The Thunder are already running into the part of roster-building nobody likes to talk about: the price of keeping a contender together. Even before the season tips off, Oklahoma City is seeing the fallout from an offseason that forced the club to move on from Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Lu Dort, and others.
One of those departures, Branden Carlson, is wasting no time making his new team look smart. Carlson spent his first two seasons in Oklahoma City before signing with the Trail Blazers in July, and he has already started turning heads in Portland camp. His offensive rebounding has been singled out, along with other positive signs.
For OKC, Carlson is the kind of player that becomes collateral damage when the books get tight. With at least four big men ahead of him in the rotation, there wasn’t much sense in keeping him around just to sit deep on the bench. His $2.4 million salary is the sort of money the Thunder will have to point elsewhere.
Still, Carlson is not some throw-in. He remains a promising young center with a rare offensive skill for his position: he can stretch the floor.
In 2025-26, he hit 36.0 percent of his three-pointers and averaged 3.0 rebounds in only 11.6 minutes per game. Portland may end up being the place where he turns what he learned in Bricktown into a real role.
And Carlson might be the first reminder of a bigger problem coming for Oklahoma City. If the Thunder keep developing players at this level, other teams will keep finding ways to benefit from it.
That reality isn’t limited to Carlson, either. Dort, Wiggins, and Joe are all set to get chances to show their old team what it gave up.
Sam Presti has been open about liking the second apron because it pushes development and keeps teams from simply buying talent. The catch is that his own team is now running straight into that same wall.
Cason Wallace is expected to sign an extension soon, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s supermax deal begins next year. If the Thunder already felt squeezed this offseason, next summer could be even tougher. It’s hard to see OKC holding on to every major piece of this roster after the season.
Carlson’s quick impact in Portland is a preview of the burden that comes with being this good at developing talent. Oklahoma City keeps producing players other teams want, and the list of former Thunder making their mark elsewhere may keep growing.
In Other News...
Jalen Williams Could Decide A Crucial Thunder Lineup Call
With Lu Dort out of the starting lineup, the Thunder are weighing one of their first real rotation calls of the preseason, and the decision at shooting guard may say plenty about how they want to open the year. The choice comes down to two very different options, with Cason Wallace bringing the defensive edge Oklahoma City has valued and Ajay Mitchell offering a more offense-minded look.
Jalen Williams may end up being the swing factor in how Mark Daigneault sorts it out. If Williams is ready to carry a heavier load physically, the Thunder could afford to lean more toward Mitchells scoring presence in the first five, while a less certain recovery could push the staff toward Wallace and the steadier defensive fit beside the rest of the core. [Read more 🡒]
Jared McCain Faces Real Pressure In Bigger Thunder Role
Jared McCain spent media day sounding like a young guard who understands what comes with opportunity. With Isaiah Joe gone, the Oklahoma City backcourt has a clearer opening, and McCain is expected to shoulder a bigger load heading into the 2026-27 season. He talked about his offseason work and preparation, framing the months before camp as a chance to get himself ready for the kind of responsibility that can change a rotation fast.
What stood out most was how much of McCains outlook seemed shaped by the people around him, especially Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In a season where the minutes, expectations and scrutiny all rise with the role, McCain credited the veteran star with helping him stay even through the humbling stretches that come with life in the NBA. For a Thunder team counting on another young piece to grow up quickly, that kind of steadiness may matter as much as the shot-making. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Daigneaults Preseason Setup Says A Lot About OKCs Title Push
The Thunder will open their preseason in a familiar state setting, taking on the New Orleans Pelicans in Tulsa before rolling through five exhibition games that are clearly meant to serve a bigger purpose than just shaking off rust. For a team with real expectations this fall, the early schedule is less about wins and losses and more about getting bodies right, giving the coaching staff a chance to sort through rotation questions, and easing different players into the workload they need before the regular season starts.
Mark Daigneaults approach makes that even clearer because the schedule is built to balance rest with work, not simply to pack in extra games. The Thunder have also lined up two back-to-back sets in preseason, a structure that creates more practice time and lets the staff tailor minutes for players with different needs, an indication that Oklahoma City is treating October as a careful tune-up for a team that believes it can chase much bigger goals. [Read more 🡒]