
For our second annual offseason outlook series, Hot Hot Hoops senior writer Matt Hanifan will provide his take on the offseasons of all 30 teams for the next 30 days! We have already completed the Eastern Conference, so we will proceed in alphabetical order with the West before capping it all off with the Miami Heat. Today, we will be evaluating the Oklahoma City Thunder’s offseason.
Past Previews:
- Sept. 1: Atlanta Hawks
- Sept. 2: Boston Celtics
- Sept. 3: Brooklyn Nets
- Sept. 4: Charlotte Hornets
- Sept. 5: Chicago Bulls
- Sept. 6: Cleveland Cavaliers
- Sept. 7: Detroit Pistons
- Sept. 8: Indiana Pacers
- Sept. 9: Milwaukee Bucks
- Sept. 10: New York Knicks
- Sept. 11: Orlando Magic
- Sept. 12: Philadelphia 76ers
- Sept. 13: Toronto Raptors
- Sept. 14: Washington Wizards
- Sept. 15: Dallas Mavericks
- Sept. 16: Denver Nuggets
- Sept. 17: Golden State Warriors
- Sept. 18: Houston Rockets
- Sept. 19: Los Angeles Clippers
- Sept. 20: Los Angeles Lakers
- Sept. 21: Memphis Grizzlies
- Sept. 22: Minnesota Timberwolves
- Sept. 23: New Orleans Pelicans
Evaluating the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2025 offseason:
Additions: N/A
Subtractions: Dillon Jones, Adam Flagler
Re-signed: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams, Ajay Mitchell
Draft: Thomas Sorber (No. 15 overall), Brooks Barnhizer (No. 44)
Hanifan’s outlook: Led by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a historically great 2024-25 season that culminated in the franchise’s first-ever title.
It was a largely inactive summer. The Thunder are so absurdly deep, so not much work was quite necessary. Perhaps I would’ve liked a move to add another shooter, but they decided to stay pat. The extent of its summer was re-signing Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams to rookie max extensions.
Oklahoma City did draft Thomas Sorber — a top-8 player on my board — No. 15 overall. However, the 6-foot-10 big will miss the entirety of his rookie summer after tearing his ACL in an offseason workout. This will be the second straight summer they will be without their first-round pick due to an ACL tear.
I can’t really give the Thunder any grade because of how silent it was, but I will give them credit for drafting Sorber. If he stays healthy, he’ll be a dude.
Grade: Incomplete
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