The Oklahoma City Thunder are about to open another season with all the attention that comes with being one of the league’s title favorites. Chapter 19 of the franchise begins to take shape Monday, when the team holds Media Day and starts the run-up to training camp and a five-game NBA preseason slate.
One of the first things to watch is how Oklahoma City handles its last standard roster spot. The Thunder will carry the league maximum of 21 players into camp, and over the next three weeks, the group is expected to cycle through some of those training camp invites as the team looks for fresh legs in games and a way to secure G League rights.
There’s plenty for the Thunder to sort out on the floor, too. The offseason departures of Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe leave real holes to fill, including the question of who steps into Dort’s starting job. At the same time, Oklahoma City has to keep integrating a young wave that includes Aday Mara, Thomas Sorber, Nikola Topic, Otega Oweh and Bennett Stritz.
The camp invites themselves are worth keeping an eye on as well. Christoph Tilly, Zharie Smith, Andrew holifield and Robert McCray V are all in the mix, and while the likeliest outcome is a move to the Blue, the Thunder have used this approach before. In 2024-25, the team had an open roster spot at this point in the calendar and filled it with training camp invites to get them started before eventually converting Ajay Mitchell in their place.
Oklahoma City is going to be under the microscope all year, but the spotlight will be especially bright on opening night in San Antonio against the Spurs. This stretch of camp will go a long way toward getting the Thunder ready to make their statement there.
In Other News...
Cason Wallace Suddenly Carries A Bigger Thunder Question Than Expected
Cason Wallace entered the summer with a familiar kind of Thunder pressure, the sort that comes with a young player suddenly looking like part of the next layer of the rotation. With Oklahoma City reshuffling its perimeter group, Wallace is in the mix to absorb a bigger role as the season nears, and he has handled the added attention the same way the team has handled most of its business: calmly, with the focus kept on what comes next rather than what has changed.
There is another layer to the conversation, though, and it is the kind that tends to follow promising players in Oklahoma City once they start looking indispensable. Wallace is eligible for an extension this summer, and the talks are ongoing even if both he and Mark Daigneault say it is not becoming a distraction. For now, the Thunder are trying to keep the conversation centered on development and performance, but the calendar gives the situation a little more urgency than the usual offseason backdrop. [Read more 🡒]
Otega Oweh Suddenly Faces A Real Thunder Problem This Preseason
Sam Presti spent part of the preseason talking about the NBAs new 3-2-1 draft lottery format and why it could make the league more competitive while cutting down on tanking, but the same broader shift could create a more ordinary problem for Oklahoma Citys own young players. The Thunder have long leaned on big rotations to help develop talent, and that approach has usually given prospects room to grow while the games still matter.
This preseason, though, tighter margins could make those minutes harder to find for second-round pick Otega Oweh. If the Thunder are playing more competitive games and shrinking the floor for developmental reps, his path could get complicated quickly, especially with the team weighing how best to handle his roster status and long-term growth. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Title Push May Hinge On One Crucial Isaiah Hartenstein Question
Isaiah Hartensteins place in Oklahoma City was never really in doubt once the Thunder locked him in on a three-year contract extension, but the bigger question now is whether his body will cooperate. The Thunder see him as a central part of their rotation and a meaningful piece of the push they want to make next season, especially with playoff expectations rising around the group.
Health is the hinge here after Hartenstein lost significant time last season to calf strains, and Oklahoma City is counting on a better run of availability this time around. If he can stay on the floor, the Thunder add size, stability and another important veteran presence to a roster trying to turn promise into a deeper postseason run. [Read more 🡒]