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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft is officially in the books.
And while most of the attention is centered on the Wizards' No. 1 overall pick, AJ Dybantsa, or Darryn Peterson taking over as Utah's new franchise star, several championship contenders positioned themselves to remain firmly in the title conversation with the moves they made on draft night.
Round 1 featured plenty of surprises, trades up and down the board, and aggressive front-office decisions, but a handful of teams already viewed among the NBA's elite walked away somehow looking even better.
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Here are three legitimate contenders that instantly got better after the 2026 NBA Draft.
More news: Biggest Losers from Round 1 of the 2026 NBA Draft
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Oklahoma City Thunder
First, with the obvious one. Fresh off another strong season, OKC somehow added even more depth, which was their biggest weapon in 2025-26. The Thunder selected 7-foot-3 Michigan center Aday Mara with the No. 12 overall pick, and then just a few picks later, acquired the draft rights to Iowa's star guard Bennett Stirtz.
More news: Biggest Winners from Round 1 of the 2026 NBA Draft
Mara immediately gives Oklahoma City something every team in the Western Conference is fighting for right now: a way to stop Victor Wembanyama. Mara's just a rookie, so that's a tall task. But his size, length, and rim protection give the Thunder another 7-footer to throw Wemby's way. He's 255 pounds and averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game with the national champion Wolverines last year. He's also started to develop a 3-point shot, the only missing area in his game.
Stirtz, meanwhile, averaged 19.8 points and 4.4 assists per game last year with the Hawkeyes, shooting 47.7% from the field and 35.8% from deep. He dropped back-to-back 20-point games in the NCAA Tournament and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.
The bigger story here, though, is what this does financially for OKC. Both players will be on rookie deals, and they enter a crucial offseason under serious cap constraints. There have been talks of having to move off of one (or both) of Isaiah Hartenstein and Lu Dort. If they lose either of these players, they may already have a younger, cheaper version waiting in the wings.
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San Antonio Spurs
On the flip side, you have the team that OKC is trying to stop. The Spurs came into the draft knowing they needed more frontcourt depth around Wembanyama after the Knicks exposed that gap in the NBA Finals. When Wemby wasn't on the floor, got tired, or taken out of the game defensively, San Antonio didn't have too many answers on either end. Now they do.
The Spurs first selected Kentucky's Jayden Quaintance No. 20 overall before trading back into the first round for UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. at No. 26. Quaintance, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward, brings elite defensive upside, switchability, and long-term star potential. He's suffered a few knee injuries in recent years, but scouts called him one of the more physically gifted, high-upside big men in the draft, one who has shown "flashes of Ben Wallace."
Reed, meanwhile, adds physicality, rebounding, and interior toughness. He stands 6-foot-10, 260 pounds and is coming off his best year yet with the Huskies, averaging 14.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game, earning first-team All-Big East honors.
San Antonio is building one of the league's most versatile young cores around Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper. These picks strengthen one of their biggest weaknesses while also giving them long-term insurance in the frontcourt.
More news: Biggest Surprises from Round 1 of the 2026 NBA Draft
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Golden State Warriors
Are the Warriors still in their championship window? Maybe, maybe not. But if they truly want to compete, and potentially add another superstar this summer to do that, like LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard, they also need to find cheap ways to improve their roster around Steph Curry. And they may have just made the most underrated pick of the draft.
Golden State used the No. 11 selection on Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg, a mature, NBA-ready prospect who helped lead the Wolverines to a national championship. Lendeborg led the team in scoring at 15.1 points per game and was arguably Michigan's best shooter, knocking down 37.2% from long range along with 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. Oh, and he's 6-foot-9, 240 pounds, and has a near 7-foot-4 wingspan.
Lendeborg was a consensus first-team All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year, and one of the most productive players in college basketball. He's a proven winner and just landed on one of the NBA's winningest teams from the last decade. He's ready to contribute immediately, and unlike most lottery picks, the pressure won't be on him to carry the offense.
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