Thunder Draft Rumors: 3 Things You Need To Know Heading Into Draft Week

The Oklahoma City Thunder have the No. 14 pick in the NBA Draft, and there has been a lot of clutter to sort through as to their plans with the pick. Here are three rumors you need to know:

1) OKC Has Reportedly Promised To Draft PG Cameron Payne

The Thunder have reportedly promised to draft Murray State point guard Cameron Payne if he falls to them at No. 14, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford.

 “Since late last week there’s been a lot of buzz among rival GMs that the Thunder promised Cameron Payne they’d take him at 14,” ESPN.com’s Chad Ford. “I don’t know how much of that is smoke, but he is a great fit at 14 and talent wise he may be the best pure point guard in the draft.”

This isn’t uncommon for the Thunder, who promised to draft Reggie Jackson in 2011 and Josh Huestis last season.

2) Sam Dekker A Draft Target For Oklahoma City?

If they don’t go with Payne, the Thunder need to find scoring help for their frontcourt this offseason, and they could look to Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker in the 2015 NBA Draft to provide just that.

Here’s FOX Sports Southwest’s Andrew Gilman with his thoughts on why Dekker could be a first-round fit for OKC:

There were a large faction of people who hated the fact Andre Roberson couldn’t score and Kyle Singler seemed lost offensively. Both were starters for the Thunder this season. Both were extremely limited offensively.

Those people who were frustrated by Roberson and Singler would like the idea of Dekker, the 6-foot-7 Wisconsin swingman. Dekker is lanky like the two, but has a huge, offensive upside. The only question would be if his offense is good enough to overcome his defense which certainly isn’t as good as Roberson’s.

Dekker could even play either forward position for the Thunder, but what he does best is move without the ball and play unselfish – which will be key for anyone coming in. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, even Serge Ibaka, command so much of the offense, it’s imperative to bring in a player who doesn’t need to get “his.” Dekker spent three years in a college, he’s going to be a bit older, a bit more experienced and is certainly team-oriented after playing at Wisconsin. He also has that “NBA Body” teams love.

3) Penn State’s D.J. Newbill A Second Round Option?

Aside from Payne, the Thunder are also really interested in Penn State shooting guard D.J. Newbill with their second-round pick.

According to Sheridan Hoops, the Thunder brought in Newbill in for a workout last week, hoping to get another look at him to make sure he’s someone they want to draft.

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