Trade or Draft: What Every 2024 NBA Lottery Team Should Do

Options feel limitless in the Sooner State.

The Thunder were one of this season’s youngest teams and one of its best. They were a 57-win powerhouse that pushed the eventual Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks to six games in the conference semis. They have a superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And they have a slew of budding stars and rock-solid role players around him.

Very seldom will you find a team this talented, this young and this flexible.

All that said, because they’re already so close to the top, they should see whether they can find that finishing piece. Ideally, that player would fit this team’s timeline, but exceptions could be made for an established, elite-level veteran whose contract comes off the books before the likes of Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren need massive pay raises.

The Thunder can and should be selective in their search, though, because if the right player isn’t available, then adding another cost-controlled contributor to this core could make a lot of sense.

If Oklahoma City makes the pick, it has the freedom to do anything from addressing a specific need (likely, size or shooting) or feeling it has enough depth to take a huge swing on a risk-reward prospect with massive potential.

Decision: Trade for a Star or Draft