After Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti revealed plans to keep his roster, for the most part, intact after a failed title defense, he could go all in next week’s NBA draft. Heading into the draft with picks nos. 12 and 17, the Thunder will attempt to trade up in the top 10 for a prospect they already have eyes on.
Presti and the Thunder have been connected to Tennessee prospect Nate Ament, among others, according to ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel.
“The most common trade-up names for teams have been Wagler, Aday Mara, and Nate Ament,” Siegel notes. “Could a team like the OKC Thunder jump up in this spot to take Ament, who is drawing interest from a few other top-10 teams? This is one of the biggest questions being asked right now.”
Considering Presti’s intent to run it back with his players that are on expiring deals entering free agency this summer, striking big in the draft would make a lot of sense for the 2025 champion Thunder. An offensively gifted wing at 6-foot-10 would give Oklahoma City another scoring threat to complement All-Stars Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
However, while there is a high ceiling above Ament, it could take a couple of seasons for him to make an immediate impact, suggesting the Thunder could look elsewhere for a more NBA-ready prospect that could immediately carve out a role.
“As already mentioned, the Thunder have been exploring ways to package both their first-round picks in attempts to move up into the top 10,” Siegel added. “Sources said Ament is a player Oklahoma City is high on, although there could be a dark-horse name that emerges over the next two weeks. Should the Thunder keep this pick, Karim Lopez and Yaxel Lendeborg are two other names league personnel have mentioned for this spot.”
Still, could the player that Presti and the Thunder are looking for to fulfill a specific role for the 2026-27 team be waiting for them at the 12th overall pick?
Why Michigan’s Aday Mara makes sense for Thunder at No. 12
Viewed as a future replacement for starting center Isaiah Hartenstein, who will enter free agency with a team option worth $28.5 million for the 2026-27 season, Michigan prospect Aday Mara is still heavily favored to land with the Thunder. Mara, 21, is one of the best defensive centers in this year’s draft class. For a top-ranked defense that saw its season end to Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, the intrigue of adding a 7-foot-3 rim protector and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year makes sense.
Assuming Hartenstein returns with the Thunder, it would give Oklahoma City three seven-foot rim protectors, including last season’s runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year in All-NBA forward Chet Holmgren. Although Thunder GM Sam Presti had already selected a high-ceiling big man in Thomas Sorber, who spent his rookie season recovering from a right ACL injury, the No. 15th pick in 2025 won’t be ready to make an immediate impact next season, whereas Mara could, as ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel noted.
“Despite drafting Thomas Sorber last year to be a long-term option in their frontcourt, Mara stands out as a valuable addition next to Chet Holmgren, regardless of whether Isaiah Hartenstein stays in Oklahoma City or not,” Siegel said. “The Thunder know they will need size moving forward in a Western Conference that just became more competitive with Victor Wembanyama, and drafting Mara gives them yet another reliable rim protector and rebounder to dominate the paint.”
Losing Game 7 to Wembanyama and the Spurs changes things for the Thunder’s offseason for obvious reasons, as the dethronement of the 2025 NBA champion will look to tweak around the edges of what Presti still believes is a championship-contending team. And rightfully so, after coming up short in Game 7 to Wembanyama and a healthy Spurs team without All-NBA forward Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell.
While it is the kind of offseason that gives you the sense that Presti and the Thunder can swing big for a top-10 prospect between their two first-round picks and a boatload of future firsts, what Oklahoma City eyes is something far more specific than selecting the best available player.
“Sam Presti always seems to have a surprise when it comes to draft night, so do not be shocked if the Thunder reach for a certain player in the lottery that they really like,” Siegel adds. “After all, this team can take a little bit of a risk knowing the amount of depth they have. But with Wembanyama and the Spurs making the NBA Finals this year and taking down the Thunder in seven games, it makes sense to add more size on the front lines with Mara.”
Perhaps what’s best for the Thunder is keeping its No. 12 pick to select Mara.
Sam Presti vows to bring Thunder free agents back for 2026-27
Thunder GM Sam Presti hopes to re-sign his free agents, which he made abundantly clear during his annual end-of-the-season address. Presti, who wouldn’t rule out his three free agents — Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Kenrich Williams — agreeing to their respective team options for the 2026-27 season, says it is a possibility.
However, he’s yet to approach the negotiating table with the agents of the three Thunder players. Still, Presti’s intention is clear: bringing back as much of the 2025 Thunder championship roster as remains is a priority ahead of the offseason.
“The first thing is, like I said, I gotta talk to everybody. Got to get a sense of where everybody is… Is it possible that we just pick up the options for everybody and roll into next season? That’s certainly possible,” Presti said. “I certainly wouldn’t rule that out because we haven’t gotten through those conversations… The process itself could take a little while because I want to understand what all is available to me.”
Whether what Presti is saying is lip service for his Thunder players or not, he will do his best to keep coach Mark Daigneault’s rotation intact with the addition of a draft prospect given an opportunity to play right away.
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