Champions enjoying elite play *and* holding multiple high 2026 draft picks. How OKC is mastering the present while building for the future.
There may not be a better example of the old idiom “have your cake and eat it too” than the current iteration of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The team is having their cake by winning the 2025 NBA Championship and jumping out to a league best 12-1 start in defense of their title. And the team is eating their cake by owning up to four 1st round picks and a potentially very high 2nd round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Thunder fans are in a unique and position. Not only can they enjoy gazing at the top of the NBA standings and admire OKC’s pole position, but they can also head over to Tankathon and take a few spins to to see if they can land Oklahoma City a top 4 pick at the bottom of the standings.
OKC Thunder 2026 Draft Picks
Utah Jazz 1st round pick (protected 1-8). At the moment, barring lottery luck, this pick would convey to OKC. But the feisty Jazz are likely to pivot to tank mode sooner than later and some of the teams currently lower than Utah will actually keep trying to win. It’s highly unlikely OKC will receive this pick, but it even being a possibility is intriguing.
Philadelphia 76ers 1st round pick (protected 1-4). The mystery box of this year’s Thunder draft capitol. The ceiling of the 76ers is theoretically high if Joel Embiid and/or Paul George play a majority of games. The floor is extremely low if the superstar duo continue dealing with injuries. Tyrese Maxey seems to be back in All-Star shape and V.J. Edgecombe has been arguably the best rookie so far this season so the floor may be higher than initially anticipated. Even still, this pick has late lottery potential.
Two most favorable 1st round picks between the Los Angeles Clippers (unprotected), Houston Rockets (protected 1-4) and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder look like the class of the NBA and the Rockets are living up to the hype of being the West’s third best team. But the Clippers are 4-8 and only snapped a 6 game losing streak by beating the 3-10 Mavs in double overtime. Kawhi Leonard has lingering injury and investigation question marks. Bradley Beal is out for the year. The roster is playing like they collectively turned old over the offseason. OKC could potentially end up with a great pick in a loaded draft due to the Clippers. Then again, the West may have five or six teams that pivot to tank mode and Steve Ballmer’s squad has zero incentive to lose. And James Harden has never missed the playoffs. This pick has a lot of baked in volatility, but it is also by far the one most worth tracking for Thunder fans throughout the season.
Most favorable 2nd round pick between the Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder. Let's cut to the chase. It's going to be the Mavs 2nd rounder. And it is going to be a very good one. Considering Sam Presti’s history with 2nd round picks, this may end up being the most valuable one of them all.