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The Oklahoma City Thunder stood firm and made their first pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, selecting Georgetown big man Thomas Sorber with the No. 15 overall pick. Their second pick, however, is headed elsewhere.
The Thunder were slated to pick No. 24 in the draft, but traded that pick to the Sacramento Kings. In return, the Thunder get a protected 2027 first-round pick, via Dave Carmichael.
With that selection, the Kings took Colorado State star Nique Clifford, who broke out in 2024-25 and had a stellar senior season while leading the Rams to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
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The trade didn't come as a surprise for the Thunder, who have a stacked rotation coming off of their NBA title that they secured with a Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. While Sam Presti and company are always looking toward the future, the Thunder don't have enough room on the roster to bring in a pair of first-round rookies.
Clifford is an older prospect, but he did it all for a very good Colorado State team last season. He started his career at Colorado where he was more of a 3-and-D player and a role guy, but he emerged as a star with the Rams under Niko Medved last season.
During his final season in college, Clifford averaged 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He became one of Colorado State's primary ball handlers and playmakers in addition to being an isolation scorer who got buckets at all three levels on the court. On top of that, the Colorado native maintained his usual stellar defensive impact and should fit right in with the Kings as a two-way force on the wing.
The Thunder will move forward with Sorber, who gives them an insurance plan at backup center if Isaiah Hartenstein becomes a free agent at the end of next season. However, there is a chance they will regret trading away the pick who became Clifford, who was one of the best players in college basketball last season.
