OKC Thunder Land NBL Star in Early 2026 Mock Draft

It's never too early to look ahead to the 2026 NBA Draft, a draft where the Thunder could be picking very high. Oklahoma City could have, at most, three first-round picks next season.

That opens up plenty of avenues for Oklahoma City, which will have the draft capital to win the NBA draft once again. Whether those picks are kept or end up higher or lower can't be known yet, but it looks like they'll have the chance to add more young talent.

In a recent CBS Sports mock draft, OKC is predicted to pick in the mid-lottery and land a young and raw overseas forward. Here's more about what the Thunder would be getting.

No. 7: Karim Lopez, Mexico F (New Zealand Breakers)

Lopez is an intriguing 6-foot-8 forward from Mexico who landed in the NBL with the New Zealand Breakers. He averaged 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game last season, while shooting 46% from the field.

He holds onto a smooth offensive game, with the budding ability to score on all three levels. For his height and weight, he has a solid handle and smoothness to his on-ball ability. His fluidity is what makes him so exciting, along with his shooting ability from the outside.

His wingspan and length help him on both sides of the ball, but primarily on defense. He can move with multiple positions, but needs to bulk up in order to continue to improve on the defensive side of the ball.

In order to maintain his status as a top 10 prospect for the entire draft cycle, he will need to find more ways to score and do it efficiently. Plenty of prospects in his mold of player have entered a cycle with all of the hype in the world, but failed to maintain it while trying to take a step up.

If the Thunder can end up with Lopez, he certainly would be a good fit. His length and fluidity, along with his willingness to compete on defense, would slide him right into how the Thunder play. However, if his offensive game hasn't blossomed like some think it could by the time next season's draft rolls around, he might not be in lottery conversations anymore.

The 2026 draft is obviously under a year away and so much can change between now and then. That being said, the idea of OKC being ready to add more young talent in the first round of the NBA draft is simply scary for the rest of the NBA.