Heading into the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery, the Oklahoma City Thunder had the fourth best odds to end up with the No. 1 pick in the draft and had a 52.5% chance to end up with a Top-5 pick, but the “basketball gods” ruined Sam Presti’s parade and OKC ended up with the 6th pick in this year’s draft. 

Now, having the 6th pick is not bad at all, but given Oklahoma City’s circumstances, they would have loved to end up with one of the first few picks in this year’s draft. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Darius Bazley, Luguentz Dort and other young talents, the rebuild process is on for the Thunder, but they need to hit it big this year with who they draft. 

This team is on the verge of turning things around and being a threat in the Western Conference again, but they are still missing that one, key talent that they can put next to SGA and build with for the future.

Trading for Kemba Walker does not hurt them one bit, but he is going to play a similar role that Chris Paul held on this team two seasons ago, assuming they keep him on the roster and don’t look to flip him again. 

READ MORE: NBA Draft Rumors: 7 bold predictions for the upcoming 2021 NBA Draft

Having the ability to draft a Top-5 talent in this year’s draft would have been huge for the Oklahoma City Thunder because they desperately need another high-level, young talent. With the rights to over 40 draft picks through the 2027 NBA Draft, OKC has a chance to go from nothing to a multi-time championship franchise in a matter of years, but everything for them starts with the 2021 NBA Draft. 

Even though they did not end up with a Top-5 pick in the Draft Lottery, could GM Sam Presti and the Thunder’s front-office still look to be aggressive on draft night and move up from 6th overall? It certainly is a possibility and here are three reasons why trading up would make a ton of sense for the Oklahoma City Thunder.