Rooting for a player to get injured is never acceptable. However, accepting that there may be benefits that come as a result of such a situation... that's a bit different. The OKC Thunder could experience the latter this coming campaign following the latest Brandon Ingram update.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst noted during a Tuesday edition of NBA Today that the All-Star forward underwent surgery on his heel this summer and, with training camp right around the corner, "we don't have an update on how he's going to be" during the 2026-27 season.
This news comes just over a week after the Kawhi Leonard blockbuster trade between the Clippers and Raptors was officially passed through, which is significant considering Ingram served as the primary talent shipped out to LA in the exchange.
Even before this intel drop from Windhorst, Los Angeles was already believed to be in a prime position to gift the Thunder a valuable pick in the 2027 NBA Draft, as Oklahoma City owns the rights to a pick swap thanks to their contributions as a third party in their trade for James Harden back in 2023.
Now, with Ingram's health in question, the odds of their pick falling somewhere in the lottery may have gotten even better.
Thunder were already predicted to land a top-10 pick in NBA Mock Draft
Well before this news on Ingram was made public, predictions were that the Thunder were already in line to nab a top 10 pick in next summer's draft thanks to the Clippers.
At least, that's what the folks at Bleacher Report were sensing, as they had the Thunder sliding in at seventh overall in their way-too-early 2027 mock posted last month, with which they were seen selecting Duke center Patrick Ngongba II.
As things currently stand, Oklahoma City is considered by the masses to be the most menacing team in the entire association.
Behind their top-flight star power with guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren leading the charge, and exciting young role players such as Ajay Mitchell, Cason Wallace, and Jared McCain complementing them, there's no wonder the reigning top seeds and Western Conference runner-ups are being pegged as having the brightest future among their peers.
Adding another high-end draft talent in next year's class would only further strengthen their claim atop this enviable power ranking.
While we still may be roughly a year away from such an event, with how things are going with the Clippers as of late, it's easy to get excited about what the future may have in store for the pick-swap owned by OKC.
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