Oklahoma City Thunder is a professional basketball team that plays in the NBA, based in Oklahoma City. The team plays for the Northwest Division as part of the Western Conference alongside the Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets. The squad plays its home games in the Paycom Center where they have been since 2008 when they relocated to Oklahoma.
The team was originally founded in 1967 but was based in Seattle and was known as the Seattle Supersonics. However, they relocated and changed their name in 2008 after a settlement was agreed between the ownership group and Seattle lawmakers following a lawsuit.
During their time in Seattle, the team had much success as the Supersonics, qualifying for the playoffs 22 times, winning their division 6 times, reaching the NBA finals three times and winning the Championships once – in 1979. Since their move to Oklahoma, they have won the division title 5 times and the conference title once – but have yet to win the Finals.
The first few years as the Thunders was filled with adjustment. However, it was in 2012 that the team managed to reach the NBA finals against Miami Heat – but lost the series in 5 games. The following seasons were steady, but they didn’t manage to set the court alight.
Although they won the division title in 2016, they were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, which was disappointing. As a result, the team attempted to bolster their squad in 2017 by a first-round draft pick of Terence Ferguson and managing to finalise Paul George trade details with the Indiana Pacers. However, they still lost in the first round of the playoffs that season. They followed this in 2018 by selecting Guard Devon Hall with the 53rd pick and Forward Kevin Hervey with the 57th pick. However, Devon Hall instead signed for Australia’s National Basketball League team, Cairns Taipans. Other additions to the team in this time include Raymond Felton as Point Guard and Patrick Patterson as Power Forward in Free Agency. They also acquired ten-time All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks in exchange for Enes Kanter.
From 2019 onwards, the team has looked to rebuild completely. They traded Paul George with the LA Clippers to get Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous Alexander. In addition, they traded Westbrook over to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Chris Paul. Additionally, they also traded a 2019 second-round pick to acquire Hamidou Diallo – who signed a three-year contract.
2020–2021: The Oklahoma City Thunder Today
In the 2021 the Oklahoma City Thunder draft picks, the Oklahoma City Thunder team drafted Josh Giddey, Alperen Sengun and Tre Mann with its first-round picks – with Mann impressing by managing an average of 16 points per game last season with Florida – as well as achieving an average of 3.5 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game in his sophomore season. He joined the rest of the crew, alongside team members including Darius Bazley, Charlie Brown, Josh Giddey and Jeremiah Robinson Earl in order to lead the team towards a more successful 2021-22 regular season.
Fun Fact
The Oklahoma City Thunder team has one of the biggest and best assortments of NBA drafts in the history of the League. In fact, they own an incredible 36 picks in the next seven years – including 17 first and second-round picks – that doesn’t even include protections, swaps and trades!
Moving Forward as a Team
In 2022 and onwards, the team has much to look forward to – and the number of NBA draft picks they have in the next few years looks promising. The team has had a lot of near misses and has played consistently well, but never well enough. They will look to reach the next level with smart moves in the coming years.
Current Oklahoma City Thunder Players Under Contract
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Josh Giddey
- Aleksej Pokusevski
- Tre Mann
- Darius Bazley
- Ty Jerome
- Gabriel Deck
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
- Kenrich Williams
- Theo Maledon
- Luguentz Dort
- Isaiah Roby
- Charlie Brown Jr.
