2026 NBA Mock Draft: OKC Thunder Add National Champion, Sharpshooter

Leading up to the NBA Draft, Oklahoma City has been in the midst of multiple trade rumors.

Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) warms up before the Final Four game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, April 4, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the NBA Draft continues to approach, rumors are swirling around a handful of teams who could be looking to make draft-day trades.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the teams frequently mentioned in potential trades, as Sam Presti and company could look to move up in the draft. OKC currently holds the No. 12, No. 17 and No. 37 selections in the 2026 class, and could package those picks, as well as players and future picks, to jump higher into the draft.

If the Thunder do elect to keep all three picks, though, the team would add multiple young players on inexpensive contracts, and could move on from players on the roster who make more money to free up cap space for current and future contract extensions.

In a recent mock draft, Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports paired Yaxel Lendeborg with Oklahoma City at No. 12, Christian Anderson at No. 17 and Dillon Mitchell at No. 37.

A popular pairing for Oklahoma City throughout the draft cycle, Lendeborg spent three seasons at Arizona Western College, two years at UAB and finished his NCAA career at Michigan.

In his lone season with the Wolverines, Lendeborg averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 51.5% from the field and 37.2% from 3-point range.

The veteran helped Michigan win the national championship, earning Big Ten Player of the Year and consensus All-American honors along the way.

At the combine, Lendeborg measured 6-foot-8-and-three-quarters without shoes, recording a 7-foot-3-and-a-quarter wingspan while weighing 241 pounds.

Anderson played both of his two collegiate seasons at Texas Tech, recieving Big 12 All-Freshman recognition in 2024-25.

After averaging 18.5 points, 7.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 47.2% from the field and 41.5% from 3-point range on 7.9 attempts per gameas a sophomore, the talented guard was named Big 12 Most Improved Player and honored on the All-Big 12 team.

At the NBA Combine, Anderson measured 6-foot-1 without shoes, tallied a 6-foot-6-and-a-quarter wingspan and weighed 180 pounds.

Mitchell helped St. John's win the Big East and reach the Sweet 16, averaging 8.3 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 55.9% from the field. 

A former five-star recruit, Red Storm standout was rated the No. 8 overall prospect and No. 2 small forward in the 2022 cycle.

At the NBA Combine, the All-Big East honoree measured 6-foot-6-and-three-quarters without shoes, recording a 6-foot-10-and-a-half wingspan while weighing 202 pounds.