Around the NBA, teams’ situations are defined by their draft capital.
Is your team losing? That’s fine – as long as they have their upcoming pick, or at the very least, substantial draft capital from other teams. Otherwise, they’re losing without any purpose.
That’s been the experience of the Los Angeles Lakers over the last couple of seasons. New Orleans Pelicans fans love to see them lose: after all, they control their draft picks.
By contrast, the Oklahoma City Thunder don’t mind losing at all. They’ve got the most impressive collection of draft capital in the NBA, and by losing games, they maximize the value of their own picks.
Yet, this season, the Thunder have been losing as much as they may like.
Could it be time to trade in some of their draft capital for a star?