The Thunder don’t exactly need help finding star power. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren give Oklahoma City plenty of headline value as it heads into next season as one of the favorites to win the NBA title, just as it was during the 2024-25 season. But the real swing piece for this team might come from a very different part of the roster.
An ESPN look at Oklahoma City’s offseason and what could be ahead next year pointed to an unexpected group of X-factors: Bennett Stirtz, Nikola Topic, Aday Mara and Thomas Sorber. On paper, that’s not the kind of quartet that screams immediate centerpiece.
Three of them are entering their first season, and Topic is the only one with any experience in the mix. Still, the idea here is bigger than pure box-score production.
The Thunder spent the offseason trying to stay at championship level while managing the financial pressure of the second apron, and that balancing act came with real costs. Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort were the players the team lost while making the math work. So the question for Oklahoma City isn’t just who can help right now - it’s whether the roster can keep cycling in young, inexpensive talent without losing its edge.
That’s where this group matters. Stirtz, Topic, Mara and Sorber all bring affordable contracts, which gives the Thunder more room around their established stars. And if any of them develop the way recent Oklahoma City young players have, the front office could keep the machine running without having to blow up the formula.
There are reasons to think that kind of growth is possible. Stirtz and Mara showed flashes in Summer League and could fit into multiple lineup combinations.
Sorber is trying to get his rookie year back on track after an injury kept him from getting started, and the Thunder will want to see the first-round pick show why they believed in him. Topic, meanwhile, has already flashed solid playmaking ability and now needs to turn that into a bigger step forward over a full season.
With so much talent already in place, Oklahoma City may not need an X-factor in the traditional sense. But these four could still end up being the pieces that matter most for what comes next.
In Other News...
Thunder Front Office Faces Its Next Big Test While Still Setting The Standard
The Thunder keep drawing praise for the way theyve handled the roster they built around their young core, balancing ambitious moves with the kind of financial discipline that has become part of the organizations identity. Retaining key players has been a point of emphasis, and re-signing center Isaiah Hartenstein stood out as another sign that Oklahoma City is determined to keep its foundation intact even while operating under tight constraints.
Now comes the next layer of the challenge. With contract extension decisions approaching for players such as Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell, the front office will have to keep threading the needle between present value and future flexibility. Oklahoma City has set a standard for sharp roster management, but the real test is whether it can continue making those calls without disrupting the long-term plan that has made the Thunder so hard to outmaneuver. [Read more 🡒]
Jared McCain Could Be The Key To OKC's Dangerous New Look
With Oklahoma Citys core still built around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams heading toward the 2026-27 season, the Thunder are staring at a familiar kind of problem for a team with real ambition: how to keep the top end intact while reshaping the edges around it. The departures of Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe have already thinned out some of the old rotation patterns, which means Mark Daigneault has room to sort through new backcourt combinations and decide whether Ajay Mitchell or Cason Wallace fits best alongside Gilgeous-Alexander.
That is where Jared McCain starts to look especially interesting. If his shooting keeps coming along, he can help Oklahoma City widen the floor, but the more valuable step may be what he becomes as a passer and connective piece. The Thunder do not need another one-note guard so much as a player who can make the game easier for the people around him, and if McCain grows into that role, he could give this roster a different kind of danger without forcing anyone out of place. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Schedule Puts OKC In Contender Spotlight Again
The NBAs newly released 2026-27 schedule reinforces just how firmly the Thunder have moved into the leagues top tier. Oklahoma City landed 30 nationally televised games, fifth-most in the NBA, another sign that the defending contender is expected to spend the season under a brighter spotlight with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams leading the way.
The national attention comes with a demanding calendar, too, as the Thunder will have to navigate several back-to-back stretches that can test a deep roster over the grind of a long season. For a team already being treated like a co-title favorite, the schedule sets up plenty of premium matchups and a chance to prove the hype is justified, even if the real measuring stick wont be clear until the spring. [Read more 🡒]