The Oklahoma City Thunder are now certain to receive a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after the Los Angeles Clippers were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in Wednesday night’s play-in game.
The exact position of the selection hinges on Friday’s Warriors–Suns matchup in Phoenix. A Golden State loss would slot the Clippers’ pick at No. 12 entering lottery night; a Warriors victory would shift it to No. 11—the same spot from which Dallas vaulted to the top of the 2025 draft.
If the pick is 12th, it carries a 7.2 percent chance of moving into the top four and a 1.5 percent shot at No. 1 overall. At 11th, those odds rise to 9.4 percent and 2.0 percent, respectively.
This selection is the final asset the Clippers owe Oklahoma City from the 2019 trade that brought Paul George to Los Angeles. That deal also sent guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the Thunder and eventually turned a 2022 first-rounder into forward Jalen Williams.
According to Tony East of Circle City Spin, the Clippers might be one of the few teams, aside from Oklahoma City, rooting for the pick to jump into the top four. Such a leap would improve the likelihood of Indiana’s selection sliding to No. 5 or No. 6, a scenario that would send the Pacers’ 2026 first-rounder to Los Angeles and restore the Clippers’ presence in that year’s lottery.
Oklahoma City will also obtain Philadelphia’s first-round selection, which can still land at No. 16, 17, or 18 depending on Friday’s play-in results and subsequent tiebreakers.
Source: Hoops Rumors
