Grading OKC Thunder's 2025 NBA Draft originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a quick turnaround after winning the championship on Sunday as they prepared for the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday and Thursday night.
Oklahoma City entered the draft with three selections, including two in the first round, though many believed that they would end up moving one of their first-round picks due to their limited roster space.
That is exactly what the Thunder did as they sent the 24th overall pick to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for a 2027 top-16 protected first-round pick originally owned by the San Antonio Spurs.
While the Thunder did end up trading the 24th pick, they used the 15th selection to draft Thomas Sorber out of Georgetown to upgrade their frontcourt depth.
Let's get to work 🤝 @ThomasSorber_pic.twitter.com/Byn7losrHd
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 26, 2025
Oklahoma City then used the 44th pick in the second round on Thursday night to select Northwester guard Brooks Barnhizer.
With the 44th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder selects Brooks Barnhizer from @NUMensBball ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/I3pE0fPBo1
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 27, 2025
Thunder's 2025 NBA Draft Grade: A
With these selections, the Thunder earned an A grade for their 2025 NBA Draft as they were able to upgrade their roster plus add another pick down the line due to their trade with the Kings.
For Sorber, he will be a great fit off the bench for the Thunder behind Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, especially on the defensive end.
In his freshman season at Georgetown, Sorber averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 53.2% from the field and 16.2% from three.
Sorber does need to improve on his outside shooting numbers but he will give the Thunder a solid inside scorer off the bench while also giving them yet another great defender in a rotation full of them.
For Barnhizer, he averaged 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 41.4% from the field and 26.6% from three in his senior season at Northwestern.
He will give the Thunder another great scoring and defending guard off the bench and he is also a great rebounder at the guard position.
With these moves, Oklahoma City was able to upgrade their roster even more as they try to win back-to-back championships next season.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.