Thunder Notes: Holmgren, SGA, Wallace, Mitchell
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren entered Saturday’s game with a questionable tag due to lower back soreness before being upgraded to available. And after a hot start in Atlanta in which he scored 14 first-quarter points, Holmgren suffered a dislocated thumb in the second quarter on a failed block attempt, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscriber link).
According to Martinez, Holmgren wanted to pop the injured digit into place himself and return to the game, but the team insisted he needed to undergo X-rays. The 23-year-old wound up having a big night once he was medically cleared to resume playing, finishing with 31 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and a block in 27 minutes.
“He’s always got that,” head coach Mark Daigneault said of Holmgren’s toughness. “He’s always ready to go. Great competitor. … He came out tonight teeing up those shots and saw a couple go in. He had a great game flow tonight.”
Reigning NBA MVP and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander believes Holmgren, who signed a rookie scale max extension this offseason, is primed for a huge year.
“He’s stronger, faster and more explosive,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, per Martinez. “He’s just getting more comfortable. With a guy with his natural feel, as the games go on, he’ll continue to grow and be better. We’ve just got to continue to ignite him as teammates.”
Here’s more on the defending champions:
- After double-overtime thrillers against Houston and Indiana resulted in Gilgeous-Alexander playing a combined 93 minutes, the superstar guard got some much-needed rest on Saturday, according to Martinez (subscription required). Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes, and was able to sit out the entire fourth quarter with the Thunder firmly in control of their third straight victory. “It’s the gauntlet of the NBA season,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You never know what to expect. In the summertime, you try to prepare for the worst in terms of load-wise, and I think we’ve done a great job of being ready for the start of the season. We’ve had some pop for these first three games despite having a few double-overtime games.”
- Thunder guard Cason Wallace, who was competing against his older brother Keaton Wallace, did an admirable job slowing down Hawks star Trae Young, Martinez adds in the same story. Young finished with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting, Martinez notes. “He’s just got unbelievable hands, athleticism, toughness and a combination of things,” Daigneault said of Cason. “He seems to be a dude who, when he’s near the ball, he comes up with it. … He’s the guy at the bottom of a pile who’s gonna get the fumble and come up with the football.”
- Ajay Mitchell is off to an excellent start to the season, averaging 18.7 points, 4.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal on .467/.417/1.000 shooting through three games (27.0 MPG). As Martinez writes for The Oklahoman (subscriber link), Mitchell poured in a career-high 26 points in Thursday’s win, which was particularly meaningful for the second-year guard, as it occurred on his late grandmother’s birthday. “She was very important (to me),” Mitchell said of his grandmother, who passed away in February. “She was always there for me. She was definitely on my mind this whole night. … I’m glad I got to play that way for her. She means the world to me, so I’m glad I did that.”
2025 NBA G League Draft Results
The NBA G League held its draft for the 2025/26 season on Saturday afternoon. Players who signed NBAGL contracts and whose rights weren’t already controlled by a team were part of the draft pool.
Affiliates from all 30 NBA teams took part in the draft, along with the unaffiliated Mexico City Capitanes.
Dillon Jones, who was a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft, was selected No. 1 overall by South Bay, which is the Lakers’ G League affiliate.
The 23-year-old small forward was drafted out of Weber State by Oklahoma City with the 26th pick last summer. He appeared in 54 games as a rookie, but only played 10.2 minutes per night and averaged 2.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists.
The Thunder traded Jones to Washington in June to clear a spot on their roster. The Wizards waived him last weekend and still owe him $2,753,280 for the remainder of the season.
Drafting Jones to South Bay won’t prevent another NBA team from signing him, since holding a player’s G League rights doesn’t mean teams control his NBA rights. However, it will give the Lakers a chance to take a first-hand look at him before potentially offering a standard or two-way contract.
With the second pick, the Osceola Magic selected Tyler Smith, who lost a battle for the Bucks’ final roster spot and was waived last Sunday. The 20-year-old power forward was expected to draw interest as a two-way target, but it doesn’t appear any offers have materialized yet. Smith, who started his career with the now-defunct G League Ignite, was taken with the 33rd pick in last year’s NBA draft.
The Wizards’ affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, had three of the next four picks, selecting Ace Baldwin at No. 3, Nolan Hickman at No. 5 and Cam Carter at No. 6.
