OKC Thunder Trades and Transaction Thread

[Kizz Fastfists]

The extensions for Holmgren and Williams won't be cheap and they will begin a year from now, which will be the final (club option) year of Dort's current deal. Wallace gets his extension the year after that. We probably have one year before we are forced to make some tough decisions.

There is a huge variance on where those extensions can land. I'd been thinking of them as 25% of the cap, but with JDub making an all-NBA team this year it is possible he ends up getting 30% of the cap. That's a $8.5M swing. If Chet were to win DPOY next year and they both get 30% extensions it will make things very interesting. I assume OKC is going into the tax for '26-'27. I've assumed that for a long time as that is when the extensions come due and the team went into the tax for much worse teams in the past. How much tax will they take on? I have no clue.

I think the best course of action is actually to trade Jones and Dieng and use both draft picks. Grab a big man and a 3&D player. Hope your big man is developed enough to take over for IH in '27-'28 and your 3&D is ready for a decent role in '26-'27 when your cap potentially forces you to clear Caruso or Dort. Personally, I expect them to extend Dort and trade Caruso if the number crunch gets to where it is pick one. Part of that is I think Dort is likely to sign for less than Caruso did or at least the same and if you make pick between them I'm taking Dort...this is from someone who until very recently had a very low opinion of Dort.

[bbms]

Credit: https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1l1lbll/can_okc_get_under_the_2nd_apron_in_2027_to/

with max handed.

there's a few uknown quantities there: ajay and jaylin probably extended through 2026/27. that should leave the thunder roughly around 40 mm above second apron assuming 2 rookies and jayilin williams/ajay or 3 rookies + ajay (i'm betting 3)

considerations:
- potential trade incoming for jaylin williams? jaylin for bucks 2031 srp and draft a c (nice class)?
- they can duck it by opting out of hartenstein + isaiah joe contracts or dort + isaiah joe + kenrich + dillon jones (with caruso and wiggins as option by trade)
- this imo highlights the necessity of drafted players on a rookie scale actually performing, since we'll have to deplete depth to duck 2nd apron in 26/27
- 27/28 2nd apron seems inevitable. 28/29 there's an opt out clause of the current CBA .

[spearsy23]

In the draft I think we should try to draft a bigger two-way forward and a center that can develop to replace IHart once his contract is up in another season.

We don’t have 2 roster spot unless you move both Dillon and Dieng . But if you do move both you should be targeting one spot for an immediate rotation help given wiggins / joe haven’t been consistent in the playoffs

You're unlikely to get a 8th/9th man who are going to consistently produce in the playoffs, especially when Mark isn't consistent with the rotations. That's the benefit of having Joe/Wiggins though, they're both capable of producing and if they aren't you can go to the other one.