Sam Presti did what he said he would do. The Thunder GM locked in Lu Dort, Kenrich Williams, and Isaiah Hartenstein for the 2026-27 season, picking up team options on Dort and Williams and signing Hartenstein to a three-year extension. That means Oklahoma City brings back the only three players on the roster who held player options, keeping the core of a team that came one game short of a return trip to the NBA Finals.
Last season ended in San Antonio. The Thunder lost a Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals to the Spurs, and it wasn’t hard to point at why. Jalen Williams missed the entire series with an injury. Ajay Mitchell went down in Game 3. Oklahoma City’s first title defense as a franchise was gutted by bad luck at the worst possible time.
Presti promised he’d do everything to keep the band together. He did. And now the Thunder roll into next season with back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading a roster that might be deeper than any Presti has built in Oklahoma City.
Ajay Mitchell says he’s close to 100 percent
Mitchell’s breakout last season was one of the better stories in the league. A second-round pick who never touched the G League as a rookie, he became a reliable defender and a three-point threat who could create his own shot. Then he got hurt in the conference finals — a right calf strain in Game 3 — and the Thunder’s rotation suddenly had a hole they couldn’t fill.
Mitchell gave an update this week, per ESPN’s SportsCenter. “Close to being back to 100 percent,” he said. “It’s a great feeling. Excited to have a great offseason and be ready to start the year off strong.”
If Mitchell is healthy and Williams is healthy, this Thunder team could start fast for the third straight year. Last season they opened 24-1, the best start in NBA history. That bar is almost impossible to clear again, but the roster Presti has assembled might actually be better than that version.
Two rookies who could help right away
Presti didn’t stop with the retentions. He drafted Aday Mara with the 12th pick, a 7-foot-3 rim protector who projects as the kind of big who can at least bother Victor Wembanyama. Then he traded up to No. 16 to grab Bennett Stirtz, packaging the 17th pick and two future second-rounders to Memphis for the rights.
Stirtz is a guard with feel and a willingness to do the dirty work. Presti said he “has a great feel for the game, has been successful at multiple levels.” He also acknowledged Stirtz has plenty to work on. Same as everyone.
Both rookies put up 10 points in their summer league debut. Mara had four assists, three rebounds, two blocks. Stirtz had four assists and three steals. Not bad for a first look.
The Thunder also made a trade before last year’s deadline for Jared McCain, which meant saying goodbye to Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins. That opens up minutes for Cason Wallace and maybe one of Daigneault’s other guards. But the bigger story is what stayed the same. Presti ran it back with the bulk of last year’s roster rather than blowing it up. That’s a bet on health, on continuity, and on the idea that the best version of this team hasn’t been on the floor yet.
We might see it next season.
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