The Oklahoma City Thunder are undeniably going to need more out of their young core in 2026-27.
With a financial crunch coming for the organization this offseason, the front office was able to maximize what it had at its disposal by moving on from Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins in separate trades. Each of those pieces are, at least theoretically, replaceable by talent the Thunder still have on the roster.
A key aspect of building a sustainable team is having talent under relatively moderate team control, and that comes in the modern NBA through rookie contracts. It's why the Thunder made the move for McCain at last year's trade deadline, and it's why they held onto all three of their draft selections this offseason.
If they're going to be able to surround their max-contract players with enough talent to maximize their chances at another championship, they're going to need their young pieces to meet or exceed expectations.
Some of these players have yet to see an NBA court, so this is primarily a thought exercise. But it's worth seeing how these pieces stack up against each other ahead of a pivotal campaign for Oklahoma City.
Ranking the Thunder's rookie-contract contributors ahead of an organization-defining season
1. Cason Wallace
Wallace's game isn't perfect. But heading into the final season of his rookie contract, he will be about as important a piece for the Thunder as you could imagine.
He seems slated to start in the backcourt next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and he's steadily developed into one of the league's most disruptive perimeter defenders. He might lack some of the size and rebounding upside that Dort had during his time here, but Wallace should be able to fill in nicely in the starting five's defensive scheme. There's also some major offensive upside to be unlocked there as well, which will ultimately determine the extent of his extension if negotiations get pushed to next offseason.
But for now, Wallace seems to be a major cornerstone of this Thunder team moving forward.
2. Ajay Mitchell
This could very well be a 1A and 1B situation between Wallace and Mitchell. The only true separators here are defensive impact and availability. Mitchell is a capable defender for his position, but he's nowhere near Wallace in terms of pure impact. He was also limited for large stints of both his rookie and sophomore seasons, playing a total of just 93 games across his first two NBA campaigns.
But if you set that to the side, Mitchell is one of the most exciting, dynamic young guards in the league. He's capable of getting downhill and challenging his man at the perimeter with his speed, and his perimeter shot seems to be coming along nicely. He'll function as a highly important sixth man for Oklahoma City this season, and if he's able to stay healthy and provide a consistent complement to Gilgeous-Alexander in certain situations, we could be revisiting this starting conversation by the end of the campaign.
3. Jared McCain
McCain is more limited in his skill set on both sides of the ball than either Wallace or Mitchell, but man is it exciting when he gets going. He was able to claw his way into the Thunder's playoff rotation after coming to the team late last regular season, and he's now set to take on an enhanced role on the wing for the Thunder with both Wiggins and Joe off the roster.
He's quite possibly the best 3-point shooter on the team, and he pulls up from the perimeter with such confidence that it's easy to forget sometimes how little NBA experience he truly has. He shot 39.1% from beyond the arc across his 30 regular-season games with the Thunder, and he's a massively valuable asset heading into the third year of his rookie contract.
4. Nikola Topic
Topic's first two seasons, needless to say, were highly limited. So why place him above the following trio of newer additions?
The upside here, especially as an additional ball handler in the Thunder's backcourt, is immense. Topic averaged 18.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 7.8 assists while knocking down 46.5% of his 3-point attempts across 13 G-League appearances last season, and he looked just as dynamic—albeit in a limited capacity—with the varsity squad. He still needs to acclimate to the speed of the NBA game, but we should see some rapid development out of him this season with enhanced minutes.
5. Bennett Stirtz
Stirtz may be forced to play a more heavily focused off-ball role than he did in college with Oklahoma City, but everything we know about him indicates he's more than capable of making that adjustment. He was a prolific scorer and playmaker during his final college season at Iowa, averaging 19.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists while shooting 35.8% from beyond the arc across 37 games. With the Thunder in need of additional wing talent, Stirtz could have a path to immediate minutes if he's able to reliably hit his perimeter shots.
He's not 7'0", and he might not be as dynamic as Mitchell or McCain. But he's a solid player, and that's what Oklahoma City needs on the back end of its rotation right now.
6. Aday Mara
Mara has a real chance to be a future contributor for this Thunder rotation, and he'll likely see some run this season as the team attempts to sort out the talent they have at the position.
The upside here is obvious. Mara has a massive, 7'3" frame with a 7'6" wingspan, and he seems poised to develop into a premier shot blocker at the NBA level. The playmaking moments he's put on tape are also inspiring. But there are certainly some concerns. His workload was highly limited in college, and he seemed to struggle with the intensity and speed of the game even during Summer League. He's also not super mobile defensively, and that could make it harder for him to play lone minutes off the bench at center as a rookie.
If he can clear some of these issues up, he has the potential to shoot up these rankings pretty quickly.
7. Thomas Sorber
Putting Sorber at the bottom is not necessarily an indictment of his game. He still looks to be a solid draft selection for Oklahoma City given the range he was taken in, and he has defensive upside that makes him at least an option for the Thunder in their long-term rotation.
But his offensive game was relatively limited even in his lone season at Georgetown, and now that he's missed his first season of NBA action, it's hard to truly evaluate what he can provide until we see him on the court.
Add us as a preferred source on Google