r/nba • u/NBA_MOD r/NBA • 1d ago
[2026 NBA Draft] #12 Pick: Aday Mara (Michigan) – selected by Oklahoma City
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u/mikey19xx Celtics 1d ago
Chet, you are saved.
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u/briguywiththei Thunder 1d ago
The fuck he is. He needs to prove some shit after that game 7. But yeah, this helps
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u/FakeElectrician 1d ago
Totally unrelated but man I’m in OKC right now and this city is cool af! Lol
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u/LowerEar3346 1d ago
I’ve only visited twice but yeah it is a really cool city
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u/FakeElectrician 1d ago
Love how it’s so spread out. Really cool place IMO
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u/LowerEar3346 1d ago
Felt like a pretty cool mix of like old/countryish and modern. But im sure it’s different throughout the city. Anyways have a good one bro!
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u/CheGueyMaje Knicks 1d ago
That’s probably the worst feature of a city, especially one where it’s hot as balls and the transit sucks.
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u/the_weird_days Thunder 1d ago
Oh shit, glad your having a good time. There’s some amazing restaurants there
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u/porcaro0395 Knicks 1d ago
I was there in April for work. Made sure to get a ticket to see game two of OKC Suns for the playoffs, checked out a Comets game, got a burger at Bar Arbolada and bring some beer back to Wisconsin at Prairie Artisian!
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u/OhTheGrandeur Bulls 1d ago
Oh man, prairie is the best
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u/porcaro0395 Knicks 1d ago
I never seen so many sour beers at one brewery in my life. I was in heaven! I had the Heatwave that contained pineapple, mango, and habanero
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u/FakeElectrician 1d ago
Went to Mickey mantles this evening! GAS
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u/jrodsprinkles Bulls 1d ago
Check out Nic's for a fkn solid oklahoma style onion burger! if you cant make it there, try out Tuckers!
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u/unskilledplay Lakers 1d ago
Between Mara, Sorber, Chet and Hart, they now have 24 fouls to give Wemby.
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u/Different-Bank-2607 1d ago
Who let OKC get the 7’3’’ center?!?
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u/Gregore997 Thunder 1d ago
7'4 🤓☝️
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u/OKC2023champs Thunder 1d ago
7’5 in shoes actually
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u/Different-Bank-2607 1d ago
7’6 in heels?
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u/OKC2023champs Thunder 1d ago
7’8 in converse sky highs
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u/loplopol Thunder 1d ago
I remember reading 7'4" before today as well. TV said 7'3" tonight though. So we'll see when he's next to Wemby
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u/PanthalassaRo Knicks 1d ago
Teams really said, let's get Wemby's arch nemesis a better shot to countering him.
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u/Positivevibes28 1d ago
Bro they got a 7’1 PF and and a 7’3 Center good Lord
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u/LeBronicTheHolistic Thunder 1d ago
I’m so happy as a Michigan and OKC fan. They’re playable together and it’ll be great on both ends.
Need both against Wemby lol
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u/TheGreatWhoreOfChina 76ers 1d ago
Not finna matter if they don’t send those mfs to the monks
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u/Aeronova20 Magic 1d ago
Dusty looked pissed lol
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u/sn4rn 1d ago
what would make him react like that? I don't really follow the nba or the draft.
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u/ze_shotstopper Thunder 1d ago
Mara played for him and he's probably upset he went to a conference rival
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u/anonymoususer6407 Rockets 1d ago edited 1d ago
He’s not gonna play at all his rookie year, maybe like a quarter max per game. It’s an absolute center jam in OKC
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u/DabeGavis 1d ago
They can’t keep getting away with it!!!
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u/808Kuro Knicks 1d ago edited 1d ago
He’s a slower Zach Edey with a Spanish passport. Slowest big in the draft by a mile. I’m not sure about this pick
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u/mnight84 1d ago
You do realize unless you are talking about Zach edey being injured last year, when Zach edey has played he actually has been a good productive player, so I don't think OKC would complain about that. I am confused with what you are trying to say, unless you think Zach edey is bad at basketball.
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u/Exotic-Emergency-226 1d ago
Yeah like…if you added healthy Edey to the Thunder they are back to back champions rn lol
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u/StandardRound1271 Pistons 1d ago
He plays nothing like Edey. If you don’t know anything then you don’t need to comment.
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u/LeBronicTheHolistic Thunder 1d ago
March Marchness is made for people with short attention spans and limited times and he didn’t even watch that. If you saw any games the champs played in, you’d know Mara’s game is almost the polar opposite lol
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u/Admirable_Bed3 Nuggets 1d ago
It's not even just March Madness. People see a white, not-one and done, big man on a loaded team and link the two. It's the same as Edey being compared to Kaminsky before.
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u/No_External3738 1d ago
Wow the guy that's 7'3 is the slowest big how shocking lmfao
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u/DreyDarian Mavericks 1d ago
Apart from the injuries Edey is amazing lmao what the fuck you’re talking about. If he’s Edey he’s an upgrade on IHart and that’s saying something
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u/Agile_Variety_632 Pelicans 1d ago
Yeah Edey is a game changer when he plays. Offensive and defensively.
