OKC Thunder's First Round at NBA Draft Foreshadowed the Future for the Roster

With the Thunder taking two players in the first round, someone on the roster won't be there for long.

Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver greets the twelfth pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Michigan center Aday Mara after he was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Thunder have all but confirmed that more roster changes will be happening. 

There was speculation going into draft night on what the Oklahoma City Thunder’s plan would be with their two first-round picks. After trading Aaron Wiggins earlier in the week, the Thunder were speculated to maybe use both picks to trade up in the draft for one player, in turn keeping the rest of their roster for next season. 

However, Oklahoma City didn’t take this route, as it drafted Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz on night one of the draft, which means OKC currently has one too many on its active roster, and will need to have another shake-up of the roster. 

While there are ways to move players around that wouldn’t affect the Thunder’s core group, the smart move financially might be to trade another rotational piece. Oklahoma City is approaching the second apron and tried to cut back with Wiggins' departure. Other names that have also been circulating in rumors are Lu Dort and Isaiah Joe. 

Both players had pros and cons this season, as Lu Dort is one of the best defensive players on the team, but he struggled offensively this year. On the other hand, Joe had the best offensive regular season of his career, but he didn’t crack the lineup much in the postseason, and seems ot be getting replaced. 

While no one knows the fate of these two Thunder players, OKC’s No. 16 draft pick might have solidified who is leaving. Stirtz is a scoring guard addition for Oklahoma City, as he scored 19.8 points per game on 47.7% shooting from the field and 35.8% from three. 

A guard who specializes in scoring, as well as making over two threes per game, might be a sign that the Thunder have drafted Joe’s replacement. The Iowa guard doesn’t match Dort’s defensive effort, making it seem like he might still be around when next season rolls around. 

If Joe is to leave, it’s likely Jared McCain would step into the sharpshooter role with Stirtz close behind, learning the ropes before he can eventually take over down the road. Sam Presti’s decision on draft night seems to show what is in the future for the Thunder’s roster pretty clearly. 

It’s not certain who will get moved for what and when, but the future of the OKC Thunder is now here, and hopefully, they can live up to the hype the original championship group brought in 2024-25.