OKC Thunder's Case for Bringing Back Aaron Wiggins

The Thunder wing didn't have a great year, but there's an argument for keeping him around.

Mar 30, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) looks down the court during a play against the Detroit Pistons in the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City has a big offseason ahead, and one player’s future may not be as obvious as it seems.

Going into the offseason, the Thunder have some big decisions to make as they look to build up their roster for next season. With plenty of contracts to decide on, the NBA Draft and potential trades to be made, Sam Presti will be tasked with putting the team in the best situation on the court and on the spreadsheets.

That’s led to plenty of speculation about who might be the likeliest to be on another team when next season begins. While several names have popped up, perhaps none have appeared more frequently than Aaron Wiggins.

The Thunder’s second-round pick in 2021 has been another great story of internal development for Oklahoma City. Of course, that also means Wiggins has been an integral part of the team’s rise from the bottom of the West to NBA champions.

Scoring double digits in multiple Finals games and being a key contributor throughout the 2025 title run, Wiggins was massive in helping bring the Thunder their first ring. However, he wasn’t able to carry over his momentum from that postseason run into the 2025-26 campaign.

Signing a five-year extension in the 2025 offseason, Wiggins had a solid start to the year before an injury halted his solid play. Although that injury, just a few games into the season, that took Wiggins out for weeks, wasn’t necessarily the sole cause of his dropoff, it certainly didn’t help.

Despite getting some other opportunities throughout the year, Wiggins was unable to find consistency on the court. When injuries struck again in the postseason for Oklahoma City, Wiggins wasn’t able to make the most of his minutes and was again thrust to the end of the bench.

Despite all of those struggles, Wiggins never changed his attitude or approach and continued to work every day to try to help the Thunder win. Above all, that sort of approach was still key in helping the Thunder get as far as they did in 2026, even if it didn’t result in another title.

Considering everything the Thunder have seen from Wiggins at his peak, that sort of attitude and approach will only lead to him finding himself again on the floor. Even if 2026 wasn’t kind to him, Wiggins should be in for a bounce-back year in 2027, and his combination of size and skill can be a real weapon for the Thunder when he’s on his game.

Sure, Wiggins may end up in a better spot if he’s able to get a more consistent role elsewhere and expand his game. Yet, Oklahoma City has been his only NBA home, and he could be ready to help compete for another title if he’s still around when the 2027 playoffs tip off.