Even with Nikola Topic still on the roster, the Oklahoma City Thunder may need to start thinking ahead.
Topic’s path has already been a brutal one. Over the last couple of years, he has dealt with cancer, a torn ACL, and now recovery from a back procedure he had in June. He still has the size and feel that made him a first-round pick just two years ago, but if the injuries keep piling up, the Thunder could eventually be forced into a hard call by the trade deadline.
That’s where Dennis Schroder comes in.
The former Thunder guard, now with the Charlotte Hornets, looks like the kind of veteran stopgap Oklahoma City could lean on if Topic can’t be counted on. He brings familiarity with the organization, plus the kind of steady guard play the Thunder backcourt could use in a hurry.
Right now, Oklahoma City’s guard mix is tilted heavily toward players who don’t give them true point guard traits. Jared McCain, Bennett Stirtz, and even Alex Caruso don’t consistently put pressure on the rim the way the Thunder need when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sits. More than half of McCain’s and Caruso’s shot attempts come from three, and nearly half of Stirtz’s 14.2 field goal attempts in 2026 came from deep.
That leaves Stirtz and Ajay Mitchell as the main reliable ball-handlers, and that’s a thin place to be if the goal is keeping the offense moving without a drop-off. Schroder can do that. He can push the pace, run pick-and-roll, and attack the paint.
His playoff numbers back that up. Among players who averaged 20 or fewer minutes per game in the 2026 playoffs, Schroder led the group with 5.6 drives per game despite playing under 16 minutes a night. He also ranked sixth in pick-and-roll frequency in those playoffs among all players.
He’d also fit the tone Oklahoma City wants defensively. Schroder still plays with maximum effort, picks up full court, and applies constant pressure on the ball. That kind of energy helped him finish with the third-most clutch minutes per game for Cleveland in the regular season.
The shooting is the obvious drawback. His 38.1 percent mark from the field is hard to ignore. But the source of the appeal here is that he’s shown more than that before, and the Thunder would be betting on the broader package.
Alex Caruso’s regular-season minutes have already trended downward, and with Stirtz’s role still uncertain, Schroder would give Oklahoma City a dependable insurance policy off the bench.
Charlotte also looks like the kind of team that could move on quickly. After trading away LaMelo Ball earlier this summer, the Hornets sit near the bottom of Eastern Conference projections, and a nearly 33-year-old guard doesn’t really match a young rebuild. Schroder has already played for 11 teams in 13 years, so it’s difficult to picture him settling in long-term there.
A trade or buyout feels more likely, and if that happens, Oklahoma City should be ready.
In fact, a swap built around Topic for Schroder could make enough sense for Charlotte that Sam Presti might even be able to get another pick or two back in the deal along with the veteran guard.
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The timing only sharpens the issue for the Thunder, who are already looking at a heavy payroll picture in the years ahead and have to keep balancing present contention with long-term flexibility. Wallace can become eligible for a bigger payday through an extension or, later on, through free agency, and even before any of that gets truly urgent, his next contractual step is going to force Oklahoma City to make a difficult call about how much premium it wants to pay to keep its young core intact. [Read more 🡒]