- Josh Hall
- Aaron Wiggins
Current Oklahoma City Thunder Free Agent Players
- Kemba Walker
- Mike Muscala
- Tony Bradley
- Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk
- Josh Hall
- Deonte Burton
- Jaylen Hoard
Oklahoma City Thunder 2020 Draft
- Josh Giddey
- Tre Mann
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
- Aaron Wiggens
Previous Oklahoma City Draft Selections Since 2000
Year Round Pick Player Pos Age Pre-Draft Team
2021 1 6 Josh Giddey G 18 Adelaide
2021 1 16 Apleren Sengun C 19 Besiktas Icrypex
2021 1 18 Tre Mann PG 20 Florida
2021 2 34 Rokas Jokubaitis PG 20 Zalgiris
2021 2 36 Miles McBride G 20 West Virginia
2021 2 55 Aaron Wiggins F 22 Maryland
2020 1 25 Immanuel Quickley PG 21 Kentucky
2020 2 53 Cassius Winston PG 22 Michigan State
2019 1 21 Brandon Clarke PF 22 Gonzaga
2018 2 53 Devon Hall SG 22 Virginia
2017 1 21 Terrance Ferguson SG 19 Adelaide
2015 1 14 Cameron Payne G 20 Murray State
2015 2 48 Dakari Johnson C 19 Kentucky
2014 1 21 Mitch McGary C 22 Michigan
2014 1 29 Josh Huestis SF 22 Stanford
2013 1 12 Steven Adams C 19 Pittsburgh
2013 1 29 Archie Goodwin G 18 Kentucky
2013 2 32 Alex Abrines G F 19 Barca
2012 1 28 Perry Jones PF 20 Baylor
2011 1 24 Reggie Jackson G 21 Boston College
2010 1 18 Eric Bledsoe PG 20 Kentucky
2010 1 21 Craig Brackins F 22 Iowa State
2010 1 26 Quincey Pondexter F 22 Washington
2010 2 51 Magnum Rolle F 24 Louisiana Tech
2009 1 3 James Harden SG 19 Arizona State
2009 1 25 Rodrigue Beaubois G 21 Cholet Basket
2008 1 3 OJ Mayo SG 20 USC
2008 2 31 Nikola Pekovic PF 22 Panathinaikos (Gr)
2008 1 4 Russell Westbrook G 19 UCLA
2008 1 24 Serge Ibaka C 18 CB L’Hospitalet
2008 2 32 Walter Sharpe F 21 UAB
2008 2 46 Trent Plaisted C 21 Brigham Young
2008 2 50 DeVon Hardin C 21 California
2008 2 56 Sasha Kaun C 23 Kansas
2007 1 2 Kevin Durant SF 18 Texas
2007 2 31 Carl Landry F 23 Purdue
2007 2 35 Glen Davis PF 21 LSU
2006 1 10 Saer Sene C 20 Voo Wolves Verviers Pepinster
2006 2 40 Denham Brown GF 23 Connecticut
2006 2 53 Yotam Halperin SG 22 Union Olimpija
2005 1 25 Johan Petro C 19 Pau Orthez
2005 2 48 Mickael Gelabale F 22 Real Madrid
2005 2 55 Lawrence Roberts PF 22 Mississippi State
2004 2 12 Robert Swift C 18 Bakersfield High School
2004 2 35 Andre Emmett GF 21 Texas Tech
2004 2 41 David Young G 22 North Carolina Central
2003 1 12 Nick Collison FC 22 Kansas
2003 1 14 Luke Ridnour PG 22 Oregon
2003 2 41 Willie Green SG 21 Detroit Mercy
2002 2 48 Peter Fehse F 19 SV Halle
2001 1 12 Vlad Radmanovic PF 20 KK FMP
2001 2 39 Earl Watson PG 22 UCLA
2001 2 41 Bobby Simmons F 21 DePaul
2000 1 17 Desmond Mason GF 22 Oklahoma State
2000 2 42 Olumide Oyedeji C 19 DJK Wurzburg
2000 2 47 Josip Sesar GF 22 KK Cibona
Oklahoma City Thunder FAQs
Who Did the Thunders Pick in NBA Draft 2021?
The Oklahoma City Thunder Team had quite a few additions to their team in the NBA 202 draft. This included Josh Giddey, Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson Earl and Aaron Wiggens who all joined the squad roster sheet.
The picks were as follows:
First Round Picks:
- No 6 Pick – Josh Giddey
- No 16 Pick – Traded to Rockets via Boston Celtics
- No 18 Pick – Tre Mann Via Miami Heat
Second Round Picks
- No. 34 pick traded with pick No. 36 for pick No. 32, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
- No. 36 pick traded with pick No. 34 for pick No. 32, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Minnesota Timberwolves via Golden State Warriors)
- No. 55 pick Denver Nuggets via Golden State Warriors
How Many Picks Do the Thunder Have in 2022
Oklahoma City Thunder should have three first-round picks. This will be valuable to the team who many believe will struggle to make the playoffs.
Has Oklahoma City Thunder had any Most Valuable Players?
Yes, they have. Firstly they had Kevin Durant who was awarded the title in 2014. Three years later Russell Westbrook was also named Most Valuable Player in 2017.