What Branden Carlson's Departure Means for OKC Thunder

The Thunder's former two-way big man will be in Portland next season.

Apr 12, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Branden Carlson (15) runs down the court during a game against the Phoenix Suns at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Oklahoma City’s two-way big man departed in free agency, but it shouldn’t cause many issues for the Thunder.

With the NBA offseason underway, the Thunder have managed to take care of most of their priorities, such as extending Isaiah Hartenstein and trading Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe. While there’s still some action to come for Oklahoma City over the next few weeks, the roster for next season appears to be mostly set. While trading away Wiggins and Joe made headlines, another Thunder departure has gone under the radar.

As part of the first few days of free agency, former Thunder two-way center Branden Carlson agreed to a one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. After spending most of the first two years of his NBA career on a two-way contract, Carlson was able to break through this summer and secure a standard contract in Portland.

The obvious and most immediate implication for Oklahoma City is that Carlson’s departure has officially opened a two-way roster spot. Considering the anticipated return from injury of Thomas Sorber and the Thunder drafting Aday Mara in the first round, Carlson’s place on the Thunder’s roster was always in doubt, even as a potential two-way returner.

Spending the past two regular seasons as effectively the fourth center on the roster and even playing some key minutes as Oklahoma City was sometimes decimated by frontcourt injuries, Carlson was an important piece of the roster. As a 7-footer, Carlson’s ability to block shots and stretch the floor gave the Thunder a reserve who could find some success filling a role similar to Chet Holmgren for short stretches.

Although Carlson was never playoff eligible as a two-way player, he still gave Oklahoma City another big man who could nail outside looks, hitting 36% of his two 3-point attempts per game last season. Considering Holmgren and Jaylin Williams missed time due to injuries in the past two years, having another player who could space the floor for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company was a true luxury from someone on a two-way deal.

While Sorber and Mara are anticipated to be a part of the rotation next season in some capacity, there was little to no reason for Oklahoma City to entertain retaining Carlson. Considering neither Mara nor Sorber proved themselves to be effective 3-point shooters in college, that dimension of Carlson’s game could be something Oklahoma City misses next season.

Overall, it’s tough to imagine losing a two-way player, albeit a valuable one, will have any significant negative impact. Still, there could be some situations where Mark Daigneault misses having him around. Add in the prospect of Carlson finding success in Portland, and his success story could be another one to add to Oklahoma City’s list.