For many NBA fans, the OKC Thunder have become the team they love to hate. Success tends to do that. With two picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, they could get even better. The Sacramento Kings could stop that by using their pick to draft Yaxel Lendeborg before the Thunder add him to their ranks.
The Thunder are the defending champions, the current number one team in the league, and are home to the now two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This isn't a franchise that should have two top 20 picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, yet that is exactly what is happening.
Credit general manager Sam Presti with that. He has deftly built a young, championship team with incredible depth while simultaneously stockpiling draft picks like a prepper does meal rations. Presti is pretty much ready for the end of the world, assuming draft picks are helpful in that scenario.
This year, the Thunder have the 12th pick via the Clippers and the 17th pick via the 76ers. FanSided's post-lottery mock draft projected OKC to use those picks to draft Yaxel Lendeborg and Dailyn Swain respectively. Both would be great choices for them, which would only make the Thunder stronger.
The Kings need to take Lendeborg first
Given his high basketball IQ, versatile skillset, and seasoned game, Lendeborg is borderline ready to play once drafted. For that reason alone, the Kings should use their seventh pick to get him. He would be a boon to Sacramento, as well as preventing the Thunder from signing him.
A player of the caliber of Lendeborg has the potential to raise the level of any team he joins. That includes OKC. The last thing the league needs is a Thunder team that is somehow even more dangerous than they are now. Drafting Lendeborg would help keep them on top.
This is even more important for OKC after this season. Some players like Chet Holmgren are getting huge boosts in their contracts. That means players on the contract bubble, like Lu Dort or Isaiah Hartenstein, might be left to walk to make room. The Thunder will have to restock their talent pool.
The 2026 draft class runs deep with talent, so fans know the Thunder will use their picks to get great players. Lendeborg, in particular, is someone the rest of the league does not want OKC to have on their roster. He will make them even more dangerous than they already are.
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