Oklahoma City’s offseason shuffle changed the look of the wing, but it shouldn’t change Alex Caruso’s day-to-day assignment much at all.
The Thunder did lose Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, moves that leave real openings heading into next season. Dort was still a fixture in the starting five, while Wiggins and Joe had already been pushed out of the postseason mix. So the biggest ripple from those departures may show up in the regular season, where the grind of an 82-game schedule always asks more of a roster.
That’s where the Thunder will need other players to absorb the extra burden. It just shouldn’t be Caruso.
Since arriving in Oklahoma City, Caruso has been one of the team’s most valuable playoff pieces, even if his regular season usage has stayed modest. Last season, he averaged 18.2 minutes per game across 56 contests, a workload that reflects how the Thunder have managed him before the games matter most. He still makes an impact when he’s on the floor, but he has not been asked to carry anything close to the kind of load he handles in May and June.
Oklahoma City has reasons to keep it that way. One path is a jump from Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain in their third year, enough to force Mark Daigneault to lean on them more. Another is a bigger role for Bennett Stirtz or Nikola Topic if either becomes a real part of the rotation.
There’s also the possibility of a healthier season for Jalen Williams and more minutes for Kenrich Williams. Put that together, and the Thunder should have enough ways to cover the regular-season workload without pushing Caruso into a heavier role.
That’s the point. Oklahoma City needs him fresh and disruptive when the lights are brightest, not worn down from extra regular-season miles. Caruso’s regular season should stay exactly where it belongs: controlled, efficient, and ready to set up another strong playoff run in 2026-27.
In Other News...
Aday Mara Gets An Early Reunion In OKCs Spotlight Schedule
The NBAs full 2026-27 schedule gave the Thunder the kind of spotlight calendar that comes with being a heavyweight, with Oklahoma City landing on opening night, Christmas Day and 30 nationally televised games. It also comes with a steady stream of storylines beyond the standings, especially for a roster that could look different after the 2026 offseason and for a fan base that will be watching every national showcase closely.
For rookie Aday Mara, the early part of the schedule offers a quick personal wrinkle. Oklahoma Citys top 2026 draft pick is lined up for an early reunion with former Michigan teammate Morez Johnson Jr., while another familiar face on the docket, Yaxel Lendeborg, waits until later in the winter. For a team already set to live in the spotlight, those little reunion games add another layer to a season that already figures to draw plenty of attention. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Face A Real Rotation Test After Their Summer Shakeup
After a summer that sent Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe and Luguentz Dort elsewhere, Oklahoma City is heading into the 2026-27 season with a very different look around its core. The Thunder also added three new prospects in Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz and Otega Oweh, so the front office did not just trim the roster, it actively reshaped it, leaving the coaching staff to sort out how the pieces fit together.
The bigger question is how the rotation and style will shift once the games start counting. Cason Wallace is expected to take on more defensive responsibility, while the offense may lean more heavily on younger guards, which gives the Thunder a different kind of balance to manage. For a team that has built so much of its identity on continuity and development, this is the kind of roster reset that can reveal a lot very quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Aday Mara Faces An Unusual Thunder Rookie Dilemma
The Thunder came out of the 2026 draft with all three of their picks intact, adding Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz and Otega Oweh to a roster that already looks unusually deep. Mara, the 7-foot-3 big man with defensive upside, is the name that stands out most here, not just because of his size but because Oklahoma City has a habit of thinking long term and letting young players grow into their roles.
For Mara, the challenge is less about draft status than pathway. The Thunder are crowded in the frontcourt, and the usual rookie minutes may be hard to find on a team already stacked at the position. That is why his first year could look different from the standard introduction for a player taken so high, with development and readiness likely becoming just as important as whatever time he gets with the varsity group. [Read more 🡒]