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7 hours ago
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The Oklahoma City Thunder find themselves just one win away from immortality after defeating the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, and now lead 3-2. The Thunder used suffocating defense, forcing Indiana into 22 turnovers compared to Oklahoma City's 11.
While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, it was Jalen Williams who led the Thunder in scoring with 40 on 14-for-25 shooting, 3-for-5 from deep and 9-for-12 from the free-throw line. The Thunder now head to Indiana with hopes of clinching their first NBA Championship and closing out the series.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8).
© Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Oklahoma City Thunder predicted to make major NBA Draft trade
While all eyes are on the Thunder to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy, it's easy to forget that the 2025 NBA Draft is just over a week away. The Thunder possess two first-round picks at No. 15 and No. 24 overall.
In a recent NBA mock draft, ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel predicts that the Thunder could be busy working on a trade on or leading up to draft day. The Thunder have almost an excess of depth with young players and adding two more players to an already deep roster seems unlikely. Siegel has the Thunder trading No. 15, No. 24, Philadelphia's 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected) and Ousmane Dieng to the Portland Trail Blazers for No. 11.
With the pick, he has the Thunder selecting Maryland center Derik Queen.
"The Thunder, who are on the verge of winning a championship, could get aggressive in this year's draft and leverage their two first-round picks to potentially move up for a player like Queen, who would be a young talent they can mold behind the scenes since Isaiah Hartenstein's contract will become too vast in a couple of seasons," wrote Siegel.
Queen has an interesting skill set, mainly due to his ability to put the ball on the floor at the perimeter to get to the basket. He has also demonstrated the ability to lead the fast break and is an exceptional passer at the position.
If the Thunder do add Queen, they'll have the luxury of bringing him along slowly, whereas other teams might throw him into the fire before he's ready, especially if it's not with a team that has the culture of Oklahoma City.
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