Looking at the OKC Thunder’s Starting Lineup Options After the Dort Trade

On Sunday, the Oklahoma City Thunder officially sent off longtime wing defender Luguentz Dort in a three-time trade, grabbing only draft capital in return.

Now, OKC’s most transformative offseason in some time has been cemented, with the team forced to roll out a new starting five and rotation next season.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault is sure to have option, still manning a contender in the Western Conference with budding young pieces. Below, we’ll evaluate the team’s options for its starting five in 2026-27:

Option No. 1:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Cason Wallace

Jalen Williams

Chet Holmgren

Isaiah Hartenstein

The easiest solution would be to simply plug Cason Wallace in for Dort, as he offers plenty of the same things in what is likely an even better package.

Wallace is the capable point-of-attack defender that Daigneault likes in his first five out. He’s fresh off his very first All-Defense selection, and while he’s not quite as strong as the new Atlanta Hawk, he can similarly lock in on individual matchups.

Wallace is also a better offensive option, having proven himself through last year’s postseason as one of the more reliable 3-point shooters. Dort saw a tough last season, and Wallace is more versatile as a handler and driver as well.

Plugging in Wallace would likely be the best step toward continuity as well, keeping a player who functions similarly to Dort overall. Wallace is no stranger to starting games either, having started 58 last season with various players out due to injury.

Option No. 2

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Ajay Mitchell

Jalen Williams

Chet Holmgren

Isaiah Hartenstein

The less likely but still viable solution would be to move budding star Ajay Mitchell into the starting five.

Mitchell was the fourth-leading scoring on the team last season at 13.6 points per game, using his combination of breakneck driving, pull-up jump-shooting and play-making to impact the game for OKC. There’s a case to be made that he’s already the team’s fourth-best player, even without 100 career games under his belt.

Starting Mitchell would be a move toward OKC being an offensive juggernaut. Mitchell isn’t a bad defender, but the Thunder’s new starting five would need to win games by putting the ball through the hoop, opposed to stifling opposing attacks.

Mitchell’s secondary ball-handling could massively help out the team’s two-time MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander by relieving pressure in the backcourt.

Mitchell would be a totally different look, having only started 16 games last season.

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