The Oklahoma City Thunder are moving quickly through their offseason checklist, and one of Monday’s quieter decisions involved Brooks Barnhizer.
According to NBA cap expert Keith Smith, Oklahoma City has tendered Barnhizer a two-way qualifying offer, which makes him a restricted free agent this offseason. That puts the Thunder in position to bring him back, barring another team signing him to an offer sheet.
The move comes as a bit of a surprise. Barnhizer’s rookie year didn’t produce much on the stat sheet, as he averaged 1.7 points and two rebounds across 40 games. Most of his time came with the G League’s OKC Blue, and the 24-year-old was selected No. 44 in the 2025 NBA draft.
If he returns, Barnhizer would likely fill one of Oklahoma City’s three two-way roster spots for a second straight season. A two-way qualifying offer functions as a standing one-year contract extension unless another club steps in with an offer sheet.
The expectation, though, is that the Thunder will keep him in the fold on a two-way deal. He would join undrafted rookie Josh Dix among the three players in those slots, with Otega Oweh projected to take the third. Oweh was drafted No. 41 in the 2026 NBA draft.
Two-way players can be active for 50 NBA games and usually spend most of their season in the G League. They can also be converted to a standard contract if a 15-player roster spot opens up.
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
The Western Conference already gives Oklahoma City plenty to navigate, but the latest buzz out of Golden State adds another layer to an already crowded path. A report from Kevin OConnor of Yahoo Sports has the Warriors interested in a major roster shakeup, one that would put even more star power around the core of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green and instantly change the tone of any future matchup out West.
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 🡒]