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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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After winning the franchise's first-ever NBA title a year ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder have continued their dominant run as basketball's next dynasty in 2025-26.
Powered by a core built through smart drafting and development, headlined by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams, the Thunder once again established themselves as the league’s standard.
OKC surged through the regular season, finishing with the NBA’s best record at 64–18 and securing the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed for a third straight year.
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They've since swept the Phoenix Suns and are in line to do the same thing to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Yet, a new mock draft has this already stacked roster somehow landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
On Thursday, May 7, Bleacher Report dropped its latest mock draft and had BYU superstar AJ Dybantsa projected to go No. 1 overall to OKC, adding the most hyped freshman prospect in college basketball to a team on the verge of winning back-to-back NBA titles.
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And that’s where the NBA internet lost its patience.
"If Thunder get the number 1 pick, I’m done with the NBA😭," one user wrote.
"This isn’t even funny bruh chill 😭," another commented.
"AJ going to the Thunder will be the equivalent of Superman joining Darkseid against the Justice League," another replied.
"The NBA is so stupid… how the hell can the Thunder get a 1st pick….," one other fan remarked.
"Yep, cancel the seasons for the next ten years and give the OKC all them trophies like what is even the point? 😭😭," another wrote.
"Y'all thought first bombing was bad? Let OKC get number 1 pick," another added.
"The fact the OKC will again get a top pick is almost making me wanna give up NBA," another commented.
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The Thunder’s current core is the product of one of the NBA’s most deliberate and successful draft-driven rebuilds.
Rather than chasing short-term stars, OKC accumulated high-value picks through trades and patient roster construction, most famously landing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the Paul George deal.
That move became the franchise cornerstone, later joined by homegrown lottery selections Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, forming a young, two-way nucleus that has already delivered a championship.
What makes the Thunder unique is that they continue to “re-enter” the lottery conversation despite sustained success.
Because of prior trades, OKC still controls multiple first-round picks and pick swaps from other teams, giving them opportunities to add elite talent even while finishing near the top of the standings.
The team currently holds three first-round picks in 2026, including selections tied to the Utah Jazz (top-8 protected), the Philadelphia 76ers (top-5 protected), and their own, as well as three more first-rounders in 2027 (via the Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, and their own).
That level of draft capital keeps a potential trade-up into the top of the draft within reach, while also giving Oklahoma City the flexibility to explore blockbuster moves on draft night if the right star becomes available.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, and Kevin Durant are three superstars many believe could be on the move this summer.
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