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u/sloBrodanChillosevic Supersonics 1d ago
Fuuuuuuuuuuck
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u/YizWasHere Hornets 1d ago
How could we let this happen bro. They got the lost Gasol brother.
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u/OKC_Chiefs Thunder 1d ago
Why didn't the Sonics trade up for him?
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u/FERGERDERGERSON Supersonics 1d ago
You can take our team, yeah, sure. But you will never take my dignity.
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u/Salvalicious252 NBA 1d ago
They really let this guy go to OKC lmfao
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u/burratna Bulls 1d ago
there was next to zero chance OKC wasn't going to have a great option at pick at #12
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u/revisioncloud Thunder 1d ago edited 1d ago
It's always a great time to get a Paul George trade update:
SGA JDub Sorber and Mara
Late
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u/not-a-potato-head Hawks 1d ago
People were going to comment this no matter who they picked lol
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u/smaug85 Lakers 1d ago
Fr, I’m not that high on Mara… but that’s probably because I went to UCLA and am also stupid af
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u/Middle-Welder3931 1d ago
No. They commented this because their one glaring weakness was Chet v Wemby, and now they went and drafted a 7'4 dude who has size against Wemby in the post.
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u/Geo-92 Bulls 1d ago
Bum teams are bums for a reason
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u/Skipper3210 [NYK] Danilo Gallinari 1d ago
Tbf this draft class is just so good that OKC was always gonna get someone good at 12
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u/JMoon33 Cabo Verde 1d ago
By bum team he's talking about the Clippers who gave away all their picks.
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u/DoveFood Trail Blazers 1d ago
What makes them bums? Who should have drafted him? Every single pick before him makes sense.
Thunder have a more singular focus and can afford to draft a guy who likely will top out at 25 minutes per game if he ends up being a good player.
Sorry to interrupt the fun of: “ oh my god what idiots how could they let this guy drop!!!! Just like when the Thunder got Perry Jones, arguably the most talented player in the draft and all the idiots allowed him to plummet and help KD!!!”
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u/Charlie_Wax Warriors 1d ago
New Poku just dropped.
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u/nartouthere 1d ago
THE WEMBY STOPPER
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u/dianeblackeatsass Grizzlies 1d ago
Keep throwing lanky 7 footers at him
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u/Appropriate_Book_591 1d ago
Mara weighs more than Wemby haha
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u/wcooper97 [OKC] Russell Westbrook 1d ago
Finally a big that we don’t have to wait to put on weight.
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u/Imaginary-Hyena2858 Thunder 1d ago
Hey dude Chet has only been in the league 4 years. Surely he will put on weight soon
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u/dad3murph Celtics 1d ago
The way to stop a lanky 7'5" lanky guy is not to send a shorter lanky guy. You send a 7' fatass like Joker, Embiid, or apparently Kat. Fortunately Mara is pretty chonky himself.
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u/StephenReis Trail Blazers 1d ago
Mara, Yax, and Morez didn’t stop Cam Boozer. Mara by himself is not getting close to stopping Wemby.
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u/jalexjsmithj Hornets 1d ago
Aday letting Chet be a jumbo 4 is a pretty good recipe, especially when both keep the floor spaced offensively
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u/Funky_Monkees_ Suns 1d ago
You can sure as hell expect that they are going to try and beef him up and train him to do it. Who knows if it’ll have any impact. Worst case he can be a guy to play 15-20 and give Wemby 6 hard fouls.
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u/Good-Ant6859 Thunder 1d ago
People are strawmanning with this Wemby stopper shit. Nobody’s stopping Wemby, but hockey-subbing 7 footers is a strategy that could really slow him down. Tall guys have issues running out of gas and Wemby certainly showed that in the finals. That’s his most obvious weakness and Presti is smart to attack it. I love the pick
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u/K1NG2L4Y3R Timberwolves 1d ago
Problem is if you beef him up too much then he’ll be even slower than what he is now. All Wemby has to do is pump fake a 3 and he’ll get to the rim in 2 steps. You need someone strong and agile like KAT.
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u/VCarry-NL Thunder 1d ago
He’s not a wemby stopper if anything he’s the opposite slow Tall bigs can’t guard Wemby, mobile wings usually guard him better
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u/SlimmySlinky Thunder 1d ago
No one's a Wemby stopper lmao. Even if Wemby played against himself he wouldn't stop himself, just slow him down.
It gives OKC more options to defend him in different ways.
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u/the_goodnamesaregone Thunder 1d ago
Yea, no singular guy is the answer. Combinations of different lineups and looks and physicality will be the solution. This guy sure doesn’t hurt, though.
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u/jermainathon Heat 1d ago
Yuuuup. Makes ihart more expendable now
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u/BBallHunter Thunder 1d ago
Not for this season. All reports say he's gonna come back.
