The 2026 NBA preseason is officially in the rearview mirror, meaning the OKC Thunder are now looking to make their final round of roster tweaks as next Tuesday's season opener rapidly approaches.
Friday, they opted to waive training camp participants, Zhaire Smith, Anthony Pritchard, and Andrew Holifield, decisions that, frankly, were far from surprising.
With these cuts, Christoph Tilly now stands alone as the only Exhibit-10 signee remaining on the club's roster.
It's worth noting that the Thunder do, in fact, still have a standard roster spot available for the taking for the 2026-27 campaign. Theoretically, they could be eyeing the big man with such a vacancy.
However, considering his still rather raw skill set, coupled with his somewhat underwhelming preseason, where he posted averages of just 3.2 points and 2.0 rebounds through five games, what's more likely is that Sam Presti and company are strongly considering the idea of locking up his services on a two-way deal for the upcoming season instead.
Of course, as of this writing, Brooks Barnhizer, Josh Dix, and Otega Oweh fill all three of Oklahoma City's two-way spots, so one of them would need to be promoted or depart for such a move to happen.
Either way, considering Tilly's still in tow, it's clear this Thunder front office is giving serious thought to keeping the rookie around.
Otega Oweh's Achilles tear could cost him his Thunder two-way
Sometimes, the NBA is a cutthroat business. Otega Oweh may be at risk of learning this the hard way.
As noted, the only way someone like Tilly could be signed to a two-way deal with the Thunder is if one of their three current occupants were removed from such confines.
Sadly, Oweh seems to be the most obvious of the bunch to be moved on from after having torn his Achilles tendon earlier this week.
Once considered a strong candidate to vie for the final standard contract the Thunder have to offer, with his recent injury, Oweh will now be sidelined for the entirety of his rookie year and, in turn, will be dead weight on the payroll.
Now, the Thunder could realistically decide to do the empathetic thing by keeping him on the roster and aiding him in his long and arduous rehab process.
Of course, should they wish to use his two-way spot on someone who could suit up for the team this coming year, Oweh could easily be a goner.
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