One of the most highly-touted prospects in the class of 2026 for the NBA Draft is Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer. The son of NBA legend Carlos Boozer was the clear cut best player out of the ACC this past season, as he led the Durham, North Carolina-based program to win both the 2026 conference regular season championship and the conference tournament title.
Boozer has shown that he contributes to team success while being an individual force himself with his skillset. With this, many project the young talent to be at least a top-3 pick in the upcoming draft, which could land him with the Utah Jazz at the second pick or the Memphis Grizzlies at the third.
While landing with either team could work for Boozer, especially since his father played for the Jazz, there is also a possible but highly unlikely scenario in which he lands with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“OKC could trade their two 1st-round picks this summer in an attempt to move up and land projected No. 3 overall pick Cam Boozer, per Brett Siegel. Boozer is regarded as a very safe draft prospect with an incredibly high floor. He led a national championship caliber Duke team to the Elite 8 last season. The Thunder have picks No. 12 & No. 17 in this years draft. Thoughts?,” @exclusivecbb on Instagram captioned with emojis.
The Thunder’s highest selection is the 12th pick in the draft through the Los Angeles Clippers, which stems from the 2019 Paul George and Shai-Gilgeous Alexander trade. Despite being far-fetched, they can trade both this pick and their 17th pick to the Grizzlies in an attempt to secure the third pick to snag Boozer.
This year’s draft class is considered to be one of the most stacked in years, which may persuade Memphis to take two first-rounders instead of just one in the top three.
How does Cameron Boozer fit with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s OKC Thunder?
If Cameron Boozer finds himself on the 2025 NBA champions’ roster come the 2026-27 season, then he can immediately make an impact as another versatile tweener big man for reigning NBA regular season MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company.
OKC’s frontcourt rotation revolves around Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams, while Aaron Wiggins or Kenrich Williams are occasionally deployed. Among them, however, Holmgren is presumably the only one who can consistently score near the perimeter and is the most mobile.
Boozer can then fit as another big man for the Thunder that can also play around the perimeter. This can give Gilgeous-Alexander another option to run plays with, as Boozer has shown can knock it down from deep and impose his will physically inside as a slasher or post-up player.
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