Ryan Young, Staff writer | Yahoo Sports

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 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 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 there last summer. 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, falling to Illinois.

Stirtz got his collegiate start at Division II Northwest Missouri State, and ended up following McCollum to Drake when McCollum was hired as the Bulldogs’ head coach in 2024. McCollum and Stirtz were only in Des Moines for one season before making the jump to Iowa. Stirtz being selected Tuesday night completed what was an incredible and unlikely climb for the man who received no offers to play Division I basketball out of high school.

The Thunder’s 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. 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 an ACC-best 23.2 points per game while shooting nearly 47% from the field with the Cardinal. The Pistons went 60-22 last season and earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but they fell in the second round to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Memphis went 25-57 last season, the first under head coach Tuomas Iisalo, and missed the playoffs. The Grizzlies ended up taking Karim López with the No. 21 overall pick. He’s now the first Mexican-born player to be selected in the first round. López spent last season with the New Zealand Breakers in Australia’s National Basketball League.

While it took a lot of movement in the moment, both Stirtz and the Grizzlies ended up on top on Tuesday night. Stirtz has made it to the league as a first-round selection, and the Grizzlies loaded up on draft capital.