There are many ways the OKC Thunder could choose to try to replace the likes of Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace following their recent, potentially season-ending injuries.
From simple internal promotions to trades for seasoned 3&D veterans, Oklahoma City certainly has its options.
Marc Stein and Jake Fischer seem to believe that one of said options could involve a certain reunion with a Thunder standout from their post-Russell Westbrook era rebuilding days.
Though stressed as "observational rather than reporting," a recent intel dump from The Stein Line floated the idea of a possible pursuit of former OKC guard Ty Jerome.
Thunder have the means to easily acquire Ty Jerome
Acquired as a promising, recent first-round selection in the Chris Paul trade to Phoenix, Jerome spent nearly two full seasons in the Sooner State from 2020 through 2022, proving himself as a quality spark plug, averaging 8.6 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game on 35.3 percent from deep while predominantly coming off the pine.
His departure from the team wasn't necessarily due to a lack of belief in his upside, but rather a desire from the front office to continue shedding salary and chipping away at their luxury tax amid their full-fledged rebuild, which, ultimately, led to him being shipped out to Houston in a multi-player deal right before the start of the 2022-23 campaign.
Five seasons later, Jerome has seen his stock rise exponentially, as he's now widely recognized as one of the best role players in the game today, finishing third in the running for Sixth Man of the Year in 2025 and is currently posting 29.8 points and 6.3 assists per game here in the early stages of his first season with the Memphis Grizzlies.
His play, coupled with a "very favorable contract" of $9.2 million this season and a $9.7 million player option next season, has Stein and Fischer viewing Jerome as a popular mid-season trade target for contenders in need of extra backcourt depth.
Without guys like J-Dub and Wallace in the fold, the undefeated, draft pick-loaded Thunder certainly fall into this category.
Now, though he may not be able to be acquired with any of the DPEs they'll presumably be applying for in the coming days/ weeks, since these exceptions only allow teams to deal for players on expiring contracts, his deal could easily be absorbed into one of their three preexisting TPEs.
As mentioned earlier, the Thunder have a number of different routes they could take in an attempt to bolster their roster following their recent string of injuries.
However, should they wish to bring on another ball handler and offensive creator, who better to target than someone like Jerome, who not only ranks third in the league in scoring but also already has a built-in understanding of coach Mark Daigneault's system from his days in OKC back during the early 2020s?
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