NBA Draft Wrap Up -- Winners and Losers

The NBA Draft happened this past Tuesday and Wednesday. We are going to pick some of the winners and losers of the draft. 

1. Oklahoma City Thunder
(Aday Mara (#12), Bennett Stirtz (#16) and Otega Oweh (#41))

Straight up, OKC went out and got the guy who should be able to stop Victor Wembanayama. After winning the NBA Championship in 2024-25, the Thunder fell short this past postseason. With some contracts expiring and other guys wanting to move on, Bennett Stirtz and Otega Oweh are both terrific selections. Iowa's Bennett Stirtz could have been considered a reach to some. But, this was a great situational pick in our opinions.

2. San Antonio Spurs
(Jayden Quaintance (#20), Tarris Reed Jr. (#26), Ja'Kobi Gillespie (#42) and Maliq Brown (#44))

One again on this list, the Spurs continue to do damage in the NBA Draft. Jayden Quaintance played just four games last season for Kentucky. Before that, he was a superstar in the making at ASU. If he stays healthy, look out. Tarris Reed might be on the 'older' end when it comes to finding talent as well. But, with Stephon Castle turning out the way he did and the rest of the players from UCONN mini dynasty, there's little to no reason why Reed won't be great. He had 27 rebounds in a NCAA Tournament game this year!

3. Memphis Grizzlies
(Cameron Boozer (#3) Karim Lopez (#21) and Richie Saunders (#32))

Memphis pretty much knew it was going to end up with Cameron Boozer the way the oddsmakers were expecting. But, considering that the top three players were all neck and neck all season long, this is a great pick for the Grizzlies. Boozer won the 2026 Men's Player of the Year award this season. We are also very high on both Karim Lopez and Richie Saunders. Saunders can shoot the lights out of the ball and Lopez could develop into a superstar if the Grizzlies develop him correctly with his versatility and frame. 

1. Phoenix Suns
(Koa Peat (#30))

Phoenix could've gone in any direction really. But, the Suns went out and selected the man that's fell down almost everyone's draft board during the lead up to the draft. Peat began the college season really well. But, he wasn't anything special towards the end and he didn't perform all that well in the combine events. Peat has an undersized frame and his shot selection isn't always the greatest. Phoenix likes to play small-ball. But, this is a dangerous selection in the first round when there were so many great players still availabale.

2. New Orleans Pelicans
(Jaron Pierre Jr. (#58))

Interestingly, Jaron Pierre Jr. had a really strong season at SMU averaging 17.6 points a game. But, at the end of the draft, it's hard to pick someone that's going to help the franchise. We aren't going to label this a bad pick before he sees any game time. But, we aren't anticipating Pierre Jr to crack the squad and selecting just one guy in the late second round most likely isn't going to chance a franchise. The Pelicans did get Melvin Council Jr. after the draft which could turn out to be a strong summer signing. But, weak draft.

3. Portland Trail Blazers
(No Selections)

Portland didn't have a great draft last year and have made the 'Losers' list again. With no picks in the entire NBA Draft, it's hard to give the Blazers a good grade at all. This draft class was loaded from top to bottom and Portland ended up with nothing. Even after the draft, it didn't make any immediate signings.

AAA's Early Pick To Win 2027 NBA Finals - Oklahoma City Thunder.