Once the OKC Thunder turned down Nikola Topic's fourth-year option, it became quite clear that the point guard's tenure in the Sooner State would be coming to an end at the conclusion of the 2026-27 campaign.
All things considered, the best things for Sam Presti and company to do during these remaining months of his contract would be to try and shop Topic on the trade market for future-focused assets rather than risk losing him for nothing in free agency.
Unfortunately, due to his laundry list of health woes throughout his career, the Serbian-born baller has played a total of 11 games in three seasons with the Thunder, making him a relative unknown commodity and rendering his trade value as being next to nothing.
That said, right now the Thunder seem to have the perfect opportunity in front of them to raise Topic's stock, for not only are they down bad in the talent pool department, what with their widespread injury woes, but are also entering a much lighter portion of their schedule as far as strength of competition is concerned.
Because of this, coach Mark Daigneault should be more inclined than ever to roll out Topic for considerable stretches of action, which, hopefully, can put his talents on full display for the rest of the league to see.
Thunder have an exciting yet still unknown commodity in Nikola Topic
Despite the fact that he's already playing through his third season in the league, Topic is still only 21 years old and boasts the allure of a recent, lottery-selected point guard who, had he been healthy coming into the 2024 NBA Draft, was believed to have been a real threat to go number one overall.
There's no denying the upside that a player of Topic's make and skill set possesses. Measuring in at 6-foot-6, he sports the build of a modern-day wing, yet his ball-handling and high-end passing give him the traits of a traditional floor general.
Though the sample is limited, OKC has already seen firsthand the kind of production Topic can provide the team when given extended run on the hardwood. He posted stellar averages of 16.0 points, 12.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals on 50.0 percent shooting from both beyond the arc and the field as a whole when entrusted as a starter for the final two games of the season last year.
Right out of the gate this year, he displayed his innate Swiss Army Knife potential as a baller, as he racked up four boards, dished out three assists, and swiped away two steals in nearly 16 minutes of action in his debut outing against the Clippers this past Friday night.
With his back ailment now (*hopefully) behind him, the expectation should be that the short-handed Thunder will be looking to Topic as a featured rotation guy on a more consistent basis moving forward.
Fortunately, his return to the floor comes at a time when nine of the next 12 outings for OKC will be against teams with sub-.500 records.
A lightened-up schedule and more on-court opportunities could very well lead to some serious flashes of brilliance from Topic, which, in turn, should only stand to benefit his stock as a trade asset.
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