The Oklahoma City Thunder now know the road ahead in the 2026 NBA Cup, and it starts in West Group B.
The league’s in-season tournament will again split the field into six groups of five teams, with each club facing the others in its group once for four group-stage games from Oct. 30 to Nov. 27. For Oklahoma City, the draw includes the Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies.
The Thunder will get home games against the Timberwolves and Pelicans. Their trips will come against the Clippers and Grizzlies.
From there, the path narrows quickly. The six group winners and two wildcard teams - one from each conference - will move on to an eight-team knockout round.
The quarterfinals are set for Dec. 4-5, followed by the semifinals on Dec. 8-9.
The 2026 NBA Cup finals will be played on Dec. 11.
Those quarterfinal and semifinal games will be held at the higher seed’s home gym. The championship game has also changed locations, moving from Las Vegas to Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
There’s also money attached, as always. The NBA Cup winner gets financial bonuses, and the payouts grow deeper into the bracket for each player on the roster. Every game except the final counts in the regular-season standings, too.
As the rest of the summer plays out, Oklahoma City looks like the favorite to emerge from the group. The Thunder reached the 2024 NBA Cup final before falling to the Milwaukee Bucks, then made the 2025 NBA Cup semifinals before losing to the San Antonio Spurs. It remains one of the few things OKC has not yet finished since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joined the team.
In Other News...
Draymond Green Just Twisted The Knife After OKCs Playoff Collapse
The Thunders postseason run ended in the most frustrating way possible, with a seven-game loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 Western Conference Finals after injuries piled up around Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell late in the series. It was the kind of finish that leaves a contender wondering what might have been, especially after Oklahoma City had built its season around another deep playoff push.
Draymond Green then made sure the wound stayed open, turning the conversation toward Golden States place in NBA history and the Warriors status as the last team to win back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018. With the Knicks having already added another wrinkle to the championship picture after Oklahoma Citys exit, Greens comments added a little more sting to a series loss that already carried plenty of it for Thunder fans. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Fans Suddenly Have A Tough Call On One Aging Superstar
The offseason has already produced enough eyebrow-raising movement around the league, but the latest twist is the one that could make Thunder fans stop and do a double take. Oklahoma City has been busy shaping its roster, and now the conversation has shifted to whether one of the NBAs biggest names could fit into the mix without forcing the front office to tear anything apart.
LeBron James is the center of it, with his Lakers future suddenly unsettled and his next move wide open. For the Thunder, the appeal is obvious: a player of that stature changes the ceiling of any team. The harder part is imagining how it works on a young, defensive-minded group that has built its identity a certain way, especially if the ending of this idea depends on an aging star accepting a very different kind of role. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Are Facing The Dark Side Of Their Loaded Roster
The Thunder have spent years building one of the leagues deepest young cores through the draft, and the payoff has been obvious: plenty of talent, plenty of options, and plenty of competition for minutes. But roster strength can also create a quieter problem, especially when promising players realize there may not be enough runway in Oklahoma City for everyone to grow at the same pace.
Isaiah Joe, Branden Carlson and Ousmane Dieng have already moved on in search of better fits and more opportunity, a reminder that even a well-constructed team can become a tough place to wait for your turn. Now there are growing signs that Cason Wallace could be the next name to watch, which only sharpens the question for the Thunder: how long can a team loaded with young talent keep everyone happy before the depth starts to push players toward the exit? [Read more 🡒]