The Thunder have weathered the kind of injury stretch that usually knocks a team off course, but the bigger picture in Oklahoma City is starting to come into focus. With three straight wins despite being without three starters, the roster has held together thanks in part to Ajay Mitchell’s rise and the team’s overall depth. Jalen Williams is likely done for the season, Cason Wallace is out until at least the end of the regular season, and Chet Holmgren is expected to miss the next seven to eight weeks with a partially torn patellar tendon.
That run has reinforced how sturdy this group can be. It has also made the financial puzzle around the Thunder even more interesting, because Mitchell’s emergence as a legitimate second option is only driving up the cost of keeping him around long term. Oklahoma City already has Wallace’s payday locked in, and Jared McCain is next in line for a major deal, whether that comes with the Thunder or somewhere else.
That’s where Isaiah Hartenstein enters the conversation. For all his value, he looks like the most movable contract on the roster if Oklahoma City needs to create space for those future extensions. The Thunder have built enough flexibility into the roster that, if the time comes, Hartenstein may be the first player sent out to make room.
Under the current CBA, keeping a title core together is harder than ever, and Oklahoma City has already had to think several moves ahead. The Thunder came through the offseason relatively cleanly and stayed under the second apron, with Luguentz Dort as the only truly integral piece from their championship run who was lost - and his decline in 2025-26 made that decision easier to absorb.
Still, if the Thunder are going to pay Mitchell and McCain, the list of places to trim gets short fast. Hartenstein is set to make $75 million over the next three years on the extension he signed this past offseason.
Alex Caruso is also on the books for roughly $60 million over the next three years. Both matter a lot to what Oklahoma City is trying to do now and in the near future.
Hartenstein remains one of the league’s best screeners and rebounders, and his presence lets Holmgren, when healthy, slide into the freer defensive role he has grown into over the last couple of seasons. Caruso still gives the Thunder elite perimeter defense, and his playoff shot-making keeps him in the middle of the conversation even if his regular-season offense doesn’t jump off the page.
But Sam Presti’s recent draft choices suggest the front office has already started planning for life beyond Hartenstein. Oklahoma City took Thomas Sorber at No. 15 in 2025 and Aday Mara at No. 12 in 2026 as possible replacements.
Sorber has yet to play an NBA game while recovering from the ACL tear that wiped out his rookie year, but Mara is developing into a real backup big, with noticeable growth in his defensive intensity and versatility from game to game. The Thunder also picked up Sorber’s third-year option, a sign they likely see a path for him in the rotation.
Presti has also already shown how he wants to handle restricted free agency with the team’s younger players, giving Wallace a long-term extension before he reached the final season of his rookie deal. Mitchell now looks like he could be headed toward a deal worth around $30 million annually, especially after averaging 22.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 53.6% from the field since that fateful outing against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The full financial bill for Mitchell - and possibly McCain - won’t arrive until 2028-29. But if Mara continues to look like a real option behind and alongside Holmgren, the signs point toward Hartenstein being the one who eventually moves, whether that means clearing the way for the frontcourt or bringing back draft capital in a salary dump.
In Other News...
Thunder May Have Found Shai Gilgeous-Alexanders Surprise Scoring Help
With the Thunder shorthanded in the middle of a stretch that has tested their depth, a new frontcourt option has started to emerge alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The injuries have thinned Oklahoma Citys rotation and forced the team to look harder at who can take on more responsibility, especially on the offensive end, where every extra source of scoring matters.
Aday Mara gave them a reason to keep looking in his direction in a win over the Washington Wizards, showing enough poise and activity to suggest there may be more there than just spot duty. Oklahoma City is now weighing whether to expand his role as it tries to keep the offense afloat while key pieces remain out, and that kind of internal answer can matter even more when the roster is stretched this thin. [Read more 🡒]
Nikola Topic Just Reached An Important Step In His Thunder Return
Nikola Topic has reached a meaningful checkpoint in his recovery, with the Thunder assigning the young guard to their G League affiliate as he works his way back from back surgery. It is the latest step in a stop-and-start beginning to his NBA career for the No. 12 pick in the 2024 draft, whose development has been slowed by a string of injuries and illnesses since he entered the league.
For Oklahoma City, the move is less about the short-term box score than the long view, giving Topic a chance to get back on the floor in a controlled setting and start rebuilding momentum. He has already spent the entire regular season sidelined, and now the next question is how quickly he can turn this assignment into real game action again. [Read more 🡒]
Jared McCain Is Giving The Thunder Exactly What Shai Needed
Jared McCain gave Oklahoma City the kind of early lift that can make a lopsided game feel settled before it really starts. In the Thunders 124-97 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA Cup West Group B stage, McCain finished with 21 points, five rebounds, four steals and a block, and his first-quarter burst helped set the tone for a night when the ball kept moving and the pressure kept coming from both ends.
What stood out afterward was how naturally McCain fit into the Thunders team-first rhythm, especially with the offense spreading the load around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. McCain pointed to the cohesion on both sides of the floor, and it was easy to see why this version of Oklahoma City can make life easier on its star while still forcing opponents to deal with waves of different threats. [Read more 🡒]