NBA Draft Winners and Losers: What the Thunder's Draft Could Mean for OKC's Key Players
The 2026 NBA draft has come and gone. AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer led a stacked class of premier prospects that now become the newest faces of the league.
Aside from the top three, however, specific moves around the league provided some clarity on a wild offseason ahead as the rest of the league tries to retool in an effort to dethrone the new NBA champion Knicks. We saw that take place by the picks made and the trades that went down surrounding the draft-and directly after the draft, in the case of the Hornets' decision to trade LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves.
Some deals were bigger than others, and none topped the blockbuster between the Heat and the Bucks ahead of the draft which sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami. Beneath the surface, however, each pick sent in and trade processed gave us a clue about how the rest of the offseason will unfold. Plus, some prior trades filled out based on how the draft played out. With all 60 picks in the rearview, here's Sports Illustrated's big-picture winners and losers from the entirety of the 2026 draft:
Winner: Contenders looking to offload salary
The biggest trade ahead of the draft was certainly the blockbuster that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat. However, the Timberwolves and the Pistons each made trades leading up to and during the draft to clear room for bigger moves-and in Minnesota's case that paid off immediately. The Wolves dumped Julius Randle to the Nets to get off his salary and then traded Naz Reid (as well as an enormous amount of draft picks) for LaMelo Ball to give Anthony Edwards a true star teammate.
During the second night of the draft, the Pistons traded Isaiah Stewart to the Grizzlies for three second-round picks. That saves Detroit $15 million next season and created flexibility to improve the roster and address its need for shooting and a secondary ballhandler next to Cade Cunningham.
The Pistons are looking to follow in the footsteps of their West counterparts, looking to improve around its superstar to take the next step and compete for a title. Like the Randle trade, the Stewart move is a signal of something bigger to come as the draft provided an opportunity to pull off some cap gymnastics that set the stage to accomplish offseason goals. We saw what it did for Minnesota, so that makes Detroit a team to watch in the coming weeks.
Loser: Indiana Pacers
The Pacers didn't pick until No. 38 in the second round when they traded into the draft for Purdue guard Braden Smith. He's a solid depth piece who could make the franchise look wise in a short amount of time, but it hurts that Indiana didn't have a pick at the top of this draft. The team bottomed out with Tyrese Haliburton out for the season and finished with a 19–63 record, better than only the league-worst Wizards.
Ivica Zubac arrived in Indiana at the trade deadle and the Pacers made a big risk in the process, sending out their first-round pick protected 5-9. That meant if Indiana didn't land in the top-four picks in the draft lottery, the pick would head to Los Angeles. The pick landed at No. 5 and the Pacers' gamble didn't pay off. It was a play to add a premier center and potentially a top prospect to the roster for Haliburton's return next year, but the effort fell short. With the Clippers taking Illinois guard Keaton Wagler as the fifth pick, it was a sore reminder of what could've been for Indiana.
Winner: New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans didn't pick until the end of the draft at No. 58, but the 2026 draft made their controversial trade from a year ago look solid. New Orleans traded its unprotected first-round pick this year to move up 10 spots in the 2025 draft to select Derik Queen. He joined Jeremiah Fears, who came into the fold as the No. 7 pick. It was a questionable decision as the Pelicans weren't in a situation to compete for the playoffs last season, but the young core of Queen and Fears now looks better than what could've been in store this year.
New Orleans ended up with the No. 8 pick which went to the Hawks. Atlanta drafted Houston guard Kingston Flemings, which could appear wise down the road should he turn into the franchise's guard of the future. For the Pelicans, though, Queen and Fears are each coming off standout rookie seasons and are more of a sure thing than any player selected in the late lottery. It was a big gamble, especially if the pick ended up toward the top of the draft. With the trade finalized, though, it appeared to be a risk worth taking.
Loser: Strange pre-draft processes
A year ago, the Jazz took Ace Bailey after he didn't give the team a workout. This year, Darryn Peterson only worked out for the Wizards, who owned the top pick. Utah held the second pick and went with Peterson anyway. Austin and Danny Ainge made one thing clear: They don't care about any odd circumvention before the draft. The tape speaks for itself and the Jazz got debatably the best prospect in the draft by holding firm in its stance.
Despite the snubbed workout, Peterson seems pretty excited to go to the Jazz and join the core of Bailey, Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. That's a pretty stacked roster even before you consider the depth pieces Utah has. Peterson could become one of the NBA's premier scorers if all goes as planned. That fits with any team, but especially so with the pieces Utah already has in place.
Winner: Pressing the rebuild button
The Bucks' longstanding marriage with Antetokounmpo ended the night before the draft, which brought the Heat's No. 13 pick to Milwaukee along with a haul of players and future picks. The franchise was presented with a choice in its return for Giannis: A full rebuild or more of a win-now package, specifically centered around Boston's Jaylen Brown.
General manager Jon Horst chose the future-focused package with the immediate opportunity to bring in two lottery picks. The Bucks took Arizona guard Brayden Burries at No. 10 and Tennessee wing Nate Ament three picks later. Both players could've went earlier, but each instantly becomes a franchise cornerstone for Milwaukee's new era. If Horst took the Celtics deal, he presumably would've had the No. 10 and No. 27 picks. The full rebuild is a long-term, high-upside play which is the proper move in the modern day NBA. While the Celtics' package could've allowed the Bucks to compete for the playoffs with Brown, there was a possibility that he force his way out just like Giannis this time next year-or sooner. Delaying a rebuild would only keep the Bucks in the NBA's dreaded middle ground, pushing off the inevitable.
We've seen teams put off rebuilds as long as possible and it never works out. Horst and the Bucks made a critical decision, which was the right one that opposing teams should recall when a superstar player wants out.
Loser: Oklahoma City's key role players
Despite another year with the best record in the NBA, the Thunder made two picks in the top-20. And, yes, the Paul George trade is finally complete after this draft.
What Oklahoma City's first-round haul means for some of its key players is the most interesting aspect of the Thunder's draft. Sam Presti took Michigan big man Aday Mara at No. 12 as Isaiah Hartenstein has a costly $28.5 million team option for next season. The roster is only getting more expensive, which makes cost-controlled contracts the most likely path forward for the franchise to fill out the roster. If Hartenstein doesn't take a considerable discount, he could find a new home over the offseason.
Furthermore, trading up a spot to draft Iowa's Bennett Stirtz at No. 16 raises questions about Cason Wallace and Luguentz Dort. Wallace is eligible for an extension as he's quickly become a key part of the Thunder on both ends of the floor. Dort has a $17.7 million team option for next season where the Thunder could work out a new, more affordable deal or trade him for assets. Stirtz won't replace either immediately, but Oklahoma City's aggressiveness to trade up for his shooting ability could signal some tough decisions ahead surrounding the team's guard depth.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Draft Winners and Losers: What the Thunder's Draft Could Mean for OKC's Key Players.
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This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 9:02 AM.