Football season has clearly seeped into the NBA calendar, and the Thunder are leaning into it in their own way.
Several Oklahoma City players have spent the past few days together in Texas for a player-run practice and workout, part of the usual late-summer gathering that teams use to build chemistry before camp. But this group took the bonding a step further over the weekend, when a handful of Thunder players got outside in the Texas heat for a football game.
Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, Jaylin Williams, Kenrich Williams, Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz all took part.
That kind of togetherness matters even more now, with the offseason winding down and the 2026-27 regular season nearing. Oklahoma City has a new backend of the roster, and these are not just end-of-bench names passing the time. Every player involved in the game could have a role once the season starts.
Holmgren and Wallace are expected to be starters. McCain, Williams and Williams are projected to be in the rotation most nights. Mara and Stirtz are the fresh additions hoping to contribute right away.
The Thunder are using the final stretch of the offseason to get ahead of the curve before training camp opens at the end of the month. Even after a summer that included cost-cutting moves, OKC is still expected to sit among the top title contenders in the 2026-27 season.
And while a backyard football game might seem like a small thing, it fits the pattern around the league this time of year. Teams across the NBA do this sort of thing, and the Thunder are no different.
The idea is simple: get the group on the same page before the real work begins. For the last couple of years, OKC has had everybody aligned, and it is hoping that carries into the upcoming season.
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McCain looks like a valuable part of that future, but the Thunder also have to map out their next round of contract decisions with restraint in mind. Wallace and Mitchell are viewed as the more likely financial priorities, and keeping all three guards in place could force Oklahoma City to get creative with the rest of its spending as those extensions come due. [Read more 🡒]