NBA Draft: Thunder trade for Iowa star Bennett Stirtz at No. 16 with Grizzlies, who load up on picks in opening round
The Oklahoma City Thunder landed Iowa star Bennett Stirtz in the first trade of the night on Tuesday.
The Thunder selected Stirtz with the No. 16 overall pick in the NBA Draft on Tuesday, thanks to a late trade they made with the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies briefly got the No. 17 overall pick, but dealt that away to the Detroit Pistons almost immediately to move back to No. 21. That netted them three additional future second round picks. While the full list of picks that the Grizzlies secured is not yet known, the organization ended up gaining five second-round picks to move back just five spots.
Stirtz averaged 19.8 points and 4.4 assists per game last season with the Hawkeyes. He transferred into Iowa City from Drake, following head coach Ben McCollum after he made the jump last summer, too. The All-Big Ten guard played nearly 38 minutes per game and helped the Hawkeyes reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987. They ended up falling to Illinois in that round of the tournament.
The move came just days after the Thunder sent Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for two future second-round picks, the first in 2030 and the second in 2032. That trade could end up saving the Thunder more than $60 million.
The Thunder also selected Michigan big man Aday Mara at No. 12 overall on Tuesday night. The 7-foot-3 center was the best true big man in the draft class, and could be a possible answer for San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama in the Western Conference. Wembanyama and the Spurs beat the Thunder to reach the NBA Finals earlier this year, ending the Thunders’ hopes for back-to-back titles after their championship in 2025. Mara was one of three lottery picks for the Wolverines on Tuesday.
The Pistons ended up getting Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie at No. 17. Okorie averaged 23.2 points per game while shooting nearly 47% from the field with the Cardinal.
Memphis went just 25-57 last season, the first under head coach Tuomas Iisalo, and missed the playoffs.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
