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• NBA Draft: List of picks, trades

The Thunder entered the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft with the No. 12 pick. Before the second round began, they traded away Lindy Waters III to Golden State for the No. 52 pick in the Draft. That pick eventually returned to Golden State as part of more trades.

No. 12 pick: Nikola Topic

From Novi Sad, Serbia, Topic joined the Crvena Zvezda youth system in 2020 and was the youngest player to score a point for the team in EuroLeague play in 2022 when he was just 16 years old. He began the 2023-24 season playing for Mega MIS in the Adriatic league before transferring back to Crvena Zvezda, where he suffered a knee injury.

Topic returned to action at the end of April and is expected to be 100 percent healthy for the NBA’s Summer League. Between the two teams, Topic averaged 15.9 points, 5.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds across 20 total appearances.

At 6-foot-6, Topic is a big guard who can get where he wants and makes the right play more often than not. He has excellent pace when driving to the basket, can finish with both hands and is a great distributor who looks like a veteran with the ball in his hands.

Topic appeared confident shooting from the top of the key when opponents played drop coverage in pick-and-rolls, but his 3-point shooting needs to improve as he shot only 30% from deep in 2023-24. His frame suggests he can develop into a rangy defender who can disrupt passing lanes, but he needs to put on weight to become a capable one-on-one defender in the NBA. — RotoWire. Go deeper.

No. 26 pick: Dillon Jones

• DRAFT TRADE: Thunder acquire Jones from Knicks (via Wizards)

Jones started in all but two contests during his final three years with the Wildcats. His numbers improved with each season, ultimately posting career-best figures in points (20.8), assists (5.2) and steals (2.0) per game during the 2023-24 campaign. Jones also led the Big Sky Conference in total points, defensive rebounds and assists per game in 2023-24, and he was named to the All-Big Sky 1st Team in his last two seasons. He was also named the 2023-24 Big Sky Player of the Year.

There are questions regarding whether Jones will end up as a shooting guard or as a small forward at the next level, and there’s a chance his physical development will lean him one way or the other. He possesses enough power, strength and tenacity to defend forwards at the next level, although he has also enough lateral quickness to handle smaller guards if needed. — RotoWire. Go deeper.

No. 38 pick: Ajay Mitchell

• DRAFT TRADE: Thunder acquire Mitchell from Knicks

Mitchell is the son of a former professional basketball player, and that’s noticeable in the way he approaches the game, particularly his awareness when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands. Mitchell has a solid frame at 6-foot-3 and has continued to add strength to his body, so he has the perfect size to defend guards at the next level. His lateral quickness isn’t excellent, something he compensates for with above-average awareness and defensive instincts.

He must work on his shooting, as he has struggled with his mechanics and release time. But even if his shooting doesn’t improve drastically, he has the size and speed to be an effective cutter who can finish near the rim. Mitchell has the potential to be a solid mid-range scorer. — RotoWire. Go deeper.