The Thunder’s Biggest Issue After Their Salary-Shedding Summer, According to an NBA Scout

Editor’s Note: For the upcoming Sports Illustrated 2026–27 basketball preview magazine that will hit newsstands in October, SI spoke to anonymous scouts around the NBA about all 30 teams.

After falling just short of the NBA Finals in their title defense, the Thunder had to make some decisions over the summer.

The franchise traded away Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins in an effort to shed salary, decrease the luxury tax bill and retain big man Isaiah Hartenstein on a new three-year contract. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams’s max contracts begin this season, where they will each make $41.2 million. Back-to-back reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in that range too, but his salary will jump to over $60 million next season when his extension kicks in.

Plus, Cason Wallace is currently extension eligible and, as things currently stand, headed for restricted free agency next summer. Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain become extension eligible a year from now, which forced Sam Presti to make decisions to keep the best possible roster around the core trio while making the financials work. The departures of Dort, Joe and Wiggins will be felt, but which loss hurts the most?

“I think they will miss Lu Dort a little during the year because he understands how they're trying to play and he’s a guy that has a level of every-night competitiveness,” an anonymous scout told Sports Illustrated. “But in the playoffs, the guy to me that they probably will miss more is Isaiah Joe.”

Joe was traded to the Pistons for two second-round picks, which helped the Thunder decrease their tax bill. He’s a high-level shooter who knocked down 42.3% of his six three-point attempts per game last season. Oklahoma City’s hope is that McCain, who was acquired at last year’s trade deadline, will fill the shooting void off the bench. But that’s not all the Thunder will miss with Joe.

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“I think [Joe is] a legit, legit shooting threat and defensively is more than capable as what people would consider a minus defender,” the scout said. “Now, maybe McCain grows as a player and gets better, but I think he’s a worse defender than Joe. And in terms of how he plays, he's not as smart. He's a great shooter, but he's not as smart. He's not as team oriented. So that to me is the one that maybe impacts him a little bit more.”

With the core trio of Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Williams, Oklahoma City will still be every bit of a Western Conference power. The team nearly beat the Spurs without Williams for the great majority of the series. SGA is the MVP until proven otherwise as one of, if not the toughest defensive assignment in the league. But OKC’s loss in the Western Conference finals signified there’s room for adjustments, especially as San Antonio and Victor Wembanyama continue to rise.

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“[The Thunder] do a very, very good job of playing to their identity and the system that they have developed. And when you can get close to them in talent or exceed them in talent, there's some gaps in who they are,” the anonymous scout said to SI. “Holmgren, obviously, although he had a phenomenal year overall in the playoffs, I mean, he really got exposed there. It wasn’t just Wembanyama.

“When I was watching, [Holmgren] got punked by dudes that were five inches shorter than him and not considered tough guys. Devin Vassell is not considered a tough guy. Julian Champagnie is not considered a tough guy. So I think that was something there with him that stood out.”

The Spurs had OKC’s number during the regular season last year and got the last laugh with a trip to the Finals on the line. If all goes according to plan, we’ll see the second edition of Spurs-Thunder in the Western Conference finals this year with revenge and a chance to get back to the title on OKC’s mind.

Offseason recap

Who’s in: Isaiah Hartenstein (re-signed), Kenrich Williams (re-signed), Aday Mara (draft), Bennett Stirtz (draft)
Who’s out: Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Branden Carlsen

Dort, Joe and Wiggins are the biggest losses for the Thunder, but the deals allowed the team to lock down Harteinstein on a long-term deal and bring back Kenrich Williams. OKC didn’t make any true acquisitions through the trade market or free agency, but the franchise brought in Michigan big man Aday Mara and last year’s Iowa standout Bennett Stirtz as first-round picks. Mara may not be needed immediately, especially with Jaylin Williams still around, but he’s a huge body to throw at Wembanyama and fills in as immediate center depth. He could grow into the center of the future, too, once Hartenstein’s new contract is up. Stirtz projects as a strong shooter and ballhandler off the bench. He may not play a significant role immediately either, but another shotmaker only helps with the losses of Joe and Wiggins.

Roster wise, the Thunder’s offseason was defined by a bet on the talent already in house. Wallace made second team All-Defense last year and is already due for a payday to stick around. Mitchell was a playoff hero until he dealt with injuries. Now, he has true upside as a high-level scorer that surrounds OKC’s core trio. McCain made huge shots in the playoffs, too. There’s aspects of Dort, Joe and Wiggins that the Thunder will certainly miss, but the hope is that the bet on the young wave is enough to take down the Spurs.

SI’s prediction for the 2026-27 Thunder

Record: 59–23 | Predicting the 2026–27 NBA Standings: Which Teams Will Rise, Fall and Surprise?

The Thunder won 64 games last season and earned the No. 1 seed in the West for the third straight season. Is this the year that changes? Even if so, OKC will remain right there. Despite Williams’s health issues last season, the Thunder still reached the doorstep of the NBA Finals. That’s still a disappointment as each year with SGA is championship or bust. However, even with the tough loss, OKC got more data to attack the Spurs. Wemby is only getting better alongside improvements from Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, but the Thunder remain a top dog in the West. Should we get a rematch of the Western Conference finals, we’ll see another true battle in the NBA’s best rivalry.

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