Everyone knew a move was likely coming for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. With 14 players under contract for next season even after the Aaron Wiggins trade, the predominant thought was that Sam Presti would choose to move off of at least one of the Thunder's two first-round selections.
A move was made, but it wasn't the expected one. The Thunder sent a pair of second-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies in order to move up from the 17th overall pick to 16th, where they took point guard Bennett Stirtz out of Iowa.
Memphis will draft No. 17 now via OKC. So the Grizzlies get two second-round picks and swap the No. 16 pick for No. 17. https://t.co/eavaykoygN
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2026
Stirtz might not be a necessarily clear fit for the Thunder in terms of defensive upside, but his feel and playmaking prowess are undeniable. After a postseason where we saw exactly what can happen when your playmaking is depleted, Stirtz provides some much-needed insurance to a roster that continues to get deeper and deeper.
Bennett Stirtz provides the Thunder with a high-upside ball-handler, even if it's somewhat of a surprising move
Prior to the Draft, the general consensus on Stirtz was that his range started just outside of the lottery. As the Grizzlies sought out their successor to Ja Morant, it's not unreasonable to think that Stirtz could have been on their radar at 16th. With their wealth of future draft capital, the Thunder didn't want to take that risk.
Stirtz could certainly prove to be worth the gamble.
Across 37 games at the University of Iowa last season, Stirtz averaged 19.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists while shooting 35.8% from beyond the arc. Although his pure 3-point percentage wasn't spectacular, he was one of the most consistent and fluid perimeter shooters in this class. That could eventually prove to be a major factor in Stirtz's on-court opportunities for a Thunder team that needs all the shooting it can get,
But he's also a surgical and reliable playmaker and on-ball creator, posting an impressive 2.44 assist-to-turnover ratio en route to Iowa's appearance in the Elite Eight.
Although Oklahoma City already has a bevy of guards behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander— including Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain, and Nikola Topic— the team's loss of Mitchell in the Western Conference Finals contributed heavily to their elimination. Having an additional ball-handler like Stirtz, at the very least, provides some long-term insurance against those sort of injuries.
While there's room to argue the Thunder could've targeted another frontcourt contributor after selecting Aday Mara at 12th overall, Stirtz is an undoubtedly solid addition to the roster.
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