1 surprising player could leave the Thunder this summer

The Oklahoma City Thunder might be taking an unexpected hit to their depth this offseason.

There is a belief around the league that Thunder guard Cason Wallace may be open to leaving the team, Brian Lewis of The New York Post reported on Monday. Lewis notes that Wallace is up for a contract extension that the Thunder might not necessarily be willing to pay.

Wallace, 22, is still on his rookie contract with OKC. While that means Wallace cannot even become a restricted free agent until 2027, he might potentially be looking to request a trade from the Thunder if he cannot get an extension done with the team this summer.

The former top-10 pick Wallace certainly seems to be have earned himself a big payday. He played a key role off the bench for the Thunder during their 2025 NBA championship victory and then proceeded to earn All-Defensive Second Team honors this past season.

Still, Wallace’s overall averages are underwhelming (8.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 26.6 minutes per game last year), and Oklahoma City saw the emergence of fellow guard Ajay Mitchell in 2025-26. Combined with the presence of defensive stalwart Alex Caruso on the roster, the Thunder would foreseeably be able to survive if Wallace had to be traded.

OKC is locked into their Big Three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams through at least 2030, which means that they need to be thrifty with the rest of their roster. With big man Isaiah Hartenstein just landing a sizable new extension as well, Wallace and another notable player on the Thunder may no longer be in the mix for new contracts from the team.