16. Oklahoma City (via Memphis and Phoenix) - Bennett Stirtz
- 2025-26 stats (Iowa): 19.8 ppg and 4.4 apg
Shai Gilgious-Alexander is a multi-time MVP, but he can’t play all 48 minutes. It’s an interesting trade for the Thunder to add perimeter depth, but it helps with future decisions regarding some guards. Plus, Stirtz will have elite talent to work with and won’t have to do it all as he did in college.
A lot of pre-draft talk about Bennett Stirtz as a player coveted by win-now teams. No one is more win-now than the Thunder.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 24, 2026
Grade: B+Â
17. Detroit Pistons (via OKC and Memphis) - Ebuka Okorie
- 2025-26 stats (Stanford): 23.2 ppg and 3.6 apg
The Pistons move up multiple spots to make sure to draft Okorie, one of the top pure scorers in the draft. They needed scoring help for franchise player Cade Cunningham, and he’s one of the top players available in that category. They didn’t have a ton of needs overall, so getting Okorie is perfectly fine to move up for.Â
Grade: A
18. Charlotte Hornets (via Orlando) - Christian Anderson
- 2025-26 stats (Texas Tech): 18.5 ppg and 7.4 apg
Taking pressure off of LaMelo Ball isn’t a bad thing, and ball-handler depth for the Hornets is fine. While there are some questions as to the fit for the Hornets with their earlier pick, Anderson makes sense as a potential first guard off the bench who can play on and off the ball.
Grade: B+
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