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Fighting until the final seconds, the Oklahoma City Thunder saw their back-to-back NBA championship ambitions shatter in their home gym. They were booted out of the 2026 NBA playoffs in a Game 7 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. That means now 28 teams have shifted their full attention to this year's draft cycle.
For the Thunder, they continue to enjoy the best of both worlds — contending for a Larry O'Brien trophy and doing their homework for a lottery addition. They will enter the 2026 NBA draft with three draft picks — No. 12 via the LA Clippers; No. 17 via the Philadelphia 76ers; and No. 37 via the Dallas Mavericks.
One prospect the Thunder reportedly met with in a predraft workout is Vanderbilt's Jalen Washington, per Rookie Wire. He played four collegiate seasons from 2022-26. He played his first three years at North Carolina before transferring to Vanderbilt. He averaged 8.9 points on 56.3% shooting, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 36 games this past season.
The 22-year-old is a 6-foot-10, 240-pound center. Most NBA mock drafts have him going undrafted. That means the Thunder could likely add him afterward on some sorta Summer League deal. And go from there to see if he impresses enough to get invited to training camp and beyond.
The 2026 NBA draft will take place from June 23-24. The Thunder will look to add more young talent to their roster to keep their contending window open as long as possible around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
A full list of the Thunder's 2026 NBA draft workout tracker can be found here.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Report: Vanderbilt's Jalen Washington had predraft workout with Thunder
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