2026 NBA Draft Lottery Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder
Stephen Gillaspie and Nathan Grubel team up to tackle the options the Oklahoma City Thunder have in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery.
Stephen: We’re getting into this conversation relatively fresh off a tough Western Conference Finals series defeat for the Oklahoma City Thunder at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. There are a myriad of ways to have a conversation on how the Thunder can get better, but the good news for OKC is that they can get better.
Look, Jalen Williams was hurt–and so was Ajay Mitchell. Even still, they were just a few possessions away from facing the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.
But they can’t stand pat in my opinion, Nathan. They have big free agency questions to get right. They also have the 12th and the 17th picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. I don’t know if you want to have the discussion on trading up, back, or out to obtain a particular player, but I still think they could add some intriguing talent with these picks.
What about you, Nathan? If you’re Sam Presti, what’s the direction you go with the picks that you have?
Nathan: Discussing trades around the Thunder’s first round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft is tricky because this team clearly can stand to add to its depth, but moving up wouldn’t appear to be an easy option to target a player like Cameron Boozer (a hot rumor in draft circles these past few weeks).
The Memphis Grizzlies at #3 overall would be the team to circle as far as moving up to acquire Boozer is concerned. The issue is, what type of comparable value could OKC give Memphis in a deal when the Grizzlies have to find a face of their franchise, given the recent trades of Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane?
I’ve pondered a deal that would send #12, #17, two future firsts, and three seconds plus the contracts of Ajay Mitchell and Thomas Sorber to the Grizzlies for #3, Cam Spencer, and Scotty Pippen Jr. That’s a deal that works financially, but what does that give Memphis now? Both first round selections this year won’t be as productive as Boozer, both short and long term, so it’s a true star bet on Mitchell becoming a franchise lead guard to fill directly in for Ja Morant should he actually be dealt this offseason.
There is no trade with the Grizzlies or Chicago Bulls at #4 that works financially to throw in Jalen Williams or Chet Holmgren before the draft. So we’re left with the best option on the board being either a small trade back by OKC (or out) to acquire some more assets, or sticking and picking two players this franchise is confident in to potentially step into the rotation given pending team options/free agency for Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort, and any other players the Thunder could move off of to open up some cap space/tax relief.
If OKC has to move on from a few of its key rotational pieces, who are some players you believe could be targets in this draft? Or would you consider maybe a small move up the board with #12, #17, and another future first or two to land one particular piece that can bolster the back end of the rotation with room to grow into a starter down the road?
Stephen: If I am Oklahoma City, I am in pure talent-acquisition mode, and I am not so knee-jerky to move off of Chet or J-Dub in response to San Antonio. I’m actually pretty keen on a slight trade-up in this situation, though, Nathan. Actually, given how unlikely it will be that the Thunder will keep Lu Dort and/or extend Cason Wallace, I’m looking to work the phones in a potential trade-up with Dallas.
The Mavs have the #9 pick in this draft. They are likely to have identified the same thing as me here, but there is a bit of a fall-off in talent right around that range. If the Mavs are fine with moving back three measly spots for the 17th pick and some trade-fodder, I like the idea of the Thunder drafting Brayden Burries if he is still on the board. Burries is a sturdy guard who can play on and off the ball, given his strength, athleticism, and floor spacing. He’s shown solid defensive technique, too. For all of the things teams may be worried about in handing the keys over to him outright, Burries would be a seamless plug-and-play talent for OKC.
Heck, even if he isn’t on the board, trading up could ensure you get the big man you like–if the Thunder value one of these big men over the contract situation they could be in with I-Hart, J-Will, Chet, and the recovering Thomas Sorber.
I don’t like the idea of them trading back, so I will kindly just leave that alone.
What do you think, Nathan? Do you like the proposed trade-up?
What do you think they should do if they stay put? How would you attack these two spots?
Nathan: If the OKC Thunder were to trade up to #9, currently owned by the Dallas Mavericks, I would actually prefer a different target (though I love Brayden Burries as a prospect and have him closer to fifth than tenth on my updated big board).
How about Morez Johnson Jr. being a great fit for the Thunder, given the team’s current construction now? He would allow OKC to still retain players like Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, while offering a new look alongside either of them in double-big lineups. Johnson played alongside another true big in Aday Mara at Michigan (and another player who can masquerade as a small-ball five in Yaxel Lendeborg) and excelled in those situations. He’s an excellent diver in pick-and-roll, can cut to the rim, and has shooting indicators in terms of touch and free-throw progression that offer optimism he’ll even spot up and shoot from three in the league.
