The Thunder have made their call on two of their remaining team options, and the decisions push Oklahoma City a little closer to a cleaner cap picture while keeping one of its defensive anchors in place.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the team has picked up Luguentz Dort’s $17.7MM option for 2026/27. At the same time, the Thunder declined Kenrich Williams’ $7.2MM option, per NBA insider Chris Haynes.
Dort, 27, had a quieter scoring season than he’s used to in Oklahoma City. He averaged 8.3 points per game, his lowest output since his rookie year in 2019/20, and shot 34.4% from three, a noticeable drop from the 40.3% he hit over the previous two seasons. His postseason role shrank as well, with Dort logging just 19.3 minutes per game in the Western Conference finals loss to San Antonio.
Even with that dip, Oklahoma City was never likely to simply move on from him. Dort remained a full-time starter this season, and he’s only one year removed from earning All-Defensive first team honors and finishing fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting for a championship team. Letting him go would have been one possible route out of the second tax apron, but that never looked like the most realistic outcome.
Williams’ option being declined gives the Thunder more flexibility, especially after their trade agreements to send out Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins without bringing any salary back. As cap expert Yossi Gozlan noted, Oklahoma City now projects to be just $7.6MM above the second tax apron after opening the offseason $39MM over that line.
Whether getting below the apron is actually the organization’s main goal remains unclear. The Thunder could stand pat with their current 14 players - including first-round picks Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz - and head into the regular season without making another move. If the front office keeps pushing to trim salary, Dort could still come up in trade talks.
If Oklahoma City is willing to live in the second apron and absorb a hefty tax bill, Williams remains a possible candidate to return and fill the team’s 15th spot. The veteran forward, who turns 32 in December, has seen his role shrink in recent seasons, but he has been with the Thunder since 2020 and has grown into a locker-room leader and culture-setter.
In Other News...
Thunder May Have Found Another Undrafted Name Fans Need To Watch
After using the 2026 NBA Draft to add Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz and Otega Oweh, the Thunder kept working the edges of the roster by bringing in seven undrafted free agents for Summer League. It is the kind of move Oklahoma City has made a habit of making, loading up on young talent and giving itself more chances to uncover a useful piece when the games get a little more open and the evaluations get a little messier.
The group includes Josh Dix, Nate Johnson, Lamar Wilkerson, Sam Alexis, Elijah Mahi, Bryce Harris and Christoph Tilly, with Dix already standing out as more than just a camp body. The Thunder tend to find value in players who can fill a lane and survive in their system, and this collection has enough shooting and developmental upside to make one name in particular worth tracking once the summer games start. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Fans Have One New Reason To Hate The West Again
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For Thunder fans, the idea matters less as rumor mill entertainment and more as a reminder that the conference never really gets easier. Oklahoma City would still have its own case as one of the leagues top teams, but a reloaded Warriors group would only raise the degree of difficulty in the chase for a title, and it is the kind of speculative storyline that keeps hanging over the West until the offseason settles it. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Face Tough Kenrich Williams Call As Familiar Squeeze Hits
Kenrich Williams has been part of the Thunders fabric for long enough that this latest roster question carries more weight than a typical end-of-summer decision. Once a steady, low-maintenance piece in Oklahoma Citys rotation, the 31-year-old saw his role shrink last season as the Thunder leaned harder into their young core and tighter rotation, leaving the front office to weigh how much on-court value he still provides against the realities of a roster that keeps getting more expensive.
That calculus has only gotten harder with major extensions looming for key players, which means even familiar veterans can become part of the squeeze. Williams has long been viewed as the kind of connector the Thunder like to keep around, but the organization now has to balance sentiment, depth and future cap flexibility as it maps out what the next phase of this build will look like. [Read more 🡒]