June 4, 2026, 3:50 p.m. ET

The Brooklyn Nets have the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after the Lottery in May unfolded in a way that the franchise was not hoping for. Brooklyn could still use the No. 6 pick to bring a talented player into the organization, but if they wanted to switch things up, should the Nets entertain one of the teams trying to move up in the draft?

“The Thunder, who own the 12th, 17th and 37th picks in the upcoming draft, are expected to be active in trade discussions during the draft,” Anthony Slater and Tim MacMahon reported for ESPN when discussing the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma City is fresh off losing to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in a seven-game, Western Conference Finals series and they could be looking to make some changes to keep up in the conference.

“League sources said they’ve had exploratory discussions with teams in the top 10 about what it could take to move up, the type of trade that is typically dependent on a specific target still being available when a pick goes on the clock,” Slater and MacMahon continued. While the Nets have every reason to keep their pick given that they are still in a position to accumulate as much talent as possible, the Thunder could give them what they’re looking for.

Not only does Oklahoma City have two picks in the top-17 of June’s draft, but they have 10 incoming future first-round picks along with seven picks that they can trade at this current moment. More to the point, the Thunder clearly have their core for the present and future and that could mean recent first-round picks in guard Nikola Topic and center Thomas Sorber could be trade candidates due to the impending roster crunch.

If Brooklyn was able to get the 12th and 17th overall picks from Oklahoma City for the sixth pick, the Nets could be happy with that return by adding more talent to the team in a short amount of time. However, time will tell if the Nets and Thunder have been engaging in conversations behind the scenes and whether anything will come of those talks. Either way, it’s a possibility for Brooklyn to consider given their bad luck in the Lottery for the second year in a row.

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