OKC Thunder Select Michigan Big Man Aday Mara in 2026 NBA Draft

The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday night with plenty of decisions to make. The team has to make moves on the margins of its roster to both try to improve its group and walk the line of an ever-growing, expensive team. One way to take pressure off the Thunder's tax bill is by nailing its draft picks, cost-controlled talent the biggest fix of all for title teams competing in a window with max contract players in the second apron era.

Oklahoma City owns the No. 12 and No. 17 selections in the 2026 NBA Draft, and the latest rumors had the team exploring plenty of options, from trading up to trading down or completely out of one of their picks to just simply staying put at No. 12 and No. 17. In addition to these first-round picks, the Oklahoma City Thunder currently owns the No. 37 selection.

The Draft got underway with the Washington Wizards being on the clock at pick No. 1, the top four group of prospects were solidified months ago. In some order, it was always slated to be AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson. That is the way the draft shook out, and the party truly started at No. 5 with the L.A. Clippers.

With each passing pick, the Oklahoma City Thunder neared their decision, especially as teams linked to the Bricktown Ballers in trade rumors appeared on the clock. Ultimately, the draft continued without a Thunder trade. Keaton Wagler went to the Clippers, Mikel brown Jr. to the Nets, Darius Acuff to the Kings, Kingston Flemings to the Hawks and that left the Dallas Mavericks on the board. The Thunder were rumored to have pre-draft trade discussions with Dallas, but ultimately the Mavericks selected one of the Thunder's top targets in Morez Johnson Jr. out of Michigan. Then the Milwaukee Bucks quickly raced to pluck away Brayden Burries, this scribe's favorite Thunder prospect. Lastly, the Golden State Warriors selected Michigan swingman Yaxel Lendeborg, who many pegged as a perfect fit for OKC.

The board did not break in a favorable way for the Oklahoma City Thunder with a lot of its top targets already off the board. Oklahoma City opted not to trade up in the 2026 NBA Draft from pick No. 12 and were put on the clock.

Oklahoma City elected to draft Michigan big man Aday Mara with the No. 12 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. This adds a 7-foot-3 big man to the team's front court rotation with question marks around how the Thunder can bring back Isaiah Hartenstein this offseason and ideally learn from him. He has motor concerns and question marks defensively due to his lack of physicality protecting the rim with a limited offensive game. Though, the Thunder clearly see somethign in Mara and get plenty of value at this spot with some mocking Mara into the top ten leading into this draft.

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