The 2022 NBA Draft has come and gone. And with Gonzaga All-American Chet Holmgren landing on pick #2 in the Thunder, a storm appears to be brewing in OKC.
But has the former Bulldog played his part?
According to NBA draft insider Jeremy Woo, “there was significant suspicion among rival executives that Holmgren’s camp chose to end up in Oklahoma City rather than Orlando.”
Write:
…as I understand things, at least one specific maneuver was undertaken to steer Holmgren away from the Magic: According to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, Holmgren got out early on the last day of his Orlando visit and conducted a brief on-court shooting practice, that he broke off. While I don’t know if that affected Magic’s #1 decision, objectively it’s very difficult to use a high-stakes draft pick against a player who doesn’t really want to be on your team.
Orlando was rumored to sit between Holmgren, Jabari Smith and Paolo Banchero with their first overall pick; but ended up with the outstanding Duke Banchero.
Under her own steam or not, Chet Holmgren finds himself at a great landing spot with the Oklahoma City Thunder. As they search for the sleek, dexterous seven-footer to become Sam Presti’s next success story in the draft lottery.