The 14-4 Oklahoma City Thunder are having fun with a wonderful begin to the season. It will look even higher if the Philadelphia 76ers maintain stinking it up.
Due to a commerce from 2020, the Thunder will get Philadelphia’s first-round decide subsequent yr, supplied it is worse than the No. 6 decide.
The Thunder get the Sixers’ first-rounder subsequent yr due to a commerce the place they despatched Danny Inexperienced to Philadelphia and took on Al Horford’s undesirable contract. For his or her bother, they received that yr’s No. 34 decide, Theo Maledon (now taking part in in France) and a 2025 decide, protected for picks 1-6.
The Sixers would have the NBA’s second-best lottery odds if the season ended immediately, however they need to enhance if and when Joel Embiid and Paul George return from accidents. So whereas it is nonetheless unlikely they’d find yourself with top-six decide, it is beginning to get more and more troublesome for the 76ers to get again within the playoff image. They’d must win 60 p.c of their remaining video games merely to complete with a successful report.
The dream situation for the Thunder could be the 76ers lacking the playoffs, however not being so dangerous that they’d get a excessive decide. It is a part of a formidable battle chest for the Thunder subsequent June, the place they’ve the best to swap first-round picks with the Los Angeles Clippers or Houston Rockets, and have the rights to picks from the Miami Warmth (lottery-protected) and Utah Jazz (protected 1-10).
The Clippers decide swap and the Warmth decide come from buying and selling George, whose present knee points could also be giving his previous workforce much more draft capital than the 5 picks and two swaps they already acquired for George, together with All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
4 first-round picks is likely to be too many younger gamers, even for the Thunder, nevertheless it does give them spectacular ammunition in the event that they need to make an improve. Final yr’s deadline acquisition was Gordon Hayward, which did not assist a lot. They will intention so much larger this season, they usually might need to if Chet Holmgren struggles to recuperate from his fractured pelvis.
One factor that is sure is that Thunder followers and GM Sam Presti will maintain hoping the 76ers stay dangerous. Simply not too dangerous.