The Biggest Question the OKC Thunder Still Hasn’t Answered This Offseason

OKC could have a totally different look next season.

May 26, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jared McCain (3) reacts after a basket during the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in game five of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even with three roster-shaking trades this offseason, the Oklahoma City Thunder remain a top contender for the NBA Finals next season. If not the team to beat given injuries to major players in last year’s postseason run.

OKC has the two-time MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, still-improving co-stars in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, and budding youngsters like Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell and more to supplement the traded production. Even more, the team has a host of young players such as Nikola Topic, Thomas Sorber, Aday Mara, Bennett Stirtz and more that could still prove themselves.

Still, in the wake of the Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe and Luguentz Dort trades, there’s still some questions hovering about.

The biggest has yet to be answered so far this offseason, and likely won’t be until OKC hits the hardwood: where will the 3-point volume come from?

The Thunder have been one of the NBA’s most efficient teams from outside the arc for a few seasons now, with Dort, Joe, Wiggins and plenty more playing a massive role. 

But while the team has done well with the 3-point attempts they have put up, they haven’t been a high-volume team from the perimeter. And that’s played into slower offense in the postseason for three-straight years now. When the defense gets tighter and the possessions get more important, good shots are hard to come by, and OKC hasn’t been able to fall back on high-volume threes.

Prior to the trio of offseason trades, the Thunder already needed to boost their 3-point volume, and they’re now losing they’re two highest-volume shooters in Joe and Dort, as well as a top-five shooter in Wiggins. 

OKC’s biggest question is now two-fold: how will they replace that shooting production, and how will they increase it from there?

The good news is that Oklahoma City will have some options. Firstly, last year’s mid-season addition of guard Jared McCain is looking like it was the best move possible. The spark-plug combo guard immediately slotted into the rotation, showing the confidence to take a high volume of threes, even in the Western Conference Finals.

McCain’s ability to shoot while stationary and on the move will be crucial for OKC.

Secondly, the Thunder added a talented backcourt piece in Stirtz with the No. 16 pick at the 2026 draft. While he commanded plenty of offense in his senior season at Iowa, he also took nearly seven threes per game, and is likely to play more off the ball at the professional level.

Outside of those additions, OKC will simply need more from its returning cast beyond the arc. A volume-boost to players such as Williams, Wallace, Holmgren, Mitchell and more would go a long ways.

If Oklahoma City can kick the season off taking more threes, capitalizing on downhill chances because of that and continuing to play elite defense down one talented point-of-attack option, they'll likely play out another regular season as title favorites.