Oklahoma City Thunder: Is there a scenario in which both LeBron and Bronny are in OKC?
LeBron and Bronny James suiting up for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the future? It could happen.
This week, Kemba Walker was traded with the 16th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft in exchange for Al Horford, Moses Brown, and a future second-round pick. Many will assume this story just ends the Kemba Walker saga in Boston, but it actually starts a new discussion.
Now we have to ask, Is Bronny James going to end up with the Oklahoma City Thunder?
Before we move forward, let’s get this out of the way – it may seem like a stretch to start speculating on where a High School Sophomore’s draft location will be years down the road. (But let’s get crazy!)
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While Bronny is a respectable prospect, he is currently ranked 24th in his class. We still don’t know if Bronny could develop more.
This discussion goes past having Bronny on your team, it is about The King himself, if you land Bronny then you get LeBron James. It appears if you had to do a simulation of what might happen, that Sam Presti has made this more of an inevitability.
The Thunder have a total of 36 picks over the next seven years. Eighteen first-round selections and 18 second-round picks, perfect balanced and perfect for their timeline.
When Bronny could make a jump to the NBA is still in flux as the NBA is rumored to potentially be switching the draft-eligible age. Right now Bronny would still require a year removed from High School to enter the 2024 Draft, now if that is repealed he could potentially enter in 2023.
The Oklahoma City Thunder draft stockpile for those years are as followed:
Thunder 2023 Draft Stockpile
- The Thunder own two first-rounders outright
- Right to swap first-round pick with the Clippers
- Top 14 protected first-round pick is conveyed from the Nuggets.
- Two second-round picks
The Thunder 2024 Draft Stockpile
- The Thunder own two first-rounders outright
- Top 4 protected first-round pick from the Rockets
- 3 second-round picks
Another exciting development is Kemba Walker will be off the books by the summer of 2023 at the latest.
Another thing that 2023 offers the Thunder is cap room as Kemba Walker will be off the books. The Thunder may still need to pay Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort, but they should have some flexibility regardless.
We have to assume many things and jump many hurdles to get to a point where LeBron and Bronny will be donning matching Thunder Jerseys.
While the Thunder have the highest odds, as they have the most selections, that does not guarantee an endgame where they select Bronny. The NBA Draft is not a guarantee by any means.
You also have to factor in that Sam Presti is not afraid to make moves. Even in a season like last year where many assumed they would “tank” they made the playoffs.
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A power move to have LeBron and Bronny would be exciting, but Presti is not going to sit idly by and wait. In a league where players are moving more than ever, Presti has the capital to make a move and perfect what the Nets and Clippers started.