Oklahoma City’s offseason departures may have changed the look of the roster, but they could also sharpen the case for Mark Daigneault when award season rolls around.
The Thunder spent the summer trimming salary and creating room for incoming draft picks, a business-first stretch that came with real basketball consequences. Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins are gone, and that’s no small loss for a team that has leaned hard on its depth.
With Oklahoma City’s first preseason game just days away, the new version of the roster is about to show itself for the first time. The early returns will matter, but the bigger adjustment is going to take time. This won’t be a one-night fix; it’s a season-long reset.
Daigneault addressed that reality at media day, pointing out that change is part of the job in Oklahoma City. He said the Thunder have been through this kind of turnover before.
“Every year there's a process that we go through where we add some new things, we remove some stuff that maybe we don't think this -- and this is tactical, not affecting the players,” Daigneault said. “You add some stuff.
You remove some stuff. It starts with your personnel.
Any time your personnel changes, that changes.”
That’s where the Coach of the Year conversation comes in. Daigneault already won the award in 2023-24, and over the last two seasons the Thunder have piled up 132 regular season wins. That kind of success has made it tough for him to stand out in the voting, even as Oklahoma City has kept rolling.
This year could look different. If the Thunder keep sitting near the top of the West after losing three important rotation pieces, Daigneault’s work will be impossible to ignore. The team won’t have the surprise factor that often fuels these campaigns, but sustained dominance after roster losses can still speak loudly.
That logic tracks closely with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s push for a third straight MVP: the Thunder don’t need to come out of nowhere for the league to notice them. They just need to keep winning while the pieces around them shift.
And if Oklahoma City is going to do that, Daigneault says player development has to stay at the center of everything.
“We need to be a player development monster in terms of making sure that all of our players are constantly growing and improving,” Daigneault said. “That's nothing new for us. That's the mentality we always take to it.”
In Other News...
Jalen Williams Could Decide A Crucial Thunder Lineup Call
With Lu Dort out of the starting lineup, the Thunder are weighing one of their first real rotation calls of the preseason, and the decision at shooting guard may say plenty about how they want to open the year. The choice comes down to two very different options, with Cason Wallace bringing the defensive edge Oklahoma City has valued and Ajay Mitchell offering a more offense-minded look.
Jalen Williams may end up being the swing factor in how Mark Daigneault sorts it out. If Williams is ready to carry a heavier load physically, the Thunder could afford to lean more toward Mitchells scoring presence in the first five, while a less certain recovery could push the staff toward Wallace and the steadier defensive fit beside the rest of the core. [Read more 🡒]
Jared McCain Faces Real Pressure In Bigger Thunder Role
Jared McCain spent media day sounding like a young guard who understands what comes with opportunity. With Isaiah Joe gone, the Oklahoma City backcourt has a clearer opening, and McCain is expected to shoulder a bigger load heading into the 2026-27 season. He talked about his offseason work and preparation, framing the months before camp as a chance to get himself ready for the kind of responsibility that can change a rotation fast.
What stood out most was how much of McCains outlook seemed shaped by the people around him, especially Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In a season where the minutes, expectations and scrutiny all rise with the role, McCain credited the veteran star with helping him stay even through the humbling stretches that come with life in the NBA. For a Thunder team counting on another young piece to grow up quickly, that kind of steadiness may matter as much as the shot-making. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Daigneaults Preseason Setup Says A Lot About OKCs Title Push
The Thunder will open their preseason in a familiar state setting, taking on the New Orleans Pelicans in Tulsa before rolling through five exhibition games that are clearly meant to serve a bigger purpose than just shaking off rust. For a team with real expectations this fall, the early schedule is less about wins and losses and more about getting bodies right, giving the coaching staff a chance to sort through rotation questions, and easing different players into the workload they need before the regular season starts.
Mark Daigneaults approach makes that even clearer because the schedule is built to balance rest with work, not simply to pack in extra games. The Thunder have also lined up two back-to-back sets in preseason, a structure that creates more practice time and lets the staff tailor minutes for players with different needs, an indication that Oklahoma City is treating October as a careful tune-up for a team that believes it can chase much bigger goals. [Read more 🡒]