The Oklahoma City Thunder trade their lottery pick
It's time. No matter how their playoff run ends this season, it's quickly becoming apparent that it's time for the Oklahoma City Thunder to make their big move. And with their lottery pick remaining at No. 12, it makes little sense for the Thunder to keep this selection. They already have an established core and need to package some of their assets to make a big move at some point during the offseason as they attempt to continue to build a championship-supporting cast around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Even if the Thunder end up losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals, this is a team that has seen enough that they should be considered ready to make a bold move. There's a good chance that could take place at the NBA Draft. At the very least, perhaps depending on how the draft board falls, the Thunder could make a selection at No. 12 with the intention of trading the player.
With the strides that the Thunder have made this season in their progression as a team, I'd be shocked if a big move wasn't on the horizon. And if one does develop, it will almost certainly be built around draft picks.