Memphis secures a franchise cornerstone while Sam Presti leverages historic trade capital to bolster the Thunder. Discover which front offices masterminded the most impactful hauls in Brooklyn.
The NBA season moves fast. The NBA offseason may move even faster.
Before the confetti has even been cleaned up in Times Square celebrating the New York Knicks' first league championship in over 50 years, the 2026 NBA Draft has already come and gone. The two night event took place just down the road from the home of the champs at The Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder ended up with a draft haul including Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz and Otega Oweh. Is that trio enough to crack the top 5 draft winners? Let's take a look.
Top 5 Winners of the 2026 NBA Draft
5. Philadelphia 76ers.
Labaron Philon Jr. - Round 1, Pick #22.
The 76ers only had one pick, courtesy of the Jared McCain trade with OKC, but they made it count. The Alabama combo guard was the biggest draft faller of the night, dropping all the way into Philadelphia's laps. At one time, Philon was considered a top 10 pick.
4. Milwaukee Bucks.
Brayden Burries - Round 1, Pick #10. Nate Ament - Round 1, Pick #13.
This is how you kick off a post Giannis Antetokounmpo rebuild. The Bucks selected Burries with their own pick. In a draft filled with top tier guards, the former Arizona standout may be the best two way player of them all. And with the shiny new draft pick they received from Miami, the Bucks selected Ament. He is arguably the most polarizing prospect in the class. But his blend of size and skill also gives him one of the highest ceilings in the class.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder.
Aday Mara - Round 1, Pick #12. Bennett Stirtz - Round 1, Pick #16.
Otega Oweh - Round 2, Pick #41.
The infamous Paul George trade with the Los Angeles Clippers is the gift that keeps on giving for Oklahoma City. Using yet another pick from that 2019 deal, OKC selected the massive 7'3" Mara. And thanks to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Thunder were able to land another high quality shooter, shot creator and playmaker in Stirtz. The defensive minded Oweh, a former Oklahoma Sooner, capped off a great draft for the league's most talented team.
2. Chicago Bulls.
Caleb Wilson - Round 1, Pick #4. Dailyn Swain - Round 1, Pick #15.
Are things actually looking up in Chicago? The Bulls drafted the consensus fourth best player in the class in Wilson. He is a prospect considered in his own tier just below the top three but also clearly above the rest of the class. Eleven spots later, Chicago took a high upside wing that many Thunder fans had hoped would be on the board at #17.
1. Memphis Grizzlies.
Cam Boozer - Round 1, Pick #3. Karim Lopez - Round 1, Pick #21.
Richie Saunders - Round 2, Pick #32.
The Memphis front office had the easiest decision of the entire draft: select the last one standing between AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Boozer. The Grizzlies got one of the three franchise cornerstones in the class. Then followed that up with Lopez, a player some experts had going in the late lottery. Oh and they received five 2nd round picks for dropping from #16 to #17 and from #17 to #21. All Memphis did with their final pick was draft a player in Saunders who would have surely gone in the 1st round if not for an injury.
