OKC Thunder: What to do with a possible lottery pick in 2018 NBA Draft

The OKC Thunder had meetings with Trae Young and Michael Porter Jr. Does this mean that the Thunder will try and get a lottery pick in the 2018 NBA Draft?

The Oklahoma City Thunder do not have a first round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Their pick is with the Minnesota Timberwolves after the Utah Jazz, who originally got it when the Thunder traded for Enes Kanter, dealt it away in the Ricky Rubio deal.

However this didn’t stop the OKC Thunder from meeting with potential lottery picks, Trae Young and Michael Porter Jr., at the 2018 NBA Draft Combine.

This may mean that they are trying to work their way into the lottery.

The Thunder may trade Carmelo Anthony, as reports say that they are trying to move on from the star wing player. The best place available team for Carmelo if you look at the draft board is the Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 8.

Carmelo has a no-trade clause, so he would have to agree to a trade. Anthony, at age 33, would want to go to a contender. The Cavaliers fit that category as long as they have LeBron James, and they are also in the East, which is the weaker conference.

If the Cavaliers are able to retain LeBron, they may want to pair Anthony and James together, along with Kevin Love.

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No. 8 is prime position to pick Porter or Young, as ESPN has Porter projected to go to the Cavaliers in that spot. Giving up a top-10 pick for age-33 Melo is a major stretch, but let’s say the Thunder were able to get that pick. What would they do with it?

Trae Young has a lot of upside and has been proven to be a player that can put plenty of points up on the board, while being able to pass the ball at a high rate.

Young tied the NCAA single-game assist record on Dec. 19 against Northwestern State. He broke the Oklahoma program record for consecutive 20-point games with 12. He was the fastest Oklahoma player to 500 points.

He broke the freshman season assist record for a Sooner against TCU on Jan. 13 when he passed for assist No. 155. He also holds the Big 12 record for the most 40-point games in a single season with four games.

A lot of people have compared him to Stephen Curry with his ability to shoot the deep 3. He holds the Oklahoma freshman season 3-point field goal record with 71 made triples.

Trae Young should be a lock for this pick after hearing all of those accolades, but in my opinion, the best pick for the Thunder right now is Michael Porter Jr.

Porter fits a positional need as the Thunder may lose both Anthony and Paul George this summer. ESPN‘s Ryen Russillo said that someone he “trusts” told him that George is gone after his first season with OKC.

Porter was only able to play three games this year due to a bad back in college at Missouri, but he has major upside.

He can play in transition and can start the break with his crafty ball-handling ability. He can shoot the 3 off the dribble, and has superior athleticism that can make him look like a man among boys while playing at his 6’10”, 215-pound frame.

If the Thunder are looking to rebuild, Porter looks like the right pick because of his talent, intangibles and basketball IQ.

Russell Westbrook is the leader of the team and the franchise player. They will have to put young, talented players around him because the Big 3 experiment did not work and it might be over now.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition

It still feels unlikely, but if the Thunder are able to get a lottery pick, that will go a long way in moving past another failed Big 3 era.

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