NBA Notes: Thunder, draft picks, Lakers, Luka Doncic, Wizards

Thunder

The Thunder have all but wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the entire NBA postseason, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may be the frontrunner for league MVP. But Oklahoma City can still improve the roster through the draft.

That’s really something when you stop and think about.

The Thunder have earned the West’s No. 1 seed for the second consecutive postseason and could make it three in a row in 2026 with a very similar roster after the summer,” wrote ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “Oklahoma City has 15 players under contract for next season, including point guard Nikola Topic, a lottery pick who has spent his rookie year recovering from a knee injury.

“The Thunder could have as many as three first-round picks in this year’s draft, but the odds are that the protected picks owed by the 76ers and Heat won’t convey this year.”

So, yeah. The Thunder’s run may be just getting started. But as always, how they fare in the playoffs will determine their legacy. That said, this is a young team that still has lots of time and has already accomplished a lot of pretty cool things already.

Lakers

The Lakers lost to the Thunder on Tuesday but still managed to climb to remain at No. 6 in the ESPN power rankings. They, too, have had plenty of reasons to celebrate and feel good entering the postseason.

“The 2024-25 Lakers season will be forever known for L.A.’s vice president of basketball operations and general manager, Rob Pelinka, pulling off one of the most shocking trades in league history after acquiring Luka Doncic from the Mavericks,” wrote ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Everything else that goes their way will be a bonus. And there has been a lot in the bonus column: JJ Redick proving himself as a first-year head coach, Austin Reaves‘ continued development and LeBron James still winning the battle against Father Time as a 40-year-old.”

• According to one report, the Mavericks were frustrated that Doncic didn’t stay connected to the team during his rehab of a calf injury. We have the full story here.

Wizards

It’s been another year of struggle for the Wizards, who haven’t reached 50 wins in a season since 1979. But maybe the draft lottery will help change some of that.

“The Wizards entered the season with the excitement surrounding the No. 2 pick in Alex Sarr and fellow first-round picks Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George,” wrote ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “But there was never any question that this was another year in the building process. And with this draft touted as a deep one, Washington’s primary goal was to continue to develop young building blocks like Bilal Coulibaly, keep adding assets when possible and get the highest pick possible in the lottery.

“They also added vets like Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart to help mentor their youngsters as well. Losing 60-plus games for a second straight year is painful. But if Washington wins the lottery or has a top-three pick, it’ll ease the pain.”