Defensively, though, is where Johnson’s calling card is. There is NO VICTOR WEMBANYAMA STOPPER IN THE WORLD; let me make that loud and clear. BUT…If I were to build a player in a lab that had a chance at making Wemby’s life more difficult, I’d actually look towards a player with the frame, athleticism, and motor/mean streak of Morez. Excellent core strength, agile footwork, and stout lower base offer him a chance to knock Victor off his spots, limit penetration should Wemby pull Johnson out to the perimeter, and it’s another player that can box out and keep Wemby off the offensive glass, thereby limiting extra possessions created. Again, Wemby can score over anyone with his alien-like size and length, but Johnson has the type of game that could end up offering something a bit more effective than having Holmgren guard Wemby for longer stretches, or even Hartenstein. Not to mention that Johnson LOVES switching onto perimeter players and swallowing them up on defense, which matches some of the schematic styles that OKC tends to favor without Hartenstein on the floor.
If the Thunder were to stay at 12 and select a player, I’d still target someone like Johnson if he were available, or maybe even his teammate in Lendeborg. Yaxel has the versatility, size, strength, and length to affect the playoffs right now, and OKC loves prioritizing players who can dribble, pass, and shoot. Perimeter shooting was Lendeborg’s largest question coming into this season, but he tripled his three-point attempt rate and knocked in a larger percentage of those looks, albeit a bit streaky through various points in the season. It’s still an impressive progression for a player who was largely inside-the-arc dependent during his time at UAB before he transferred to Ann Arbor.
The only caveat with both of those picks is that they’d be outside of Sam Presti’s normal “range” as far as lottery picks are concerned. In terms of starting with OKC’s FIRST lottery pick (or only in other years), Presti has always targeted young talent, as age has been a factor given the Thunder’s excellent developmental track record. Find a freshman-equivalent player with upside that has enough skill to get on an NBA floor within his first two years of service to continue developing within the main system.
Following that line of logic to wrap up, would either of Hannes Steinbach or Karim Lopez stand out to you as options for OKC, or maybe even a wilder swing on a forward like Allen Graves, who has lit up analytics models but could come off the board before the Thunder’s second pick in the first round?
Stephen: All great points, man. I love the nod to Morez Johnson Jr. as a potential trade-up candidate if OKC did move up.
But, to your point, we don’t know if they’re going to do that.
Should the Thunder stay where they are slated to draft, I think they have some options in who to draft. I think that Steinbach and Lopez are fine players, but 12 may be a little high for me. Perhaps one of those two could be around at pick 17–their second selection in the First Round. I hear you on how Presti has historically treated their first pick in years where they’ve had multiple Firsts, but this may be a class to buck that trend a little.
Maybe the Western Conference Finals open up the possibility of Yaxel Lendeborg being in play here. With the injury to Jalen Williams, I think the Thunder understand how vulnerable their team can be if they’re less than 100% coming into the postseason. Yax does contribute from deep, yes, but I love the fact that he can come in and rebound at a high clip, and also make smart decisions with the ball in his hands. He posted a 3.1 Assist-to-Turnover ratio with Michigan this season, and I could see him doing good things playing with the talent of OKC. He offers such lineup flexibility within the frontcourt and perimeter, and that’s something the Thunder should value given what we saw from them in these playoffs.
When it comes to the 17th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, I feel like one of Hannes or Karim would be fun to look at here–even Allen Graves, who I am a little bit lower on, admittedly. The other name I want to highlight here would be Cameron Carr. I know some people feel as if he should go a little higher. I don’t completely disagree, but I could see some teams wanting a little more upside; perhaps they aren’t sold on his slimmer frame, or why it took him until his third year to live up to his potential.
Regardless of those concerns, I really like Carr for the Thunder in this range. Carr knocked down almost 38% from deep this year on very nice volume. He is a great, vertical athlete and can finish above the rim. Defensively, he is quite adept at making plays on the ball–even rotating over from the perimeter and challenging shots at the basket. He tested well athletically, and he has a massive 7’0.75” wingspan. Carr could provide something close to a traditional wing option for this team.
Even though their season ended in disappointing fashion, Oklahoma City is still in a position to be one of the more talented teams in the NBA. And it’s almost certainly to be that way no matter what they do in the draft, given their track record. They can relax on their laurels, sure, but this isn’t the type of team to do that. Whether it’s trade up, down, or out for a trade, Thunder fans have plenty to be excited about due to the talent of their team and the talent within the 2026 NBA Draft.