The OKC Thunder have been sleepwalking their way through the 2025-2026 postseason, and it hasn't gone unnoticed.
Their most recent opponent, the Los Angeles Lakers, has suffered three straight blowout defeats, as they simply haven't had the manpower to contend. The series has highlighted one simple fact: the Thunder have more depth than they know what to do with, and that's unlikely to change anytime soon.
Head coach J.J. Redick acknowledged this when he dropped a line that the rest of the league is terrified to say out loud.
"Their 13 guys are all top seven-to-eight rotation players in the NBA on any team," Redick said.
What Redick inadvertently acknowledged, however, was that OKC faces a looming roster logjam that general manager Sam Presti will be forced to address this coming offseason.
Thunder simply cannot keep their riches all to themselves this time
After their 2025 championship run, the Thunder were able to carry every single significant piece of their roster into the following season.
Following this year's campaign, OKC will have the second apron to deal with and a number of looming free agents.
Most notably, Isaiah Hartenstein, Lu Dort, and Kenrich Williams all have team options, and Presti may have no choice but to part ways with some, if not all of them, in an effort to save some money.
Even if he were to hypothetically retain the full squad, other questions would surely ensue.
Is Nikola Topic too good to spend another year dominating in the G-League? Where does Thomas Sorber fit into the rotation that features elite depth in the front court?
This is all without mentioning that Presti will have not one, but two first-round picks to play with in late June.
Questions would also arise regarding the hindrance to the progression of role players who could arguably be starting on several other teams.
Cason Wallace, most notably, has already shown flashes of brilliance down the stretch of the regular season, and the argument could be made that he deserves to start over Dort outright.
He's younger, a better offensive player, and easily has the higher ceiling, and could make the Thunder's starting five even more dominant if he were given the same leash that Lu has had.
All of these conundrums will have to wait until the Thunder's title run is over, but Redick's comments are a foreshadowing of what is to come. OKC's offseason will be intriguing, as its decisions will likely set the tone for the entire NBA come the 2026-27 season.
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