The Thunder have spent the offseason running into the same unavoidable problem: when you’re paying three stars, good role players don’t get to stay put forever.
That reality has already shown up in the moves involving Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe. Each trade made sense on its own, because Oklahoma City has younger pieces who can help cover what those players brought on defense and from the perimeter.
That has long been part of Sam Presti’s blueprint. The harder part is making sure the plan still works once the money starts tightening up.
Presti has helped create some breathing room by attaching team options to a number of contracts. That gave the Thunder a way to extract draft capital in Dort’s case, bring back Kenrich Williams at a cheaper number, and extend Isaiah Hartenstein at what was likely a below-market price.
Even so, Dort’s exit may be the template for what comes next.
Jaylin Williams has a $7.7 million team option for 2027-28, and that could make him the most obvious trade candidate on the roster when the Thunder face their next round of financial decisions.
Williams is not a must-have in the sense that Oklahoma City can’t function without him, but he is exactly the kind of player contenders like to keep around. Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren are going to be in the starting lineup as much as possible, and it’s tough to know what Thomas Sorber or Aday Mara will give the team in their first full NBA seasons. Williams has limitations defensively, but he brings playmaking, and he can fill in as a small-ball five when the Thunder need someone to steady the second unit.
He also backed that up in 2025-26, averaging 7.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 38.3% from three-point range in 65 games.
The money squeeze only gets tighter from there. Cason Wallace is headed for an extension that would kick in in 2027-28, while Jared McCain and Ajay Mitchell will also be eligible for new deals. On top of that, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s contract jumps to a $60 million annual value.
Trading Williams alone won’t solve all of that. Oklahoma City would likely need several more moves to create enough space. Alex Caruso, who is set to make just under $21 million in 2027-28, could also end up in the conversation.
Still, Williams would not be hard to move if he puts together another strong season. A backup center who can space the floor and handle the ball a bit is the kind of piece plenty of teams would take, especially at a price just under $8 million.
Dort was dealt because his team option and his dip in production made him expendable. Williams could end up in a similar spot next offseason, even if his play never falls off.
In Other News...
Chet Holmgren Just Put Oklahoma Citys Future Core In Focus
Victor Wembanyamas Western Conference Finals performance put a sharper spotlight on one of Oklahoma Citys biggest questions heading into the summer. Across the seven-game series, the Spurs star piled up 22.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks a night, and the matchup exposed just how much the Thunder still have to solve when Chet Holmgren is asked to handle elite size and skill in the paint.
Holmgrens rough finish, capped by a 4-point Game 7 on 1-of-7 shooting, only added to the unease around a roster that has to balance high-end talent with a tightening financial picture. Oklahoma City has built its rise around a promising young core, but as salary cap rules get more restrictive, the pressure on how that core is paid and preserved is only going to grow. [Read more 🡒]
Russell Westbrook Just Forced Thunder Fans To Revisit His Legacy
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Westbrook finished as the NBAs all-time leader in triple-doubles with 209, a reminder of just how singular his run was and why his legacy in Oklahoma City still sparks debate and appreciation in equal measure. There had even been outside interest in bringing him back in a mentoring role before he chose to end his playing career, another sign that his influence has stretched well beyond the highlights that made him a Thunder icon. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Williams Now Carries One Huge Thunder Question
Jalen Williams new deal came with the kind of weight that follows a rising star in Oklahoma City, where every contract decision now has to fit both the roster and the books. After extensions for Williams and Chet Holmgren, the Thunder already started making moves to manage luxury tax costs, a reminder that this young core is no longer just about talent evaluation but about long-term financial planning too.
For Williams, the next step is as much about stability as production. The Thunder need him to keep building on what he has shown while staying on the floor and delivering the kind of consistency that makes a max-level investment feel secure, even as Holmgrens offensive growth remains part of the same larger equation. In a market like this, the front office is not only asking whether the ceiling is high enough, but whether the pieces around it can be preserved long enough to matter. [Read more 🡒]