The Thunder are staring down one of those roster calls that can shape the next few years before a game is even played. Nikola Topic’s team option is coming due by Oct. 31, and Oklahoma City has to decide whether to commit to a player who has barely been on the floor but still carries real upside.
That’s what makes this one so tricky. Topic has appeared in just 10 NBA games across his first two seasons, but the Thunder used a lottery pick on him in 2024, taking the Serbian guard at No.
- He also fills a clear need as a backup point guard, and in a league where reliable ball-handling is gold, that matters.
The appeal is obvious enough. Topic may be the best pure passer on the roster, and when he returned to action in the G-League last year, he looked the part: 18.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game while shooting 46.5% from three over 13 games. For a team that can always use more backcourt depth, that kind of playmaking has real value.
But the Thunder don’t operate in a normal financial world anymore. With the extensions for Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren already in motion, Oklahoma City has started making decisions based on dollars first.
Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe were part of that wave, and even those moves weren’t easy. Things get even tighter from here.
Cason Wallace is eligible for an extension this offseason as he enters the final year of his rookie deal, and the clock is already ticking toward the point when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s contract rises to its $60 million annual figure. Every move matters now, and the margin for error is shrinking fast.
That’s why Topic’s option stands out. Most of the other extension questions, including Wallace, Jared McCain and Ajay Mitchell, can wait until next offseason.
Topic can’t. Oklahoma City has to make a call now, and the financial hit is real: Spotrac projects the fourth year of his deal at roughly $7.5 million.
Even if Wallace lands in the $20-22 million annual range on an extension, the Thunder would still be over the second apron in 2027-2028. That’s the kind of math that turns a promising young guard into a complicated line item.
There’s also the reality of the rotation. Topic’s minutes are expected to be limited this season because of the way the depth chart is built, which means the Thunder may not get much of a clean read on him in actual games.
Training camp might be the best evaluation tool they have, and even that could be compromised if anything goes sideways. He’s projected to be ready for the preseason after minimally invasive back surgery in June, but a setback would leave Oklahoma City with even less certainty.
So the Thunder are left with a gamble either way. They could pick up the option and keep the door open, possibly with an eye toward using Topic as a trade chip later. Or they could walk away from a player with obvious talent and hope the financial picture justifies it.
Most likely, Oklahoma City keeps him. But by the time Oct. 31 arrives, that decision may feel a lot less straightforward than it does on paper.
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With the roster changed around him, there is a real chance for the Thunder to lean into that versatility and see how far it can go. More touches for Hartenstein would not just be about feeding a big man in the post, it would be about testing whether Oklahoma City can find another offensive lane that complements its star guard and makes the whole system harder to guard. [Read more 🡒]
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Thunder May Soon Face A Brutal Choice In The Frontcourt
The Thunders frontcourt suddenly looks a lot more crowded after the team used recent drafts to add two centers, Thomas Sorber and Aday Mara, to a group that already has established size. For a roster built around long-term flexibility, that kind of depth can be a good problem to have, but it also comes with a familiar NBA complication: the money eventually has to fit, and Oklahoma City is operating with the second apron always in view.
So the real question may not be whether the Thunder like their big-man mix, but how long they can keep everyone together before a salary decision forces their hand. The franchise has already shown a willingness to trim costs to preserve future flexibility, and with more frontcourt talent now on the books, the pressure to keep balancing the ledger could turn one of those valuable bigs into a trade chip sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]