No matter what player OKC brings in, the expectation will be so low it won't matter what happens.
Trade the pick
The Thunder have options. A lot of them, too. Not only do they pick in a decent spot this season, they also have a number of pieces on the current roster they can move.
OKC has a lot of leverage. In other words, because their roster is so good and experienced and set for the fall of 2015, it doesn't have to make any move that isn't fool-proof.
A chance to move into the top-five is always compelling in the NBA, due to the fact there is generally a massive drop off in talent midway through the first round, and a team picking in the top five this year â like the Lakers or Knicks might be interested in acquiring a No. 14 pick as well as players like Perry Jones, Jeremy Lamb or even Dion Waiters.
All of those players, while not superstars, have NBA experience and could fill out a roster for a rebuilding team.
Or, the Thunder could trade down. Again, it's not a particularly great draft, so moving down into the 20s and picking up a first-round pick in an upcoming year would be a gamble worth considering. The Thunder don't need help this year, so moving down wouldn't hurt them. They won't be missing out on any great talent this year. A future first-round pick could be very valuable for this team if, and I know it's hard to take, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook don't stick around in Oklahoma City after their contracts expire.
If Presti is playing for the future, he should move the pick and try and stockpile picks for the years to come. He may not need them, but they would sure be helpful to have. You know, just in case.
A chance to get an elite college talent would be the only reason the Thunder should make a move.
Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK
