While a handful of trades were announced in the lead-up to the 2021 NBA Draft, things were pretty quiet while the first 15 picks came and went. And then, the Oklahoma City Thunder found themselves on the clock with the No. 16 selection, and in classic Sam Presti fashion, the team opted to do some wheeling and dealing.
Adrian Wojnarowski announced that the Thunder would send the pick to the Houston Rockets, and in exchange, Houston would send them a pair of future first-round selections.
Oklahoma City is trading the 16th pick, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 30, 2021
Houston is sending OKC two future first-round picks for No. 16, per source. https://t.co/VggmCiw0sa
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 30, 2021
Further reporting indicated the picks would not come from the Rockets, but instead, would be a pair of selections that the Rockets have in their war chest of assets from other teams.
Source: Rockets gave up future first-round picks owed by Wizards and Pistons to get No. 16.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) July 30, 2021
From there, the Rockets were on the board and opted to take a swing by selecting Alperen Sengun, a 19-year-old center from Turkey.
Sources: Rockets taking Alperen Sengun at No. 16.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 30, 2021
The Rockets are going to be a busy team this evening — the team also picks 23rd and 24th as of this writing — and opted to pair Sengun with No. 2 pick Jalen Green. Sengun is a fascinating selection, as the teenage big man was the Turkish League MVP this past year as a teenager and is viewed as one of the most interesting offensive big men prospects in the 2021 Draft.
