Alperen Sengun was the No. 16 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The Oklahoma City Thunder traded its second first-round pick, at No. 16, to Houston and chose Alperen Sengun for the Rockets. The Thunder received a pair of future first-round picks in return.
The center from Turkey has played there professionally since 2018 and was named MVP of his league this season after averaging 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1420976171664150535
Source: Rockets gave up future first-round picks owed by Wizards and Pistons to get No. 16.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) July 30, 2021
Protected Detroit first: 2022 (top 16), 2023 (top 18), 2024 (top 18), 2025 (top 13), 2026 (top 11) and 2027 (top 9)
Will turn into a 2027 second if not conveyed https://t.co/E3O5R2J5Qv
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 30, 2021
The Rockets selected Jalen Green earlier with their No. 2 pick, while the Thunder selected Josh Giddey with their No. 6 pick.
The Thunder also took Tre Mann, a 6-foot-5 guard from Florida, with the No. 18 overall pick in the first round.
“We felt it was an extremely productive night for us,” Thunder general manager, Sam Presti said. “We are excited about the players that we were able to add and excited about those guys coming into the program. They all bring something different and I think will be positive contributors to the organization. They all have a lot of work in front of them and this is just the starting point for their careers. … We’re looking forward to walking with them through their development paths.”
Giddey is the first NBA Global Academy graduate to be drafted into the NBA and the highest-drafted player from Australia since Ben Simmons, who went first overall to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2016.
Giddey is the eighth Australian to be drafted in the first round. Although he wasn’t from Australia, in 2017, the Thunder used the No. 21 overall pick on Terrance Ferguson, who had played for the 36ers the previous season.
The Rockets dealt one of their last remaining veterans in March when they traded P.J. Tucker to Milwaukee in a swap that netted Houston the No. 24 pick in this year’s draft. Houston nabbed Arizona State shooting guard Josh Christopher with that pick.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
