Offseason Moves Make OKC Thunder Less Flexible For Injuries This Season

The OKC Thunder have continued to win desptie inconsistent health with its key players the past four seasons. After moving off three key regular seasons rotation players, this will be much harder in 2026-27.

Apr 22, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) gestures to his team before a play against the Phoenix Suns in the first half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Oklahoma City Thunder have held the best regular-season record in the Western Conference each of the last three seasons, with an NBA championship in the middle of it. Despite the constant statistical dominance, it's not been a case of good injury luck.

The Thunder have seen multiple key players and stars miss crucial time in each season, especially in the past two years. Due to constantly having elite depth, injury crises have been avoided, with the team refusing to slow down.

Chet Holmgren missed a large chunk of the 2024-25 regular season, Jalen Williams missed most of the 2025-26 season and Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso missed portions of each of the last two years. Still, strong depth allowed the Thunder to work around the bumps in the road and remain the best in the West.

Even dating back to this core's first competitive season, in 2022-23, the Thunder still competed in the Play-In Tournament despite Holmgren missing his whole rookie year.

After offloading three key players from Oklahoma City's elite regular-season depth to get under the second apron this offseason, the team is much less flexible around key injuries heading into 2026-27. Health among the top of the rotation will be an utmost priority, especially with the slim wings unit.

Before the negatives, the team's frontcourt is the deepest it has ever been, with two highly touted rookies in Aday Mara and Thomas Sorber being added to the rotation; stress and overreliance are less directed to Holmgren, Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams. Also, situations similar to Jalen Williams being thrust into the starting center role in 2024 should never be forced to happen anymore.

At the same time, the team is the lightest it's ever been during this era of Thunder Basketball in tall guards and wings. Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins's exits will be felt the most this season.

Isaiah Joe's spot has a direct replacement: Jared McCain stepped into his minutes during the postseason and rookie Bennett Stirtz will get run as well. Dort was the Thunder's most consistently healthy role player and Wiggins tended to step up the second his teammates were sidelined.

More reliance will be placed on Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell, as well as Jalen Williams, one year off a season that can be considered lost due to injuries. Caruso will also have to take on a higher workload in the regular season than in years past.

Injuries to this positional group could mean unproven two-way Brooks Barnhizer and rookie Otega Owen could get key minutes in games.

If all healthy, the Thunder's rotation is still one of, if not the best in the NBA, but now without some of the most reliable players they've had in years past, injury issues could make them volatile.