The OKC Thunder may have opted to keep the vast majority of their roster intact, but the moves they've decided to make this summer will have significant implications of how their 2026-27 depth chart fills out.
Sam Presti and company kicked things off by striking on a few moves to chip away at their lofty payroll, such as the trades that shipped both Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins outbound.
He would then follow up these deals by sending veteran Lu Dort to the Atlanta Hawks, a move that not only has the ball club officially below the second apron but leaves the starting shooting guard position up for grabs.
As things currently stand, Oklahoma City has 14 roster spots accounted for. Outside of filling their 15 and final slot, next on their to-do list is to figure out the best way to structure each player in their positional pecking order.
Fortunately, the breakdown seems pretty straight forward.
Early Thunder depth chart projections for the 2026-27 season
Point guard
Starter: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Reserves: Ajay Mitchell, Nikola Topic
To lead off the majority of no-brainer rotational structures, we have the point guard position.
Needless to say, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is guaranteed to once again serve as the club's starter, and, after winning his second-straight MVP while putting forth the most efficient 30-plus point per game scoring season in league history, this shouldn't come as a shock to anyone.
Perhaps the only possible debate that could be held regarding the point guard position is who should serve as Shai's understudy, but, even that seems like an easy answer.
Ajay Mitchell just had himself a true breakout campaign in Oklahoma City, posting remarkable averages of 13.6 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game while finishing in the top-six in the running for Sixth Man of the Year.
By all accounts, he should be the primary backup to Gilgeous-Alexander, with Nikola Topic serving as more of a change-of-pace piece to this positional puzzle by sprinkling in his pure floor general style of play.
Shooting guard
Starter: Cason Wallace
Reserves: Jared McCain, Bennett Stirtz
With the departure of Dort, the starting shooting guard position seems to be Cason Wallace's for the taking, and rightly so.
Behind his All-Defensive abilities and steady long-range shooting stroke (boasts a 37.4 career three-point percentage), the 22-year-old has always been viewed as the heir apparent to Dort at the two.
Now, he'll have the opportunity to prove this expectation to have been well worth it all along come year four, a contract year, no less.
Jared McCain, meanwhile, will be second in the pecking order and should expect to see a significant uptick in on-court usage, what with the departures of both I-Joe and Aaron Wiggins this summer, as his offensive talents will most likely be used to make up for their absences from the rotation.
Their departures may even play a role in rookie Bennett Stirtz seeing more action than initially expected during his debut campaign in the association, especially considering how impressive he's looked in this year's Summer League.
Small forward
Starter: Jalen Williams
Reserves: Alex Caruso
The Thunder's small forward position is equally as imposing as it is scarce.
On the one hand, they truly have one of the best threes in the game manning the spot in Jalen Williams who, when healthy, has proven to be nothing short of a two-way monster.
When last at full strength during the 2024-25 season, he earned All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive honors while dropping 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game and playing a vital role in guiding OKC to its first NBA Championship.
Of course, on the other hand, their lack of depth at the position is so debilitating that the most logical backup option to J-Dub is the likes of traditional two guard Alex Caruso, who, though is a true force on the defensive end, lacks both the size and offensive firepower to be an ideal understudy to Williams.
While most may be looking to Oklahoma City's center depth as an area of slight concern (more on that later), perhaps there's an argument to be made that Presti may want to consider addressing the three spot to get a more seamless insurance policy for Williams while simultaneously sending Caruso back to his more natural shooting guard position.
Power forward
Starter: Chet Holmgren
Reserves: Jaylin Williams, Kenrich Williams
Chet Holmgren is widely considered one of the game's best young big men, and for good reason.
Throughout his three-year playing career, the 7-footer has established himself as an elite defensive force and a highly proficient offensive floor spacer.
This past year proved to be his best in the pros, as he earned All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive honors behind averages of 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks while shooting 55.7 percent from the floor and 36.2 percent from deep.
Without question, he is both the immediate and long-term starting power forward for this Thunder team.
Directly behind him is a guy in Jaylin Williams, who, with his defensive chops, passing skills, and floor-spacing abilities, has him soundly in the conversation of being the best backup big in the league.
Filling out the position is Kenrich Williams, who, though he might not play all that regularly, has the elite level of hustle and drive necessary to step in and make an impact at any moment's notice.
Center
Starter: Isaiah Hartenstein
Reserves: Aday Mara, Thomas Sorber
Rounding out the starting five is the center slot, a position that has been a major point of discussion throughout the offseason.
Isaiah Hartenstein has been the primary pivot for the club since arriving back in the summer of 2024, and, being that he just inked a brand new three-year, $75 million contract this offseason, one should expect the title-tested big to remain in this role moving forward.
The big question is, who will spell him?
Right now, both Aday Mara and Thomas Sorber are slated to square off for a shot at the number two spot in the center rotation.
The former is the club's lottery pick from this past June's NBA Draft, who, though he came into the association with a ton of hype, has somewhat underwhelmed during his time spent in the Summer League.
The latter, meanwhile, is the 15 pick from the 2025 NBA Draft who, since being selected, has yet to play a lick of in-game action as a result of a torn ACL.
Just recently, it was reported that he went under the knife once again in the same surgically repaired knee, though he is expected to be ready to go for training camp.
With this in mind, Mara seems to have the slight edge in this particular rotational battle, though things could easily change come the time October rolls around.
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