The Oklahoma City Thunder have made their intentions at center pretty clear: stockpile talent now, sort out the financial puzzle later.
That approach has left them with a crowded frontcourt and a pretty obvious question hanging over the roster. If the Thunder need to trim salary again to stay under the second apron, the most natural move may be dealing one of their bigs.
Over the last two offseasons, Oklahoma City has added two centers in consecutive drafts. Thomas Sorber came in last summer, though an injury wiped out his season before it ever got going. This summer, the Thunder added Aday Mara, giving the team another long-term piece in the middle.
On paper, both players help give OKC options. Sorber, a one-and-done at Georgetown, is set to return this upcoming season after that lost rookie year. Mara arrives fresh off winning a National Championship at Michigan and brings a huge frame, strong defense, and passing feel that stands out for a player his size.
The Thunder’s center room is already loaded with Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams, and Chet Holmgren, all of whom have been important to the team’s success. Over the past two seasons, each has logged major minutes, and in 2025, Oklahoma City won the NBA Championship.
But the new CBA doesn’t care about how important those players are. The second apron is the second apron, and the Thunder have already started making the kind of hard choices that come with it.
This summer, they moved on from Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, and Lu Dort in a series of salary-cutting transactions. And even after those moves, it’s hard to imagine the work is finished.
That’s why the draft additions of Sorber and Mara matter so much. They don’t just add depth. They create the kind of roster flexibility that could eventually let Oklahoma City part with a bigger contract if it has to.
If the Thunder decide they’re comfortable with what they have developing behind them, a trade involving Hartenstein, Williams, or even Holmgren would make sense as a way to clear a significant amount of money. That’s the tradeoff Oklahoma City is now staring at: keep the talent, or keep the books clean for as long as possible.
For now, the Thunder have bought themselves options. And in the second-apron era, that might be the most valuable thing of all.
In Other News...
Thunder May Have A New Offensive Answer Behind Shai
Isaiah Hartenstein already gave the Thunder a glimpse of what he can do as more than just a bruising interior presence. He scored efficiently, cleaned the glass and even helped as a playmaker, the kind of all-around center work that can steady an offense when possessions get messy. For Oklahoma City, that matters because any reliable source of production behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gives the rest of the attack a little more balance and a lot less pressure.
With the roster changed around him, there is a real chance for the Thunder to lean into that versatility and see how far it can go. More touches for Hartenstein would not just be about feeding a big man in the post, it would be about testing whether Oklahoma City can find another offensive lane that complements its star guard and makes the whole system harder to guard. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Mavericks Rivalry Just Became A Bigger Stage For OKC
The 2026-27 NBA schedule has already given the Thunder another reason to circle their meetings with Dallas. What was already shaping up as a compelling Western Conference rivalry now comes with a brighter spotlight, as Oklahoma City and the Mavericks are both projected to spend the season in the playoff mix. For the Thunder, the stage is especially fitting with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams expected to anchor a team built to contend again.
The added juice comes from how often these games will be in front of a national audience, a sign the league sees this as more than a routine division-style showdown. Dallas brings its own draw with Kyrie Irving back in the fold and rookie Cooper Flagg entering the picture, and the matchup now feels like one of those regular-season series that could carry real postseason weight. For Oklahoma City, it is the kind of test that can measure where this group stands early, and how much the rivalry might matter once spring arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Face A Tough Nikola Topic Call Sooner Than Anyone Wanted
The Thunder are already staring at one of those roster decisions that can shape the next few seasons, and it arrives much sooner than most of these things do. Nikola Topic, a 2024 first-round pick who has flashed real promise, is on a timeline that forces Oklahoma City to weigh projection against certainty, all while the team keeps an eye on its bigger salary-picture issues and the extensions that are coming due for other core pieces.
Topics limited NBA runway has only made the call tougher. Oklahoma City has seen enough to be intrigued, but not enough to remove the questions that naturally come with a young guard who has barely been on the floor, and the organization now has to balance patience with the practical side of team-building before the deadline hits. [Read more 🡒]