Sports Illustrated’s Brett Siegel confirmed in his latest 2022 NBA mock draft that the Oklahoma City Thunder have worked out former Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe in a pre-draft week.
“Already having Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr. or Paolo Banchero at this point, the Thunder and GM Sam Presti can look to get aggressive with this 12th overall selection and really dig in on their philosophy of building for the future.
No player fits this mindset better than Shaedon Sharpe and him still being on the board here would be a miracle situation for the Thunder, as Sharpe is someone that the team really liked when they brought him in for a pre-draft workout recently. While he is still a big unknown given that he is making the jump from high school to the NBA without playing a single minute of collegiate basketball, Sharpe has the tools to be an elite-level scorer in time.”
It seems like this is the week of Sharpe as ESPN reported this past Saturday that his camp has the Thunder at the top of his list for preferred destinations. It was then picked up on Twitter on Sunday that Sharpe was recently in an Oklahoma City gym working out via a June 1 TikTok.
ESPN also reported that Sharpe is the likeliest of the highly-touted prospects to fall to 12th overall. Even if that’s the case, if the Thunder really like Sharpe, then they should not risk losing him if he’s still there after the first five picks.
Overpaying to move up in the draft to select someone the Thunder really like is one of the biggest reasons as to why the team has been hoarding picks over the last couple of seasons. If the Thunder think Sharpe is that guy, then they should not hesitate to overpay in draft picks to get him.
