The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the most active teams in the 2026 NBA Draft, holding three picks — No. 12 (via the Clippers), No. 17 (via the 76ers), and No. 37 (via the Mavericks) — on top of an already-stacked roster. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman projects them to use all three selections to add versatile, two-way big men who can contribute without being featured offensively.

At No. 12, Wasserman projects Washington freshman Hannes Steinbach to Oklahoma City. The 6’11” German center, a former professional in the Bundesliga before enrolling at Washington, measured 6’10” barefoot with a 7’2″ wingspan at the combine. He averaged 19.3 points and 12.2 rebounds per 36 minutes at Washington and showed 18 made threes to hint at perimeter development. Wasserman acknowledges the “question is how many teams will be confident playing him at the 5 without great shot-blocking or daunting rim protection,” but calls his skillset “too skilled to overthink in the mid-to-late first round.”

The opportunity cost at No. 12 is Yaxel Lendeborg, the Michigan senior CBS Sports projects to OKC at No. 12. Lendeborg, a 6’9″ forward who averaged 15.1 points while making 37 percent of his threes after multiple attempts to stay in the draft over the years, offers a more versatile defensive profile than Steinbach with his history of guarding point guards despite being listed as a power forward. Yahoo Sports has Aday Mara going to OKC at No. 12. Tankathon projects Karim Lopez — yet another distinct option for this same pick.

At No. 17 — a pick from the Philadelphia 76ers — Wasserman projects Michigan sophomore Morez Johnson Jr. Johnson, a 6’9″ forward who measured 250 pounds with a 7’3.5″ wingspan at the combine and then made 17-of-25 shots in the three-point star drill, improved significantly on offensive limitations. Wasserman calls him a player whose “physicality, finishing, defensive versatility and motor are sure to translate,” and notes he could earn lottery consideration if he continues shooting well in workouts. CBS Sports and Yahoo Sports both project Johnson to OKC at No. 17 as well — a rare consensus second pick for the Thunder.

At No. 37 — a second-round pick via the Dallas Mavericks — Wasserman projects Iowa State junior Milan Momcilovic, a 6’8″ shooter who made 136 threes on 48.7 percent shooting and would be “the top shooter” in the draft class by Wasserman’s analysis. Teams will need to accept his limitations as an athlete and defender, but playoff-ready contenders with a specific need for floor-spacing will see clear value here. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor also projects Sergio de Larrea to a similar range.

OKC already has 15 players under contract for next season and is managing a roster near capacity. Wasserman notes the franchise could explore trading one or more of these picks for future assets. But if they keep all three picks, the Thunder are adding a skilled frontcourt player with range (Steinbach), a two-way enforcer who can guard one through five (Johnson), and a specialist shooter (Momcilovic). That configuration fits OKC’s culture of complementary players who fill roles without demanding the ball.

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still needing to be surrounded by the right supporting cast, adding Steinbach and Johnson to the frontcourt depth is the kind of thoughtful, low-ego draft approach that has defined Oklahoma City’s roster-building philosophy for the past three drafts. The opportunity to add three useful players while maintaining flexibility makes this one of the best draft hauls of any team in the league.

Outlet	Projected Player
Bleacher Report	Hannes Steinbach (No. 12)
CBS Sports	Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 12)
Tankathon	Karim López (No. 12)
Yahoo Sports	Aday Mara (No. 12)