Teams Panic: Thunder Own Clippers' 2026 Pick

Tim MacMahon says rival teams are "in a panic" that the Oklahoma City Thunder own the Los Angeles Clippers' 2026 first-round pick — a pick the Thunder also pair with Utah’s 2026 first-rounder, both currently lottery-bound. That matters because OKC is 20-1 with the league’s best net rating and a young, locked-up core (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren); two top-10 picks would add cost-controlled talent to an already title-ready roster. Merlin sees Sam Presti holding a rare sorcerer’s toolkit: a deep incoming class (Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa) and two likely lottery picks. The true test will be the luxury-tax apron — draft cheap talent or trade picks for payroll relief — and every choice reshapes this window.