The OKC Thunder have been patient zero when it comes to the injury bug that's been plaguing the NBA this year. With both Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace out long-term, the Thunder elected to fill the holes in their rotation via free agency.
Wing Ochai Agbaji was the solution - until he wasn't. A stunning turn of events was sparked by yet another injury. On Friday, it was reported that big man Chet Holmgren will be out 8-10 weeks due to a small tear in his patellar tendon in his right knee. After the news, the Thunder changed their minds on Agbaji and decided to let him search for employment elsewhere.
Agbaji, who was clearly meant to be a temporary stopgap solution at the back end of the rotation, now apparently isn't sufficient to fill the Thunder's need. GM Sam Presti might be gritting his teeth right now, but his decision to back out of the signing likely implies that he will have to abandon one of his fundamental principles and hunt for solutions on the trade market.
Thunder's Sam Presti will have to overcome his phobia of mid-season trades yet again
Presti has been on record expressing his apprehension about midseason trades, highlighting how much risk they carry. Previous acquisitions like Gordon Hayward surely fuel the anxiety.
Last season's addition, Jared McCain, helped to quell some of those fears, but Presti now faces an entirely new challenge. He will now have to explore the trade market in the first few weeks of the season.
Names like Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III have already been floated as potential options to pursue, and who knows what other solutions Presti is currently looking into. But the fact of the matter is that a small free-agent signing wasn't good enough, meaning something big could be looming on the horizon.
Regardless, it appears Sam Presti is navigating uncharted waters. There is no guarantee J-Dub or Cason Wallace will be back this season, and Holmgren will now be on a two-month hiatus. Outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell, OKC might not have a scorer who can be depended on night in and night out.
The NBA eagerly awaits Sam Presti's next move, but one thing is certain: doing nothing is no longer an option. No matter how much the transactional wizard loves sticking to his guns, he will now be forced to hunt around the league for more ammo.
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