The 2026 NBA Draft is just a few weeks away now, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are a team to keep an eye on as we get closer to it. The Thunder have three selections in the draft at No. 12, No. 17, and No. 37, and there has been talk about them packaging those picks to move into the top 10.
Former Duke star Cameron Boozer has been floated around as a target, but NBA insider Marc Stein doesn’t see the Thunder landing him. Stein believes former Michigan center Aday Mara is a realistic trade-up target.
“The more pressing curiosity here is whether the Thunder — who hold the Nos. 12, 17, and 37 selections in next month’s draft as well as copious amounts of future draft capital — will try to trade up to bring in a highly rated big man or otherwise explore their trade options to add perimeter shooting to loosen things up around Gilgeous-Alexander with more floor spacing.
“The above Jake Fischer piece from Wednesday noted that some rival teams have already begun wondering aloud whether Oklahoma City will try to trade up to Cam Boozer’s range. Since that would necessitate acquiring a pick in the top four — which many teams regard as out of reach even for the Thunder, given the perceived determination of Washington, Utah, Memphis, and Chicago to hang onto their precious top-four turns — Michigan’s Aday Mara would figure to be a more realistic trade-up target.”
Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Caleb Wilson have separated themselves from the rest of the players in this class. They are the consensus top four picks, and teams wouldn’t be too keen on passing up on the opportunity to land a potential franchise cornerstone.
Even the Thunder, with all their assets, will have to look at No. 5 and under. Stein pointed to Mara as an option, and you can see why general manager Sam Presti might consider him.
The Thunder just saw their hopes of repeating as NBA champions squashed in the Western Conference Finals. The San Antonio Spurs knocked them out in seven games, with 7’4″ Victor Wembanyama leading the way. Wembanyama dominated both Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, and the Thunder could use another quality big body to throw at him.
At the combine, Mara measured 7’3″ barefoot and 260 pounds, with a 7’6″ wingspan and 9’9″ standing reach. According to Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony, that standing reach is tied with Mark Williams for the second-longest in combine history, behind only Tacko Fall.
Mara isn’t just some big body, too. The 21-year-old averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.4 steals, and 2.6 blocks per game for the Wolverines in 2025-26 as they won the national title.
Mara, born in Zaragoza, Spain, is an outstanding rim protector, a fine rebounder, a good finisher around the rim, and an underrated playmaker. That large frame does mean, though, that he could struggle defending on the perimeter. The other issue one might point to is that he wasn’t shooting threes in college.
In his 40 games as a junior for Michigan, Mara went 3-10 from beyond the arc. He showed at the combine, though, that he has range. Mara went 16-25 in the continuous star shooting drill. If he can hit threes at a good enough clip, he is going to have a very long NBA career.
As for where Mara could go in the draft, ESPN and The Ringer have him at No. 8 in their latest mock drafts, while CBS has him at No. 9, with the Thunder trading up for him. While these two have Mara in the top 10, Bleacher Report has him sliding a bit to No. 11. It will be interesting to see where he ends up.
The 2026 NBA Draft will be held on June 23 and 24 at Barclays Center.
