The Oklahoma City Thunder may be coming into a very different NBA picture this time around, but they’re still right there in the title conversation.
A season ago, the Thunder looked like the team with the clearest road back to the Finals. They had just won the first championship in franchise history, and the expectation was that they’d only keep getting stronger. That belief looked justified early, too, because Oklahoma City ripped off 24 wins in its first 25 games.
Then the season started to tilt. Injuries piled up and made the push for a repeat much harder.
And when the Thunder ran into the San Antonio Spurs, the problems got bigger. San Antonio had already given OKC trouble in the regular season, then the two met again in the Western Conference Finals.
The young Spurs stunned the defending champs and ended Oklahoma City’s season.
Now the Thunder are healthy again and trying to make another run, but the path ahead looks crowded. Other contenders have clearly moved closer.
The 76ers added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown to a star-heavy group, while LaMelo Ball was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves to join Anthony Edwards. The Spurs also strengthened their roster by adding Tobias Harris as a true four.
Even with all that movement, Oklahoma City hasn’t slipped out of the top tier. DraftKings has the Thunder tied with the Spurs for the best championship odds next season at +270.
That sets up another direct test with San Antonio, and OKC will be hoping to have both Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell at full health when it comes. If those two can stay on the floor, the Thunder believe they can get back to the top.
The league may look different, but the Thunder are still very much in the mix. Now they have to go prove it again.
In Other News...
Thunder Still Have One Roster Spot As Undrafted Battle Heats Up
With most of the Oklahoma City roster already taking shape for the 2026-27 season, the front office is down to one open spot and is weighing every move with the salary cap in mind. That makes the undrafted group from Summer League more than just July filler, because performances in Las Vegas can still decide whether a player gets a standard contract, a two-way deal, or a longer look with the Oklahoma City Blue.
Payton Sandfort, Anthony Pritchard and Steven Ashworth each had moments that kept them in the conversation, though their paths do not look the same. The Thunder are still sorting through which skill set fits best with their flexibility plans, and the final decision may come down to whether one of these young players can do enough in the coming weeks to force the issue before that lone roster opening disappears. [Read more 🡒]
Chet Holmgren Opened Up About OKCs Painful Offseason Shakeup
The Thunder spent the 2026 offseason remaking the edges of a roster that had already been built for a title chase, adding three newcomers in the draft while bringing back Isaiah Hartenstein and Kenrich Williams. But the most jarring part of the summer came on the trade front, when Isaiah Joe, Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins were dealt to Eastern Conference teams as Oklahoma City continued to trim luxury tax costs and reshape the roster around its next phase.
At a USA Basketball Foundation event, Chet Holmgren addressed the changes publicly and made clear the exits hit hard on a personal level. Even so, his remarks also pointed to a bigger theme around the Thunder right now: a young core that has lived through plenty of turnover, and a belief inside the building that the front office is making these calls with a long view in mind, even when the short-term emotional cost is obvious. [Read more 🡒]
Cason Wallace Is Becoming A Real Thunder Offseason Dilemma
The Thunder have spent much of the offseason reshaping the edges of a roster that already sits in a strong spot, adding two draftees, moving three players and opening up salary space while keeping the core intact. In that context, Cason Wallace has become one of the more intriguing names in the room, a young guard who already carries real value around the league after earning NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors.
For Oklahoma City, the challenge is that Wallace is useful in two different ways at once: he is the kind of player front offices covet in trade talks, but he is also expected to take on a bigger role this season. He is eligible for a contract extension, and the Thunder seem to be using this year to see how far his game can grow before deciding whether to lock him in long term. [Read more 🡒]