Former K-State basketball player Nate Johnson signs with NBA team after draft
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Nate Johnson went undrafted in 2026 but signed an Exhibit 10 with Oklahoma City.
- The Exhibit 10 deal likely sends Johnson to Thunder Summer League and training camp.
- If he misses the NBA roster, Johnson could join Oklahoma City’s G League affiliate.
Nate Johnson wasn’t selected in the 2026 NBA Draft, but that didn’t stop him from finding a new home in the professional ranks this week.
The former Kansas State basketball player reportedly signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder after going undrafted on Wednesday night.
That means Johnson will likely play for the Thunder during Summer League action and compete for a roster spot at the team’s training camp when the preseason arrives. Even if he doesn’t make the squad, he will be a candidate to play for Oklahoma City’s affiliate team in the G League.
Johnson worked out for several NBA teams before the draft and caught the eye of some decision-makers along the way.
Before that, he spent one season at K-State. He averaged 12.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists for the Wildcats.
Johnson began his college basketball career at Akron, where he was named MAC Player of the Year as a junior. He averaged 14 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists that season.
No other K-State basketball players were on the NBA Draft radar this year.
But one player with a connection to the Wildcats was selected in the second round.
Ugonna Onyenso, a 7-foot center who spent the 2024-25 season playing for Jerome Tang at K-State, was chosen with the No. 53 pick by the Detroit Pistons.
Onyenso only averaged 2.8 points and 2.4 rebounds with the Wildcats, but he improved drastically while playing for Virginia this past season, as he averaged 6.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.