In the latest sign that Opening Night is just a handful of days away, the NBA has published its annual GM survey results. The top decision-makers across the league voiced their opinion on several topics.
The survey had 50 different questions on several topics heading into the 2026-27 NBA season. General managers were not allowed to pick their own team as the answer. Each vote-getter's percentage reflects the pool of GMs who participated in that question, not necessarily the full 30 GMs.
For the first time in a couple of years, the Oklahoma City Thunder are not viewed as the inevitable, dominant force that will march their way to a second Larry O'Brien trophy in three years. Instead, NBA GMs believe there is a sliver of humanity behind the win
machine from the last couple of years.
Let's look at the 2026-27 NBA GM survey results and what they had to say about the Thunder:
Who will win 2027 NBA championship?
The Thunder came in second place with 43% of the votes. The San Antonio Spurs were at the top with exactly 50% of the votes. For comparison, OKC was the daunting favorite last year at 80%. The voters also believe they'll finish top two in the West — 47% said the first seed and 50% the second seed.
Who will win 2026-27 MVP award?
Not Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He didn't even finish in the top three. Victor Wembanyama was the overwhelming favorite at 77%. Nikola Jokic and Anthony Edwards rounded out the top three. Gilgeous-Alexander received some votes, though. But it looks like most folks don't believe he'll pull off the ultra-rare third consecutive MVP trophy.
Who would you start an NBA franchise with?
Unsurprisingly, most picked Wembanyama. Ever since he joined the NBA, about every hyperbole has been thrown his way. He received an eye-popping 93% of the votes. That's a jump from last year's 83% figure. That said, Gilgeous-Alexander received some love. Only Cooper Flagg is the other NBA player who was an answer to this age-old question.
Toughest NBA player to adjust to?
Wembanyama is viewed as the player opposing coaches go through the most adjustments for. He had 47% of the votes. Jokic was second with 33% of the votes. Finally, Gilgeous-Alexander landed in third place with a pedestrian 10% of the votes. Little surprising considering he's a two-time MVP winner and a walking 30-point bucket.
Who is on radar for breakout season?
The popular pick was Dylan Harper. He had 27% of the votes. After a stellar NBA Finals run as a rookie, it looks like the league thinks he's going to eventually be Wembanyama's Robin. But tied for second place — with a plethora of others — is Cason Wallace at 7%. Others tied for second place were Flagg, Collin Murray-Boyles and Amen Thompson. Ajay Mitchell also garnered votes.
Who is the best point guard?
Shouldn't be a shocker, but Gilgeous-Alexander is No. 1 with 67% of the votes. That's a little down from last year's number of 73%, though. He's one of the era-defining NBA superstars of the 2020s. Jalen Brunson doubled up Luka Doncic in percentages — 20% compared to 10%.
Who is the best shooting guard?
Same principle applies here. Gilgeous-Alexander is second at 13% of the votes. Anthony Edwards was in first place with 73% of the votes. Honestly, a little outdated to view the former as a shooting guard. I feel like by now, it should be universally known that he's a point guard. But I digress. He also received the highest percentage of total votes in a position group with 16%.
Who is the best perimeter defender?
The Thunder used to have a bunch of their guys fill out ballots. But this year, it's Alex Caruso and Wallace. Caruso was tied for second place with 17% of the votes. Ausar Thompson had the same percentage. Amen Thompson was in the top spot with 30% of the votes. Wallace also received some love in this one.
Who is the most versatile defender?
Another defensive category where Wallace was shown love. He received some votes. Wembanyama, Amen Thompson and Scottie Barnes rounded out the top three — in that exact order. 10 NBA players received at least one vote for this question.
Who is the best defensive team?
The Thunder ran away as the winner. They received 77% of the votes. Albeit, a lower figure than their 83% from last year. But OKC has had the league-best defense over the last two seasons. It sat atop every defensive metric you can think of. It's a turnover-creating machine that has steel curtains at all three levels. Heck, that's the side of the ball that helped them win the 2025 NBA championship. This is an organization that clearly takes a lot of pride in its defense.
Mark Daigneault receives praise
It shouldn't be a shocker to see Daigneault viewed as one of the top NBA head coaches. He's entering his seventh season as the Thunder head coach. That's one of the longest-tenured streaks right now. He's the rare head coach who shepherded a rebuild and helped OKC become a title contender and eventual NBA champion.
All that said, Daigneault is viewed as the second-best NBA head coach with 37% of the votes. Only Erik Spoelstra is ahead at 43% of the votes. Daigneault was also one of nine coaches who received at least one vote for best manager and motivator of people.
Elsewhere, Daigneault is viewed as one of the sharpest in-game tacticians. He finished in fourth place for best in-game adjustments at 10% of the votes. He — surprisingly enough — was tied for second place for best-running offense at 10% of the votes. He was tied with Steve Kerr in that category. And he — unsurprisingly enough — draws up the best defensive schemes as the first-place winner with an overwhelming 67% of the votes.
Oh, and the Thunder have one of the best assistants in Dave Bliss. He was tied for fifth place with 7% of the votes. Others who received the same results were Boston's Sam Cassell and Golden State's Frank Vogel. Surprised another NBA franchise hasn't hired him yet to be its top sidelines mind, to be honest.
Miscellaneous category
The Thunder were featured in plenty of these as the last segment of this lengthy survey. It looks like their watchability significantly dipped. They received at least one vote for being the most fun team to watch. But last year, they were tied with the Denver Nuggets for first place at 27% each.
At least OKC was tied for the best homecourt advantage at 37%. Denver also had the same slice of the pie. That said, both had a larger piece at 43% each.
The Thunder are also viewed as having the most efficient offense this upcoming season at 27% of the votes. That's a little surprising. That side of the ball has always been the weaker of the two for OKC. Most of the time, it devolves into super-efficient Gilgeous-Alexander bailing them out in a one-man show. Maybe that's their line of reasoning as he'll surely average a crisp 30 points again.
With three playoff runs under their belt, the Thunder are no longer viewed as young pups. Once seen as the most promising young core, I think OKC has graduated beyond that label. It finished tied for third place in that category — alongside the Charlotte Hornets. The Spurs and Washington Wizards were ahead.
Leadership is an intangible that's impossible to measure. At least from a league-wide scope. That said, Gilgeous-Alexander received the third-most votes for best leader at 7%. Brunson and Stephen Curry were ahead.
The two-time MVP winner was also tied for the third-most votes of guys you want having the ball in their hands with a game-winner on the line. Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic each received 10% apiece. Curry and Brunson were ahead.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 2026-27 NBA GM survey results: What was said about OKC Thunder?
