The Oklahoma City Thunder are less than a month away from kicking off their new 2026-27 NBA season. It was an offseason of subtraction rather than addition for the Thunder, as the team traded Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe in various cost-cutting measures to keep them out of dire financial straits.
The trades come as shooting guard Cason Wallace looks for a long-term deal with the franchise after a breakout 2025-26 season, and recently, general manager Sam Presti spoke on that topic.
“I would just say is Cason is someone we think very highly of and have done a great job for us,” reported Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire on X, formerly Twitter.
Alamanza also reported that Presti “Said that the greatest sign of respect for Wallace is that they moved on from Lu Dort.”
Presti also spoke on the pain of losing Wiggins, Dort, and Joe.
Article Continues Below“This might be breaking code for people in my position, but I think it's OK to feel disappointment when those things happen… I want to recognize the contributions of Lu, Wiggs and Isaiah. They were not only great players for us, but were tremendous professionals.”
Indeed, Wiggins, Dort, and Joe all played big roles for the Thunder during their careers there, but none had much of an impact during Oklahoma City's recent playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs this past spring, making the decision to part ways with them an easier pill to swallow.
It remains to be seen how long it will take for the team to work out a new deal with Wallace as the season approaches.
The Thunder are slated to kick off their new season vs the Spurs on October 20.