OKC Thunder Should Prioritize Long-Term Flexibility With Final Roster Spot

The Thunder still have an open spot, but they shouldn't use it for any long-term plans.

Jan 15, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) react after a play during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Oklahoma City has one of the most interesting futures in the league, and it should keep that in mind when deciding on its 15th man.

Over the summer, the Thunder have made some big changes for the upcoming season. Sending out Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe to save money and make room for incoming rookies Bennett Stirtz and Aday Mara, the Thunder have been quite active for their standards this offseason.

While the Thunder needed to clear some roster spots for their first-round picks, their decisions on who to ship out were largely based on the team’s apron and financial situations. Saving millions of dollars and getting under the second apron were clearly the top priorities of the Thunder’s offseason.

That was evidenced even more by Oklahoma City’s offer sheet to Spencer Jones, which would’ve kept the Thunder under the second apron. However, Denver’s match has kept Oklahoma City’s standard roster at 14 players, leading to plenty of options for how to fill that final spot.

There are a few routes Oklahoma City could take to get its standard roster up to the maximum of 15. Based on Sam Presti’s moves in recent years, that could include adding a player at the trade deadline, converting a two-way player or adding a veteran in free agency to fill that spot in the final weeks of the offseason.

In any case, the Thunder will need to prioritize their long-term flexibility. As the Thunder look to continue building around their big three, they’ll soon be in the second apron, and the upcoming extensions they give out could be quite hefty.

The Thunder also continue to have incoming first-round picks, which means they’ll need to continue having some roster space to add those players. How that shakes out over the next few years is unclear, but that should mean Oklahoma City shouldn’t make any multi-year commitments with its final spot next season.

Obviously, if the Thunder run into another Jared McCain-like situation that’s too good to pass up, they would be wise to make that move. However, if the Thunder are only looking at guys of Jones’ caliber or worse to fill that void, they shouldn’t put themselves in a poor position for the future by giving someone a multi-year deal.

The simplest route could be to give whichever two-way player shows out early the final spot, but giving anyone a deal that extends beyond next season may only add to the issues Oklahoma City will be facing in the summer of 2027.