Updated April 16, 2026, 1:02 a.m. CT
Don’t look now, however Sam Presti and the OKC Thunder have locked in one other NBA draft lottery pick.
Thanks to Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors eliminating the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Wednesday night time, OKC has a slight likelihood at touchdown the No. 1 pick in June’s draft.
The Thunder has the fitting to a 2026 pick swap with the Clippers thanks to a 2019 commerce between the 2 groups. It’ll have the Eleventh-best odds of receiving the highest pick (2%) if Golden State defeats Phoenix at 9 p.m. CT Friday to declare the No. 8 seed in the playoffs and the Twelfth-best odds (1.5%) if Golden State loses.
That’s one in every of up to three first-round picks OKC might have in the 2026 draft. The class is headlined prospects equivalent to Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Duke’s Cameron Boozer.
Here’s a whole breakdown of OKC’s potential 2026 picks:
When is the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery?
The 2026 NBA Draft lottery is scheduled for May 10.
The first spherical of the NBA Draft will then be held at 7 p.m. CT on June 23 (ABC/ESPN), adopted by the second spherical at 7 p.m. on June 24 (ESPN).
How many 2026 NBA Draft picks will OKC Thunder have?
First-round: Philadelphia 76ers (Top-four protected)
OKC acquired Philadelphia’s 2025 first-round pick when it traded Terrance Ferguson, Danny Green and Vincent Poirier in November 2020. It acquired that pick together with Al Horford, the No. 34 general pick in the 2020 draft (Theo Maledon) and the draft rights to Vasilije Micic.
The pick was top-six protected and didn’t convey final 12 months. It then become a top-four protected pick for 2026 and 2027.
The pick will convey this season for the reason that 76ers would be the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
First spherical: Utah Jazz (Top-eight protected)
OKC acquired Utah’s 2024 first-round pick and Derrick Favors in July 2021. It despatched out a 2027 second-round pick and money concerns.
The pick was top-10 protected in each 2024 and 2025 however didn’t convey, making it top-eight protected in 2026. If it would not convey this season, the duty extinguishes.
Utah completed 22-60, tying with Sacramento for the fourth-worst file in the NBA. A random drawing will likely be held to decide which crew has the fourth-best odds (12.5%) and which crew has the fifth-best odds (10.5%).
This is noteworthy as a result of the crew with the fourth-best odds cannot fall outdoors of the highest eight in the lottery, that means Utah can be assured to retain its pick. If it receives the fifth-best odds as a substitute, it will have a 0.6% likelihood of receiving the ninth pick and dropping it to OKC.
First spherical: The most favorable pick between Los Angeles Clippers and OKC Thunder
OKC was initially set to obtain the 2 most favorable picks between Houston (top-four protected), the Los Angeles Clippers and itself. But it despatched Houston’s pick to Philadelphia in a deal that landed it Jared McCain on the commerce deadline.
That leaves OKC with a selection between Los Angeles’ pick and its personal, and the previous is clearly the best choice.
The Thunder will swap with the Clippers to have both the Eleventh-best odds or the Twelfth-best odds in the draft, relying on the end result of the Suns-Warriors sport.
Second spherical: The most favorable pick between Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers and OKC Thunder
OKC will obtain probably the most favorable second-round pick between Dallas, Philadelphia and itself.
The Thunder will certainly go along with the Mavericks’ pick. Dallas completed 26-56, which is tied for the seventh-worst file in the NBA.
A second-rounder won’t appear thrilling, however OKC is thought for locating hidden gems. The Thunder chosen Aaron Wiggins (No. 55 general) in 2021, Jaylin Williams (No. 34) in 2022 and Ajay Mitchell (No. 38) in 2024.
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a narrative concept for Justin? He could be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to entry extra NBA protection. Support Justin’s work and that of different Oklahoman journalists by buying a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
