THE BEST placed team overall in the NBA as it stands, the Oklahoma City Thunder are currently in the NBA Finals and will also take a top-15 pick to the 2026 draft as well, setting up a period of sustained success.

After a few years of building through the draft, the Thunder fully announced their arrival as a contender this season, when they finished with a league-best record of 68 wins and 14 losses in what was a simply dominant display behind MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Now, they are currently locked in an enthralling battle in the finals with the Indiana Pacers, with Oklahoma City trailing two games to one at the time of publication, and still a strong chance of taking out their first championship.

Regardless of how it all plays out from here, the Thunder will take a first round selection into the draft, and will be able to add yet another young piece to a roster that is already loaded with exciting talent for the future.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Draft Selections

15, 24, 44

Contracted Players

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Isaiah Hartenstein, Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe, Chet Holmgren (team option), Aaron Wiggins, Alex Caruso, Kenrich Williams, Cason Wallace (team option), Ousmane Dieng (team option), Nikola Topic, Jalen Williams (team option), Ajay Mitchell (team option), Dillon Jones, Jaylin Williams (non-guaranteed)

The Thunder are incredibly well-placed for the future, with all of their young core contracted for next year and only set to get better with another campaign under their belt. Thanks to some handy trading in the past, the Thunder will also take two first rounders into the NBA Draft, where they can add to their wealth of young guns, although with so many players contracted, they may look to trade.

With pick 15, the Thunder could add to their remarkable defence, which was ranked as one of the all-time best this season and a big part of why they were the best side in the NBA and only conceded 14 losses. A player that fits this mould is Asa Newell, who has tremendous defensive traits.

He is consistently protecting the paint, and is also a lob threat down the other end, with his vertical leap helping on both fronts. Newell’s speed is also a massive bonus and allows him to shape as a versatile defender in the future.

Another option with this pick could be Noa Essengue, who may be the best player available on the board at this stage. A slashing driver who likes to get going downhill and finish at the cup, and while he is still a work in progress as a shooter, the defensive upside is certainly there.

He can help out defensively, which is something the Thunder would love based on how they have gone about it this year, while his free throw shooting has gotten better in recent months, which offers encouragement for his perimeter presence.

With pick 24, the Thunder may look to take a swing on Walter Clayton Jr., who has stormed up the draft rankings in recent months and could fall anywhere from 20-30 on draft night based on how teams rate him.

A lights-out scorer who simply knows how to win in crunch time, Clayton Jr. may take some of the offensive load off some of the stars when they are heavily guarded, which has been the case throughout the Finals so far.

While it seems unlikely that the Thunder will take all of these picks into the draft, the talent will undoubtedly be on the board if they choose to do so.