Grizzlies To Trade No. 16 Pick Bennett Stirtz To Thunder
Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz is the sixteenth general decide within the 2026 NBA draft and the primary to be concerned in a draft-night commerce. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link), the Grizzlies are sending Stirtz to the Thunder in change for the No. 17 decide and two second-rounders.
Stirtz started his school profession at D-II Northwest Missouri State in 2022 and transferred to Drake for his junior 12 months in 2024 earlier than following head coach Ben McCollum from the Bulldogs to Iowa for his senior season in 2025. Stirtz led the Hawkeyes in factors (19.8), assists (4.4), and steals (1.4) per sport final season whereas capturing 47.7% from the sphere (35.8% on three-pointers) and 84.8% from the free throw line.
Playing all 40 minutes in every of Iowa’s 4 NCAA match video games, Stirtz led the college to a spot within the Elite Eight and scored 24 of the crew’s 59 factors in a 71-59 loss to Illinois.
Iowa performed at a really gradual tempo, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo factors out, so Stirtz should regulate to the up-tempo NBA sport, and his lack of athleticism could also be a problem on the defensive finish. But the 22-year-old is a well-rounded offensive participant whose capturing and play-making impressed NBA evaluators.
Given their roster crunch, there was a perception that the Thunder would possibly commerce certainly one of their two first-rounders on this 12 months’s draft. Instead, Oklahoma City selected massive man Aday Mara at No. 12 after which moved up a spot to nab Stirtz, so the crew is now poised so as to add two rookies to one of many NBA’s most proficient rosters.
The Thunder’s 2024 lottery decide, Nikola Topiche has barely performed within the NBA as a consequence of a sequence of well being points over the previous two years, whereas 2025 first-rounder Thomas Sorber missed all of final season as a consequence of an ACL tear. It might be fascinating to see whether or not Oklahoma City carries all 4 gamers on subsequent 12 months’s roster, on condition that three haven’t any NBA expertise and Topic has performed in simply 10 video games.