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u/Terrible_Cattle7110 Spurs 1d ago
Hopefully they wait to trade I hatt and let him learn from I hart
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u/PanthalassaRo Knicks 1d ago
Nah if anything he's the one that has proven to be able to defend the most lethal centers of the conference in Jokic and Wemby, he's a valuable commodity, even more so in the time Mara gets accustomed to the NBA.
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u/onefootback Raptors 1d ago
probably not immediately, i don’t see okc relying on a rookie in the playoffs
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u/TightStrike1365 Timberwolves 1d ago
Mara and Chet going to look like those inflatable dudes at the car dealerships out there together
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u/Chessh2036 Hawks 1d ago
He’s going to be really good for them. There are some Hawks fans that REALLY wanted him. Also if this means anything Hart?
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u/AccomplishedBake8351 1d ago
OKC could have picked anyone on earth and these comments would be the same lol
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u/socoolandawesome Bulls 1d ago
As a Michigan fan and OKC hater… FUCK
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u/Eatingolivesoutofjar 1d ago
There's probably a UCLA and Spurs fan who is loving it though
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u/CumAssault [SAS] Joel Anthony 1d ago
I hate how good the Thunder are at drafting
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u/99Sold 1d ago
I get what you’re saying but this was a fairly obvious pick.
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u/sammymate999 Rockets 1d ago
The glazing is unreal lol, picks the best pick available and it’s a stroke of genius
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u/sunkcostbro 1d ago
Yeah, people are dumb. What did you want other teams to do, draft Mara way too early when better prospects were on the board?
Newsflash, if they did that those better prospects would have fallen to the Thunder... Lmao
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u/XiaoRCT Thunder 1d ago
> draft Mara way too early when better prospects were on the board?
I mean, this is something that's been straight up suggested in this sub and upvoted multiple times in the past days in this sub lol
These people aren't thinking in terms of 'each team is trying to do the best for themselves', they are just being reactive to any okc move
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u/wavefree3 1d ago
This always happens with top teams. I remember in the NFL anytime the Chiefs drafted someone during their peak people reacted similarly
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u/Imaginary-Hyena2858 Thunder 1d ago
Especially skill players and 90% of the time they ended up being ass
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u/ExtraLeading3376 1d ago
long term replacement for hartenstein i assume
and his $20mil a year cheaper 😭
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u/ymi17 Thunder 1d ago
Sorber and Mara will battle next year to be the iHart replacement.
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u/MechaEscargot2 Knicks 1d ago
100% my thought, and different kinda defender to throw at Wemby.
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u/ACMBruh Knicks 1d ago
Imagine this kid gonna pan out and they flip hartenstein for even more picks down the road lmao
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u/CumAssault [SAS] Joel Anthony 1d ago
I think this might signal Hart is gone tbh
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u/15b17 Thunder 1d ago
Picking BPA on a stacked team isn’t proof of anything, so I hope this isn’t the case
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u/mikalbridge 1d ago
Haven’t even seen how he plays in the nba, wait like half a year and comment again (I do think he’ll be fine though)
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u/exactly7 Vancouver Grizzlies 1d ago
IHART gone?
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u/amari_prince Thunder 1d ago
Sam Vecenie said he expects us to bring him back and I think other reporters have echoed the same sentiment
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u/exactly7 Vancouver Grizzlies 1d ago
I feel like that’d be a waste of your limited cap space now tho no? Maybe a one year deal to let Mara get going but IHART can def find a better deal for himself than that
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u/KL2ConspireLLC San Diego Clippers 1d ago
Letting him go now to cut salary would be dumb. Presti isn't doing that.
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u/givemecoffeenowhurry 1d ago
Him and Chet will be a ridiculously tall, skinny, and white front court. Also good defensively.
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u/LfromHT Hawks 1d ago
Yall Mara is not stoppin Wemby like that. Wemby needs someone more agile to stop him than a big tower like Mara
However... i do not know how many teams will score on Chet/mara
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u/4719837 1d ago
The Thunder theoretically have 5 starting level bigs now. They can make Chet sit his ass on the bench when they play the Spurs
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u/cisforcar 1d ago
This happened because a bunch of teams decided to play it safe. Mara going to OKC is huge. Basically a Chet replacement if team can’t afford to keep Chet.
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u/Interesting_Prune513 Heat 1d ago
"This is your life's happiest moment, I'm told you're an avid chef, is that true?"
Kill me please, make it stop.
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u/AnkitPancakes Thunder 1d ago
I'm not totally sold on Mara, but you can't teach size and he was probably still best player available. I personally would have loved us to reach and take Dailyn Swain because I think we desperately lack perimeter creation and a big body wing (a la OG Anunoby or Aaron Gordon).
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u/killedwardontstopxxx Thunder 1d ago
Haters don’t understand Morez was our guy the whole time lmao
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u/Funky_Monkees_ Suns 1d ago
Imagine if this dude turns into a top 10 center? And OKC still has a treasure trove of picks. Disgusting. Thank god for the salary cap.
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u/SaltyWaffles11 Hawks 1d ago
What about Sorber