The Oklahoma City Thunder’s offseason turned into a roster squeeze, and the answer came with a hard truth: not every useful player was going to fit.
Instead of moving draft picks or trimming elsewhere to keep veteran guard Luguentz Dort, Oklahoma City chose a different path. The front office decided the production from Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe could be replaced internally, and now the team is banking on Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, and Jared McCain - all set to be on rookie deals in 2026-27 - to absorb bigger rotation minutes.
That leaves Dort, Wiggins, and Joe in new uniforms, and each one lands in a spot that should look a little different from what he had in Oklahoma City. Dort and Wiggins are headed into complementary roles with the Atlanta Hawks, while Joe is positioned to give the Detroit Pistons much-needed bench shooting as they try to solve their offensive issues in a playoff setting.
These are projections, of course, built off projected roles and depth charts. But there’s enough there to make a real guess at what the first season in each new home could look like.
Luguentz Dort’s line is the cleanest to project: 27 minutes per game, 12.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 36.7% from 3.
His final year in Oklahoma City didn’t match the standard he’d set for himself. The shot from deep fell off, and once his offensive value started looking less dependable, it became harder to justify keeping him in the starting five strictly for what he brought on defense.
Atlanta may not hand him a starting job every night, either. Nickeil Alexander-Walker could push for that spot next to CJ McCollum in the backcourt, or even slide down alongside Dyson Daniels at small forward depending on the matchup. Still, the Hawks may not be able to resist the defensive pressure Dort and Daniels can bring together at the point of attack.
Dort’s run as a 39%-plus shooter from 3 may have been brief, but a return to something around 37%, paired with his usual defensive impact, would be enough to make this a strong first year in Atlanta.
Wiggins’ forecast is a little more muted: 18 minutes per game, 8.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 39.2% shooting from 3.
He should help Atlanta as another floor-spacer off the bench, but the wing logjam could keep his role from growing much beyond what he already had in Oklahoma City. Alexander-Walker, Dort, and Daniels all sit in front of him in some form, and that makes regular minutes harder to come by.
The Hawks did get some help for Wiggins’ path when Zaccharie Risacher was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Even so, Atlanta still needs shooting, especially if it wants to keep Jalen Johnson and Daniels on the floor together. The expectation here is a slight dip in minutes, with the rest of his production holding steady.
Joe, though, may be the one whose new situation changes the most: 20 minutes per game, 12.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 40.2% from 3.
Wiggins and Joe filled a similar kind of postseason role for the Thunder, but now they’ve been split up and sent to different Eastern Conference teams. Detroit is the place where that skill set could matter more, because the Pistons need shooting throughout the roster far more than Atlanta does.
That said, Joe’s regular-season path may still involve competition for minutes with Duncan Robinson, Kevin Huerter, and Ron Holland on the wing. There could also be stretches where he cracks the starting lineup, especially if Ausar Thompson has trouble in the halfcourt.
Detroit had only one major performer in 2025-26 - Duncan Robinson - shoot better than 40% from deep. If Joe keeps doing what he’s done with the Thunder over the last few seasons, and does it on a bigger volume, he could work his way into a major spot in the Pistons’ offensive pecking order by season’s end.
In Other News...
Sam Presti Just Avoided The Roster Drama Another Contender Faces
Restricted free agency can turn into a long summer headache in a hurry, and the Pistons are living through it with Jalen Duren. Detroit has put a hefty offer on the table, reportedly north of $35 million a year, but the sides still have not locked anything in as the calendar keeps moving toward the season.
For Oklahoma City, the contrast is a pretty comfortable one. Sam Presti already has extensions in place for Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, the two 2022 draft picks who helped power the Thunder to the 2025 championship, which means one of the league's more important young cores is secured while another contender is still waiting for clarity. [Read more 🡒]
Aday Mara Enters Thunder Camp With One Immediate Problem
Aday Mara arrives at Thunder camp in a much better place physically than some recent Oklahoma City rookies, having gotten through both the NBA Summer League and FIBA World Cup Qualifiers healthy. That alone gives the No. 12 overall pick in the 2026 draft a cleaner runway than plenty of young players who have had their first year interrupted by injuries or buried by a deep roster.
Still, health may be the easy part of the equation. Maras summer drew mixed reviews, and there is already a sense that his first season could be more about learning and waiting than immediate production, a familiar pattern for Thunder first-year players trying to break through in Mark Daigneaults system. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder May Soon Face A Tough Jared McCain Decision
After making trades designed to stay clear of luxury tax penalties, the Thunder are now staring at a familiar kind of roster problem: too many promising young guards and not enough easy answers. Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain are all expected to matter in Oklahoma Citys next phase, giving the team real depth and long-term upside in the backcourt.
The tricky part is that not every piece can be treated the same when extension season arrives. McCain is still a valuable player, but the Thunder are likely to view Wallace and Mitchell as the bigger financial priorities, which puts the front office in a familiar balancing act between talent and cost. Keeping all three around as they develop may force some tougher planning down the road. [Read more 🡒]