By trading away guys like Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe this offseason, the OKC Thunder rids themselves of two of their most versatile backup wing talents ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
With their length and specific style of play, the two were the most well-equipped options on the roster behind Jalen Williams to smoothly slot in at both the two and three spots.
With their departures, Sam Presti and company tried to make up for the club's lack of traditional wing depth by making a run at Nuggets forward Spencer Jones, but Denver's decision to match their two-year, $12 million offer sheet made such efforts futile.
Now, the Thunder are once again left without any reliable insurance behind J-Dub at the small forward position.
Sure, they have the likes of Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain, and rookie Bennett Stirtz who could/ should end up serving as replacements for Williams, but, considering their frames fit the mold of natural guards, this is far from an ideal position for Oklahoma City to be in ahead of a championship-or-bust season.
With Jalen's recent injury woes, finding a pure forward to back the All-Star should be a must for the Thunder, and, with their chase for Jones, it appears the front office understands this.
Fortunately, there may be one low-risk, high-reward option residing on the open market that OKC might want to consider.
Ochai Agbaji could be a tremendous add for Thunder in free agency
Ochai Agbaji has shown flashes since entering the association back in 2022, but has yet to carve out a consistent role within a team's rotation due to frequent trade migration.
The former lottery pick put forth his best season as a pro just two years ago while suiting up for the Raptors, where he posted impressive averages of 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 49.8 percent shooting from the floor and 39.9 percent shooting from deep while ranking in the 94 percentile in perimeter isolation defense and the 74 percentile in rim deterrence.
Seemingly due to Toronto's desire to shy away from development and lean into a playoff push, Agbaji was offloaded to the rebuilding Nets, where, while out of the spotlight, he still proved more than capable of positively contributing in a role-player fashion. He would finish his brief 2025-26 stint in Brooklyn with 6.7 points per game on .455/ .349/ .786 shooting splits.
Still just 26 years old, Agbaji is young enough that he could still pan out as a fine 3&D rotation fixture, while his 6-foot-5, 215-pound frame accompanied by a 6-foot-10 wingspan makes him a seamless fit for a backup three-four hybrid.
While the Thunder could certainly wait to fill their 15 and final roster spot, snatching up an intriguing two-way youngster like Agbaji on an MLE could be the ideal low-risk, high-reward decision to wrap up their offseason.
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