Sooner fans have plenty of ways to follow the NBA this season beyond the Thunder, and four former Oklahoma players are positioned to matter in different corners of the league.
The biggest headline belongs to Trae Young, who is opening Year 9 in the NBA in a completely new spot. After spending his entire career with the Atlanta Hawks, Young was traded to the Washington Wizards last season and then landed a four-year, $212 million contract with them in the offseason.
He already owns four All-Star selections and made Third-Team All-NBA in 2022, but he’s still chasing only his fourth trip to the playoffs. Washington has the look of a team that could make some noise in the Eastern Conference with Young, Anthony Davis, Deandre Ayton, and a wave of young talent.
Austin Reaves is in a different kind of spotlight. He has gone from undrafted free agent to one of the most paid players in the game, and now the pressure is real.
Reaves signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021 after declining an option to be drafted in the second round by the Detroit Pistons, choosing instead to take a two-way contract with the team he grew up rooting for. That decision paid off in a major way.
After back-to-back seasons above 20 points per game, including 23.3 in 2025-26, he secured a four-year, $185 million max deal. It’s the richest contract in NBA history for an undrafted player, and now he has to deliver alongside Luka Dončić with LeBron James out of the picture.
Buddy Hield’s path has been less glamorous but every bit as eventful. He’s entering his 11th season and will suit up for his seventh different team after a chaotic 2025-26.
The Golden State Warriors dealt him to the Atlanta Hawks last season, then Atlanta moved him again during the offseason to the Charlotte Hornets. That stop lasted only five days before he was sent to the Chicago Bulls.
Hield is no longer the centerpiece of an offense, but he remains a dangerous shooter off the bench and has carved out a longer NBA career than most.
Jeremiah Fears is the youngest of the group, and he may be the one on the verge of the biggest leap. He’s already been in the NBA longer than he was at Oklahoma, where he spent one season in 2024-25 before going pro.
As a rookie, he showed real promise, especially late in the year, and finished with 14.3 points per game while making 49 starts in 82 appearances. He looks lined up to start every day this season, and he’s already flashed his scoring touch by hitting double digits in every preseason game.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Faces A Frightening Sean Hutton Situation After Practice
A frightening scene unfolded at Oklahoma practice when sophomore offensive lineman Sean Hutton collapsed during a non-contact incident and was taken to a hospital for evaluation. The university confirmed the incident but did not identify Hutton by name, leaving the focus squarely on the young linemans health as the Sooners tried to sort through what happened.
Sean Huttons father, JD Hutton, later provided some detail on the situation and said he had been in contact with Oklahomas coaches and trainers. For a team that has already spent the fall dealing with the usual grind of camp and roster battles, the priority now is simply getting answers and making sure Hutton is taken care of, with more clarity still to come. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Heads To Mississippi State With One Major Line Concern
Oklahoma heads into its road trip to Mississippi State with the kind of injury report that can make a staff hold its breath, especially along the offensive front. The Sooners listed 13 players on the report, and four of them are linemen, which puts extra attention on a unit that already shapes everything from pass protection to the run game.
Michael Fasusi, the star left tackle, is questionable to return after suffering a shoulder injury, while Ryan Fodje and Eddy Pierre-Louis have already been ruled out. Mississippi State has its own uncertainty with quarterback Kamario Taylor and running back Fluff Bothwell both listed as questionable, but for Oklahoma the bigger issue is clear: how well the line can hold together before a tough SEC road test. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Suddenly Has A Sarkisian Problem Oklahoma Fans Will Love
Steve Sarkisian entered the season with Texas looking like a team that could steady the pressure around its program, but the last two weeks have changed the tone around Austin quickly. After opening 4-0, the Longhorns have stumbled into consecutive losses to Oklahoma and Florida, and the frustration is starting to show even with the contract extension he signed in January 2025. For Oklahoma fans, the sight of Texas suddenly having to answer bigger questions about its coach is the kind of development that never goes unnoticed.
Now Texas has to turn the page to Ole Miss with the spotlight still fixed on Sarkisian and the direction of the program. He has already committed to Arch Manning as the starting quarterback, but the broader concern is whether the Longhorns can settle things down before the noise around his job security gets louder. Around these parts, any sign of instability in Austin tends to draw attention in a hurry, especially when it arrives this early in the season. [Read more 🡒]