The Thunder’s injury mess has opened the door to some uncomfortable roster questions, and one of the cleanest answers on the board might be a trade that sends Nikola Topic to Phoenix for Jordan Goodwin.
Oklahoma City is dealing with four key rotation players out for at least the next several months, including three starters. The bigger problem is where those absences hit: all four were the team’s best defenders last season.
If the Thunder decide to make an in-season move, the fit should be obvious. They need defense, and they need it from players who don’t come with a heavy price tag.
Goodwin fits that profile. The Suns may see him as a meaningful part of their current rotation, but he checks the boxes Oklahoma City should be targeting. He brings defensive activity, length, and a low-cost contract, while also giving the Thunder a player who can help on the perimeter right away.
The other side of the deal is just as important. Phoenix has been dealing with a lack of true point guard play, with reports saying there is "growing frustration within that locker room" that the Suns don't have a true point guard on the roster to help "organize that offense.” Topic, a former lottery pick, entered the league with a reputation as a pure floor general, and his limited time with the Thunder has only reinforced that idea.
For Oklahoma City, the logic is straightforward. The team already showed it can make a bold swap for a role player when it moved Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso in the summer of 2024, and that decision paid off. A similar move now would be aimed at a different need, but the idea is the same: turn a young asset into a player who better matches the roster’s current problem.
Goodwin’s numbers make the case, too. Since arriving in Phoenix last season, the 28-year-old has averaged 7.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 35.6 percent from three and posting a defensive plus-minus of plus-1.1. He also brings a 6-foot-10 wingspan and the lateral quickness to make life harder on opposing guards.
The money works almost perfectly as well. Topic is set to make $5.4 million this season, while Goodwin is at $5.9 million, making the swap nearly seamless from a salary standpoint.
There is one catch: the move can’t happen until January 15, since Goodwin signed a new four-year deal with Phoenix this past offseason. Once that date passes, though, this is the kind of deal both sides should at least consider.
In Other News...
Thunder Contract Call Just Raised Questions About Their Young Core
The Thunders injury crunch has already forced the roster into a difficult stretch, and the latest contract decision only adds another layer to the uncertainty around the young core. Oklahoma City declined the fourth-year option on Nikola Topic, a move that shifts his future into a more uncertain lane while the team continues to juggle absences and search for stability after a loss to the Houston Rockets.
Jared McCain has been one of the more significant contributors this season, while Thomas Sorber has yet to play because of knee injuries, leaving the Thunder with more questions than answers about how their youth will fit together. Topics situation is now part of that broader picture, especially with the team still navigating injuries to key players and trying to sort out its long-term plans without much margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Head Into Cleveland With A Problem They Can't Ignore
The Thunders trip to Cleveland comes with the kind of injury backdrop that can reshape a game plan before the opening tip. Oklahoma City has been forced to navigate a rotation thinned by significant absences, including two All-NBA selections and three former All-Defense players, and the ripple effects have shown up everywhere from the starting group to the bench. Even with the roster stretched, the Thunder still have to keep moving forward, and a meeting with the Cavaliers at Rocket Arena offers another test of how well they can manage the load.
There are still some encouraging signs in the recovery process, with Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren all working back from injuries and carrying expected return timelines. For a team trying to stay organized through an extended stretch of uncertainty, those updates matter almost as much as the matchup itself. Cleveland has its own injury list to sort through, including three players currently listed and Peyton Watson marked questionable, but Oklahoma Citys bigger concern is whether it can keep absorbing these hits without losing too much ground in the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Just Sent A Clear Signal About Their Center Rotation
The Thunder have already made one quiet but telling move in the middle of their center picture, exercising Thomas Sorbers rookie-scale team option even though he has yet to play a game for the club. It is the kind of decision that says plenty about how Oklahoma City is thinking about its frontcourt depth, especially with Chet Holmgren sidelined by a knee injury but still around the team in a supporting role.
At the same time, the bigger roster question is getting harder to ignore. Isaiah Hartenstein signed a multi-year extension, but the Thunder are also weighing the long-term cap picture and how much room they want to keep tied up in the center spot as younger pieces emerge. Sorbers option pickup fits that larger calculation, and it leaves the next step in Oklahoma Citys rotation planning very much in play. [Read more 🡒]