Two Thunder Veterans Eyed as Priority Free Agents in 2026

Maintaining the strong and NBA-championship-winning roster that the Oklahoma City Thunder have assembled has long been viewed as a challenge. This will especially be the case after they extended Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.

Some players will be sacrificed because of those resignings, which must be something the OKC front office has accepted. The 2025-26 free agency class could be one where the Thunder takes a hit as a result of that.

Two players who are set to be free agents next offseason are guard Lu Dort and center Isaiah Hartenstein. Both have been huge contributors and were vital in the recent title victory, so losing them could make a big difference. Finding ways to bring them back will also prove challenging.

Part of what makes OKC's financial situation work so well is the fact that they still have key players on rookie deals or smaller contracts. For example, third-year guard Cason Wallace is still on a cheap, two-year $24 million contract. He has one more season on that deal.

This isn't to say that OKC's money is all dried up, because it isn't, but maneuvering their way around resigning Dort and Hartenstein could prove to be a challenge. With their skillsets highlighted during last season's championship run, they will be wanted more than ever.

Dort is on the backend of a five-year, $82.5 million deal. Hartenstein is finishing off a three-year, $87-million deal. It's very possible that they'd make more money elsewhere for their services next offseason.

It shouldn't be ruled out that they'll take a pay cut to return. That being said, they'd both have to take a large reduced sum in their contract if both wanted to come back.

This is where the depth and youth that OKC has dabbled throughout their bench could come into play. There certainly are players who could be primed to take the next step up if both were to leave, making this coming season an important one.

A good example of that is Georgetown rookie Thomas Sorber. He has some crossover skillset-wise with Hartenstein and will be on a cheap deal for the next four seasons. This coming one should be a test-run for him to see if he's capable of taking over Hartenstein's role in some capacity the year after.

Players like Alex Caruso, Wallace and Aaron Wiggins should be expected to step up in the absence of Dort, if he were to leave. They've all proven themselves in OKC's system on both sides of the ball, with not a ton of dropoff anticipated if Dort found another home.