With various reports indicating Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti is looking to move up in the 2026 NBA Draft, there are a plethora of prospects linked to the 2025 champion ahead of next week’s draft. After losing Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals to All-Star Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, the Thunder could make a significant splash by selecting a top-10 prospect.
While the Thunder will enter the first round with picks Nos. 12 and 17, Presti, with a boatload of future first-round picks, could attach both 2026 first-round picks with a player to move up to the sixth or seventh, according to sources. Plus, there are also viable options for Oklahoma City at No. 12.
Here are four top 2026 draft prospects that have been linked to the Thunder.
1. Aday Mara (C/Michigan)
For a prospect regarded as the best defensive center in his draft class, Aday Mara has been linked to the Thunder for months leading into the 2026 draft. His size (7-foot-4) and athleticism would give the Thunder another 7-foot center to bolster their top-ranked defense, adding another layer in the frontcourt to compete against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
However, will Mara be available for the Thunder at No. 12? His name has moved up in mock drafts, including those from the Warriors, who have the 11th overall pick and are reportedly interested in selecting the Michigan product. Perhaps the Thunder move up to secure their guy, whether Mara or another player they hadn’t anticipated would be available.
Either way, if Sam Presti and the Thunder are targeting a big man in the first round, Mara’s name would be high on a short list of targeted prospects in the 2026 class.
2. Morez Johnson Jr. (PF/Michigan)
Another Michigan first-round product — Morez Johnson Jr. — isn’t a player the Thunder would have to trade up in the draft to select, but could be available at No. 17 if he slides that low on Tuesday. However, recent reports suggest Johnson Jr. won’t be available for the Thunder’s second first-round pick, as teams such as the Hornets and the Bulls could end up selecting Morez before the 17th pick, according to The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer.
“Teams picking just outside the lottery are increasingly operating under the belief that Michigan big man Morez Johnson Jr. won’t be on the board past Chicago at No. 15, if he even makes it that far,” Fischer wrote.
“Several teams told The Stein Line that they think Johnson’s floor might actually be Charlotte one slot earlier at No. 14, which has led to some thought around the league that the Bulls will try to trade up a couple slots to leapfrog the Hornets.”
Johnson Jr. averaged 13.1 points on 62.3% shooting, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in his lone season with Michigan, which ended with a national title. Yaxel Lendeborg, a third Michigan product projected in the first round, has also been tied to the Thunder GM Sam Presti as an option at No. 12 or 17.
3. Nate Ament (PF/Tennessee)
Less than one week from this year’s draft, Tennessee’s Nate Ament’s name continues to move up on various mock drafts, where he’s projected to go as high as the sixth overall pick. The Nets could wind up keeping their pick to select Ament, depending on how highly they rate the Tennessee prospect.
However, the Nets have reportedly shown interest in Thunder’s Aaron Wiggins, who fell out of coach Mark Daigneault’s rotation last season after a mid-season trade with the 76ers for Jared McCain. Wiggins is a proven everyday player who would have a role with the Nets if that deal were to materialize. Add two first-round picks, including the Thunder’s 12th overall in this year’s draft, and that could be enough.
If the Thunder are this high on Ament, as some reports have indicated, Presti has enough assets to make a deal with the Nets for No. 6, which could wind up being the watermark for how high Presti can move up without giving up a significant piece of the Thunder’s rotation.
4. Keaton Wagler (PG/Illinois)
Don’t the Thunder have enough guards? Yes, but Lu Dort’s future with the Thunder is uncertain, and standing at 6-foot-6 with comparisons to players like Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton and Hawks’ CJ McCollum for his elite shooting and playmaking, Keaton Wagler could be too enticing a prospect to look past.
There’s seemingly no such thing as too much depth for the Thunder, especially in a crowded backcourt led by their two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s complemented by a bevy of multifaceted guards. Cason Wallace, who was named to the All-Defensive Second Team, is on the verge of taking Dort’s starting job on a full-time basis. Ajay Mitchell was an early Sixth Man of the Year candidate amid a breakout season. Isaiah Joe is the Thunder’s most lethal 3-point shooter, and Jared McCain isn’t far behind.
While the Thunder’s 2024 first-round pick, Nikola Topic, who will miss summer league due to a back injury, undergoes another setback in the first two seasons of his injury-riddled NBA career, Wagler would be an interesting option for the Thunder. If GM Sam Presti ends up trading up to the sixth overall pick, consider Wagler to be the candidate that Presti is targeting.
The post 4 first-round prospects linked to Thunder ahead of 2026 draft appeared first on ClutchPoints.
