OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder made a flurry of roster moves ahead of the holiday weekend, locking down a mix of high-upside rookies and returning depth.
Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced Friday that the team has signed first-round draft picks Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz to multi-year contracts. Additionally, the Thunder signed guards Josh Dix and Otega Oweh, along with returning forward Brooks Barnhizer, to two-way contracts.
Per team policy, financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
First-Rounders Mara, Stirtz Inks Multi-Year Deals
Headlining the announcements are the signings of the Thunder’s two newest first-round investments from the 2026 NBA Draft, both of whom come off historic collegiate seasons.
- Aday Mara (Center | 7-3, 262 lbs): Selected 12th overall, the Spanish big man was a force for the 2026 NCAA Champion Michigan Wolverines. Mara averaged 12.1 points on an efficient 66.8% shooting (ranking fourth nationally) to go along with 6.8 rebounds. Known for his elite rim protection, Mara set a Michigan single-season record with 103 blocks, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors.
- Bennett Stirtz (Guard | 6-4, 190 lbs): Selected 16th overall, Stirtz is a dynamic playmaker coming off a legendary season at Iowa, where he carried the Hawkeyes to their first-ever Elite Eight appearance. Stirtz finished eighth in the country in total scoring (734 points), averaging 19.8 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game, capturing an AP All-American Honorable Mention.
Two-Way Trio Adds Depth and Defensive Grit
The Thunder also filled out its two-way slots, blending familiar faces with incoming rookie and veteran collegiate talent.
- Brooks Barnhizer (Guard/Forward | 6-6, 226 lbs): The 44th overall pick in the 2025 draft returns to OKC. Barnhizer split time last year between the main roster (40 games) and the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue. With the Blue, he proved his all-around utility, averaging a blistering 18.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.62 steals over 21 games.
- Otega Oweh (Guard | 6-4, 217 lbs): Selected 41st overall in the second round of the 2026 draft, Oweh brings an elite scoring pedigree from Kentucky. He led the Wildcats with 18.6 points and 1.8 steals per game last season en route to an All-SEC Second Team nod. Oweh also etched his name into the UK history books, scoring the most points by any player in their first two seasons in program history (1,255).
- Josh Dix (Guard | 6-5, 206 lbs): A seasoned collegiate guard, Dix joins the squad after a standout senior year at Creighton, where he started all 34 games and averaged 13.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Across a 131-game career shared between Creighton and Iowa, Dix brings reliable floor spacing and consistency.
With Summer League action underway, these five signings signal the next wave of Presti’s continuous talent infusion into Oklahoma City’s deep roster.
