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Always busy on the phone, the Oklahoma City Thunder made sure to get their guy once again at this year's draft cycle. They selected Iowa's Bennett Stirtz with the No. 16 pick of the 2026 NBA draft. To get there, they traded the No. 16 pick and two future second-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies to move up a spot.
Playing his way from a D-II school to Drake to finally Iowa, Stirtz had quite the journey to get to this point. He put his name on the map in his sole year on the Hawkeyes. He averaged 19.8 points on 47.7% shooting, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds this past season. He shot 35.8% from 3 on 6.9 attempts. The 22-year-old is a 6-foot-3, 186-pound guard.
With the complimentary part of OKC's roster about to change, the Thunder needed to add fresh faces. Stintz is someone they hope can be a contributor for the foreseeable future. He can space the floor as an outside shooter and is a competent-enough ball-handler to keep things rolling.
But first, a celebration for making the NBA. Here's what Stirtz had to say about joining the Thunder at Brooklyn as Round 1 played out for the 2026 NBA draft:
On joining OKC:
"It's a crazy whirlwind just with the trades and everything, but super excited to get going. The work starts now. It was a long process, pre-draft and everything. But now it's go time. I think the fit couldn't be better. Organization, just the people around it, nothing but good people. Community is great. Love the city of Oklahoma City. Just excited to create relationships with everyone and get going."
On his predraft workout with Thunder:
"Again, just great people. Not a lot of the guys were in there, but just know how hard they work. Watched a bunch of their games the past three years. I know some guys on the team. Payton Sandfort obviously went to Iowa. Got some connections. But all the way from the coaching staff, front office to the players, they run it the right way and the culture is something that's really fun to watch."
On what he wants to accomplish in OKC:
"I think it starts with creating relationships and knowing what the team needs out of me. Making it clear, talking to Coach Daigneault, talking to Sam and seeing what they want from me and just being myself out there. I'm pretty versatile and I can do whatever they need me to do. Obviously, there's going to be ups and downs, and there's going to be controversies. But going to keep my head down and stay working."
On his trade:
"Yeah, my agent, it was probably like a minute before Memphis picked. He's like, 'You're going to OKC.' Before anyone else knew, I knew."
On his relationship with Payton Sandfort:
"Honestly he texted before this happened, the draft. So it's kind of crazy, full circle. But we have the same agency. Last year, called him about advice from him. So just that whole family, the Sandforts, super great family, great people. Excited to get to work with him."
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 2026 NBA draft: Bennett Stirtz reacts to joining OKC Thunder, plus more
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