OKC Thunder Receive 12th Pick in NBA Draft Lottery

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the NBA Draft Lottery as a contending team via the LA Clippers selection. The results are in with the OKC Thunder earning a top 12 pick.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti speaks during an introductory press conference for the 2024 Thunder draft picks at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center in Oklahoma City on Saturday, June, 29, 2024. | Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in a spot you rarely see in NBA History. The Bricktown Ballers are unbeaten in the NBA Playoffs, a perfect 7-0 after sweeping the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the postseason, while having the chance to do the same to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday in the City of Angels. Though stuck between Game 3 and Game 4 of this Western Conference Semi-Final Series is the 2026 NBA Draft lottery in a loaded 2026 NBA Draft that sees three prospects that would be the No.1 pick in almost any other draft. The Thunder held practice on Sunday afternoon during the off day and after defensive ace Cason Wallace and head coach Mark Daigneault were done being peppered with questions the attention turned to the NBA Draft lottery.

Not just to see how the results would impact the NBA, but how they would impact Oklahoma City, who own the L.A. Clippers selection via the Paul George trade back in 2019. That trade has already netted the Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and a plethora of other picks with this selection entering the day having a 7.1% chance of leaping into the top four of this headline-grabbing 2026 NBA Draft class.

The Thunder's most likely outcome on NBA Draft lottery night was staying at pick No. 12, which would already be a massive win for the Bricktown Ballers, who are favored to go back-to-back as NBA Champions before being put on the clock in June's NBA Draft. Oklahoma City also owns Philadelphia's first-round pick, sitting at No. 17, and the Dallas Mavericks second-round selection at No. 37.

Oklahoma City sent general manager Sam Presti to be in the room for the NBA Draft Lottery drawing while franchise icon and front office member Nick Collison was presented on the stage as Mark Tatum unveiled the selections from No. 14 to 1 to find out who would be the lucky winner of this sweepstakes.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had an easy viewing experience. If their name wasn't called by pick No. 12, the team would be in the top four of this NBA Draft.

As the NBA waited with bated breath to find out if the deepest and most talented team in the NBA was getting another boost, the Thunder had to feel as if they were playing with house money.

The pick ended up staying at No. 12 as the Oklahoma City Thunder have seen plenty of success in this range most recently with their run of the No. 12 selections in Jalen Williams and Nikola Topic.