![\"Oklahoma](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2268376233-e1775320889682.jpg\")
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Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during a game against the Boston Celtics in March 2026<\/p>\n
As the regular season winds down, the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> are hitting form at the right time.<\/p>\n With the San Antonio Spurs<\/a> mounting a late push for the top seed in the Western Conference behind an 11-game winning streak, Oklahoma City has responded by winning 16 of its last 17 games.<\/p>\n Currently riding a four-game streak with a 61-16 record, the Thunder sit two games ahead of the Spurs with just five regular-season games remaining.<\/p>\n While the focus remains firmly on securing the top seed and maintaining championship momentum, attention is also beginning to shift towards another potentially important offseason.<\/p>\n Oklahoma City Thunder Positioned to Maximize Draft Capital Amid Title Window<\/p>\n Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a>, along with several key contributors, already accounts for a significant portion of the Thunder\u2019s long-term salary structure<\/a>.<\/p>\n That financial picture will tighten further when Chet Holmgren<\/a>\u2019s five-year, $239 million extension<\/a> begins in 2026-27, starting at an estimated $41.2 million annually.<\/p>\n As a result, the NBA<\/a> Draft remains a critical tool for sustaining success.<\/p>\n For a team intent on contending year after year, the draft continues to offer a pathway to add affordable, high-upside talent without compromising flexibility.<\/p>\n The Thunder could hold as many as three first-round picks<\/a> in the 2026 draft, depending on protections tied to selections from the Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> (top-4 protected), Utah Jazz<\/a> (top-8 protected), and the more favorable pick between Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Clippers<\/a>.<\/p>\n This gives general manager Sam Presti the flexibility to either consolidate assets or add multiple contributors in the middle of the first-round.<\/p>\n In his latest mock draft, Bleacher Report\u2019s Jonathan Wasserman<\/a> projects the Thunder to select Kentucky forward Jayden Quaintance with the Clippers\u2019 15th overall pick.<\/p>\n \u201cJayden Quaintance lasted four games for Kentucky after trying to return 10 months after last year\u2019s torn ACL,\u201d Wasserman wrote. \u201cThe long-term ceiling that looked so appealing at Arizona State hasn\u2019t changed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt full strength, Quaintance looks like an outstanding defensive prospect due to his frame, length and shot-blocking rate. He was always behind offensively, but he\u2019s delivered enough flashes of low-post touch, driving ability and shotmaking for scouts to picture some long-term scoring potential to unlock.\u201d<\/p>\n