Thunder trade 16th pick to Rockets for 2 future first-round picks

The Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to trade the 16th overall pick to the Houston Rockets in exchange for two future first-round picks.

The picks are the Detroit Pistons’ 2022 first-round pick with the following protections: 1-16 in 2022, 1-18 in 2023, 1-18 in 2024, 1-13 in 2025, 1-11 in 2026, 1-9 2027.

The second pick is the Washington Wizards’ 2023 first-round pick with the following protections: 1-14 in 2023, 1-12 in 2024, 1-10 in 2025, 1-8 in 2026.

The Thunder will draft Alperen Sengun for the Rockets at 16.

An initial thought is that getting two future first-round pick for 16 is too good of a value to pass upon. The protections temper the excitement as it is a sexy pick is very unlikely, but it’s all about other teams thinking about how good of a pick it could turn out to be.

Many view the 19-year-old as a modern offensive big who excels at rebounding. His most noteworthy accolade was winning the Turkish League MVP last season.