The Oklahoma City Thunder walked into the offseason as defending champions. They walked out of the Western Conference Finals beaten by Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in seven games. That changes the math.
GM Sam Presti has made it clear he wants to run it back with the core that won the title. But the draft is where he can inject something this roster lacks — size that can contribute immediately. The Thunder hold picks No. 12 and No. 17, and league sources say Presti is exploring every path to move into the top 10.
The name most connected to Oklahoma City in trade-up chatter is Tennessee forward Nate Ament, a 6-foot-10 wing with offensive upside who could eventually complement Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. According to ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel, Ament has drawn interest from multiple top-10 teams, making him a potential target if the Thunder can package their picks. But Ament is raw. He may take two or three seasons to become a consistent contributor. That timeline doesn’t fit a team that just lost a Game 7 to a healthier, longer Spurs squad.
That’s where Michigan’s Aday Mara enters the picture. At 7-foot-3, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year is the kind of plug-and-play rim protector the Thunder would need in a conference suddenly dominated by Wembanyama. Mara is viewed by some league personnel as a future replacement for center Isaiah Hartenstein, who holds a $28.5 million team option for 2026-27. If Hartenstein returns, Oklahoma City would have three seven-footers — including Holmgren and 2025 first-round pick Thomas Sorber, who missed his rookie season recovering from ACL surgery. But Sorber isn’t ready to play meaningful minutes yet. Mara is.
“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.”
The Thunder’s offseason approach isn’t about blowing things up. It’s about sharpening the edges. Presti has a surplus of future first-round picks and the flexibility to make a splash, but he tends to target specific fits rather than the best player available. Mara fills a measurable need: size that can guard Wembanyama without compromising defensive structure. Losing Game 7 — without Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, no less — showed the Thunder can’t afford to rely entirely on switching and speed against a team with a true unicorn at center.
Presti’s end-of-season press conference reinforced his intent to keep the band together. He said he hasn’t yet negotiated with the agents of free agents Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Kenrich Williams, but left the door open for picking up all three team options. “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.”
Whether that’s genuine or strategic posturing, the Thunder have the assets to do both — retain their core and add a prospect who can play right away. Mara at No. 12 makes sense on paper. The question is whether Presti sees him as the answer to the Wembanyama problem, or whether he has a dark-horse target no one has guessed yet.
Leave a Comment