The 2025-26 NBA season has come to a close, and the Oklahoma City Thunder aren't the champions. No, they don't need to make a franchise-shaking move in response.
They'll need to re-tool this offseason, of course, moving on from the contracts of one of Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins while making decisions on the team options for Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort, and Kenrich Williams. As the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes approaches its apparent conclusion, however, let me be clear.
The Thunder do not need to be involved in any capacity in a trade for Antetokounmpo.
But the Bucks' desire to accelerate their rebuild in the wake of an Antetokounmpo trade could open up a perfect NBA Draft opportunity for the Thunder. In a recent piece by ESPN, a group of NBA insiders outlined a series of mock trades they could see taking place during the Draft. Among them was a deal that allowed the Thunder to grab Milwaukee's 10th overall pick in exchange for their 12th and 17th overall selections.
The only way this deal gets done is if the Bucks are able to move Antetokounmpo for an additional first-round selection, granting themselves the opportunity to gain three picks within the top-20 through a deal with the Thunder.
For Oklahoma City, who can't truly afford to make all three of their selections in the NBA Draft, it could present the perfect chance to trade up.
The Bucks could be looking to amass as much first-round capital as possible, leaving the Thunder room to capitalize
The general sense across the league is that something will happen with the Thunder's two first-round selections. Whether they want to package those picks and attempt to move up or trade one of those selections for future draft capital is up to Sam Presti and the front office.
As it stands, it doesn't seem like there will be many opportunities to take the former route. But as the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes draws to a close, the landscape of the league is about to shift dramatically.
In ESPN's piece, Milwaukee receives a package of Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Nikola Jovic, and three first-round picks from the Miami Heat in exchange for Giannis. That matches with what we've heard all along about the price and Miami's reported package in a potential Antetokounmpo trade. The Heat are currently slated to pick 13th overall in this year's Draft.
Of course, Milwaukee could stay put at 10th overall and take two selections inside the lottery. But their need for young talent will be great enough that three first-round selections in an exceedingly deep draft class could be too tempting to pass up for the Bucks. If they were to select at 12th, 13th, and 17th overall, it would provide a major chance to accelerate their post-Giannis rebuild.
For the Thunder, this deal could only take place if they have their eyes on a specific prospect who falls to 10th overall. Maybe a center like Aday Mara or a forward like Yaxel Lendeborg could entice them to make the move, especially if they feel like they need to leap the Golden State Warriors in order to guarantee themselves a shot at that prospect.
But in this class, there will be major talent available at 10th overall, and consolidating those two picks into a top-10 selection in this Draft could quickly become a no-brainer move for Oklahoma City.
While the Thunder shouldn't be directly involved in an Antetokounmpo trade, therefore, they could still be major beneficiaries of Milwaukee's organizational shift.
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