The Thunder keep finding ways to uncover value, and Zhaire Smith may be the latest name to watch.
Oklahoma City brought the former 2018 first-round pick into training camp after Smith spent time with the OKC Blue in 2025-26 and suited up for the Thunder’s 2026 Summer League team. It’s another turn in a career that has already taken plenty of detours, but the early returns in OKC have been encouraging.
Smith’s NBA start with Philadelphia never really got off the ground. Injuries and other health issues limited the Texas Tech product to just 13 games across the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, and he averaged 3.7 points and 1.2 rebounds while shooting 37.8% from the field and 31.6% from 3-point range.
After the 2019-20 season, he disappeared from an NBA roster for a while. He resurfaced in 2023-24 with the Cleveland Charge, then later had a stint with the Texas Legends before landing with the OKC Blue.
That stop with Oklahoma City’s G League team looked like a real breakthrough. In 33 regular season games, Smith put up 20.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 57.7% from the field and 45.1% from 3.
He carried that momentum into the Thunder’s preseason game against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, Oct. 13. In just five minutes off the bench, Smith scored seven points, grabbed a rebound and handed out an assist, going 3-of-3 from the floor and 1-of-1 from deep.
He finished the Thunder’s 114-112 win over Indiana with a +2 in the box score.
The minutes were limited, but the production was clean, and that’s enough to keep Smith in the conversation. Oklahoma City has an open roster spot and could sign him to a standard contract. The Thunder could also give him a two-way deal if one of their current two-way players gets a standard contract.
If neither of those paths opens up, the most likely next stop appears to be another run starring for the OKC Blue.
In Other News...
Thunder Win Took A Backseat To One Disturbing Rookie Injury
The Thunders preseason win over the Pacers came with an uneasy moment late in overtime, when Otega Oweh went down after planting his right foot and collapsed, then had to leave the game with a right ankle injury. He did not return, and even in the setting of an exhibition game, the scene was hard to ignore given how quickly a routine play turned serious.
Mark Daigneault and teammate Brooks Barnhizer both addressed the situation afterward, but the bigger concern is the uncertainty around the injury itself. There was immediate worry it could involve the Achilles, and until the team provides a formal diagnosis, Oklahoma City is left waiting on one of the more unsettling injury stories of the preseason. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Face A Thomas Sorber Decision That Could Help Everyone
Aday Maras strong preseason has given the Thunder another useful look at the middle of the roster, and it has also made the picture a little tighter for Thomas Sorber. For Oklahoma City, that is not necessarily a bad problem. The team has built its success around depth and flexibility, and with Sorber still trying to make up for the year he lost to injury, the center rotation now has several names in front of him.
Sorbers situation is the kind front offices watch closely this time of year, because a player buried on the depth chart can sometimes find a clearer path elsewhere. If Oklahoma City decides a move makes sense, it could turn that logjam into future assets or even help fill another need at a different position. The Thunder do not have to rush anything, but this is the sort of roster decision that can quietly shape both Sorbers development and the next step of the teams bigger plan. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Rookies Are Forcing A Big Rotation Question Already
Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz have already made the Thunders preseason feel a little more complicated than expected. Before Oklahoma City even gets to the 2026-27 season, both rookies have flashed enough to make a real impression, with Mara putting together a blistering first two games and Stirtz turning heads in a loss to the Hawks by leading the team in scoring and knocking down six three-pointers.
For Mark Daigneault, the challenge is less about whether the two can play and more about how quickly they can fit into a group that is trying to sort out its rotation. Maras efficiency and interior production, along with Stirtzs poise handling the ball under pressure, give the Thunder something valuable to think about early, and it is the kind of depth problem every contender likes to have. The question now is how much of that preseason momentum can carry into the real thing. [Read more 🡒]