Doubling down on their team-building philosophy, the Oklahoma City Thunder beefed up their frontcourt in the 2026 NBA draft. They selected Michigan’s Aday Mara with the No. 12 pick. The 7-foot-3 center gives them a curveball to throw against opponents.
Turning your head sideways and squinting your eyes, you can see the vision with Mara. The Thunder won one NBA championship with a double-big lineup. It hopes to bring more. How the 21-year-old pans out will determine a lot in how wide open their contending window is.
Unlike most lottery picks, Mara will join an instant title contender. The Thunder were gifted the No. 12 pick from the LA Clippers. The 2019 Paul George blockbuster is the gift that keeps on giving seven years later. From the outside looking in, the gigantic hooper is excited to join another high-winning team as he was at Michigan.
“Watching the games as an NBA fan, you can see the group is really together and have a great chemistry,” Mara said. “It’s great to see a team like this. I was grateful and lucky that I had an opportunity to be in Michigan. I think it’s similar to how together we were. Going to a team like this is perfect for a young player.”
I don’t think Mara will play too big of a role in his rookie year. The Thunder re-upped Isaiah Hartenstein just eight hours after he was introduced to the OKC media. In terms of the 2026-27 season, it should be business as usual. But beyond that, I don’t think it’s too presumptuous to say he’ll be Chet Holmgren’s frontcourt partner for the long run.
If the Thunder want to keep their contending window open, they need to find some draft hits. The last couple of cycles have been mostly no-shows — at least through right now. Of course, that can always change. But for a small market like OKC, the NBA draft is the lifeblood to fielding competitive rosters.
“I will say that I’m excited to just go through the process. I think it’s going to be an adjustment. Obviously, college and NBA, there’s a big difference,” Mara said. “But I feel like just coming with this group, having to play with great players is going to be a really good thing for me, just playing at my best level every day. So I’m excited for that.”
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Aday Mara offers early impressions of OKC Thunder: ‘I’m excited’
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