The Oklahoma City Thunder were forced to offload valuable bench players due to salary constraints during the 2026 NBA offseason. Fortunately, the franchise is uniquely poised to add reinforcements to head coach Mark Daigneault's roster in the 2027 NBA Draft.

The Western Conference powers have an embarassment of riches heading into Round 1. The Thunder have Denver's top-five protected selection. Add in the pick owed to them by the Spurs (top-16 protected) and a potential swap with the Clippers and it's easy to see how much optionality will be available to GM Sam Presti and his front office.

The odds are stacked against the Thunder using all of these picks to add rookies to their group. At least one of them is likely going to be leveraged to add a veteran capable of helping the team compete for an NBA title immediately. Even so, Oklahoma City should be poised to add multiple rookies to their roster who can help them remain competitive for years to come.

SB Nation's most recent mock draft lays out an interesting course forward for the franchise. They have the Thunder exercising their swap with the Clippers to land the No. 7 overall selection. Their mock for that pick sees Oklahoma City nabbing UConn forward Colben Landrew. His ability to fit into a team concept should appeal strongly to a team that already has enough stars at their disposal.

Our own Chris Kline has Landrew ranked as the No. 7 prospect in this year's class, highlighting his spot-up shooting, physical defense, balance and coordination and offensive rebounding as key skills.

Adding more perimeter shooting is always a priority for the Thunder which is why the projection of the team selecting Ohio State standout Anthony Thompson at No. 14 makes so much sense. He's struggled to create shots on his own during his brief collegiate career, but he projects to be an elite shooter with quality length for the wing position. It might take him some time to adjust to the pro game, but the Thunder can exercise patience with their rookies.

The mock has the Thunder doubling down on shooting by selecting Alabama guard Amari Allen at No. 28. He lacks ideal size for his position, but comfortably projects to be a microwave scorer off the bench. Landing that kind of player at the end of Round 1 good prove to be a valuable selection for Oklahoma City.

Thunder's projected picks in SBNation's latest NBA Mock Draft

• No. 7 — Colben Landrew, F, UConn
• No 14 — Anthony Thompson, F, Ohio State
• No. 28 — Amari Allen, G, Alabama

The Thunder could also package these picks to trade up

One possibility not discussed in this mock is the prospect of the Thunder packaging their picks together to move up and draft a potential star. Presti has never been afraid to take a big swing and could be tempted to make this kind of transaction if he falls in love with a particular elite prospect.

BYU wing Bruce Branch has the look of a prospect who could appeal strongly to the Thunder's ideal of a wing forward. He has all the tools to be an All-NBA defender early in his pro career. It might take him a few years to round out his offensive game, but the Thunder could benefit immediately from the juice he can bring on the defensive end of the floor.

No matter what, the 2027 NBA Draft projects as a great chance for Oklahoma City to reload their roster. That's great news for Thunder fans and bad news for the rest of the Western Conference.