Two notable second-generation players were selected in today’s draft. Jamal Mashburn Jr. was taken at No. 8 by the Westchester Knicks, and Jabri Abdur-Rahim, whose father Shareef serves as G League president, went to the Stockton Kings at No. 29.
Here are the full 2025 G League draft results:
Round One:
South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Dillon Jones- Osceola Magic (Magic): Tyler Smith
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Ace Baldwin
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Adama Bal
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Nolan Hickman
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Cam Carter
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Stefan Todorovic
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Jamal Mashburn Jr.
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Ethan Taylor
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): A.J. Hoggard
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Kario Oquendo
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Kenan Blackshear
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Vinicius da Silva (Brazil)
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Josh Cohen
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Cearius Warren (St. Thomas University)
- Osceola Magic (Magic): Ebenezer Dowuona
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): John Harge (Adams State University)
- Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Tray Jackson
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Jaden Seymour
- Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Chris Mantis
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Tyrin Lawrence
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): JP Pegues
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Olisa Akonobi
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): No pick
- South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Selton Miguel
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): O’Mar Stanley
- Noblesville Boom (Pacers): Ben Coupet Jr.
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Des Watson
- Stockton Kings (Kings): Jabri Abdur-Rahim
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Carter Whitt
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): J.Z. Zaher
Round Two:
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Sean Durugordon
- Stockton Kings (Kings): No pick
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Jermaine Couisnard
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Dischon Thomas
- Valley Suns (Suns): Bryce Thompson
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Darius Maddox
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Derrin Boyd
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): Pierre Crockrell II
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Markeese Hastings
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): Vance Jackson
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Chandler Baker
- Osceola Magic (Magic): No pick
- Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Onno Steger
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Donte Ingram
- Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Kobe Webster
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Tyler Hawkins (Barry University)
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Jason Hubbard (Taylor University)
- Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): T.J. Weeks
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): No pick
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): No pick
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): No pick
- Noblesville Boom (Pacers): Ahmaad Rorie
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): Nicolas Timberlake
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): No pick
- Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers): No pick
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): No pick
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Franco Miller Jr.
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Ray Harrison
- Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): No pick
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Fousseyni Drame
- Osceola Magic (Magic): No pick
Teams will fill out their rosters with affiliate players, returning rights players, tryout players, and players who are assigned to the G League from the NBA roster (including those on two-way contracts).
G League training camps open on Monday, with this year’s NBAGL Tip-Off Tournament getting underway on November 7. The Tip-Off Tournament will be played over about a month-and-a-half and will be followed by the G League regular season, which begins on December 19.
Caruso In Concussion Protocol
- Thunder guard Alex Caruso entered the NBA’s concussion protocol after Tuesday’s win over Houston and will have to go through the return-to-participation protocol and show he’s symptom-free before he’s cleared to return, per the team (Twitter link via Rylan Stiles of SI.com). Caruso will be inactive for Thursday’s NBA Finals rematch in Indiana.
Northwest Notes: Jazz, Blazers, Conley, Edwards, Thunder
Speaking to Tony Jones of The Athletic about the Jazz beginning construction on a new practice facility outside of downtown Salt Lake City, team owner Ryan Smith expressed optimism about the direction of the franchise, despite the fact that its win total has declined in each of the past four seasons.
“I think (new president of basketball operations) Austin (Ainge) is a star. I think (head coach) Will (Hardy) is a star,” Smith said. “I think we have one of the most exciting front offices in the league. We have a lot of picks and a lot of flexibility.”
After racking up 52 victories in 2020/21, Smith’s first year on the job, the club has won 49, 37, 31, and 17 in the years since then, embarking on a full-fledged rebuild during that time. While Smith is eager for the Jazz to begin reversing that trend and climbing back up the NBA standings, he acknowledged he can’t rush the process and has to exercise some patience.
“The picks aren’t coming fast enough for me, but I know this is the NBA. You have to grow the talent,” he told Jones. “We have brought in a lot of people who have a lot of rings. So, the ultimate goal is to win titles. That’s what matters. I understand that’s also the goal of every other team, so it’s really difficult and winning happens rarely. We just have to hit on these picks and keep stacking good decisions. It’s good to have Taylor (Hendricks) back. Walker (Kessler) is coming along. We just have to grow the guys.”
Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:
- Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link) evaluates the extensions the Trail Blazers completed this week with Toumani Camara and Shaedon Sharpe, dubbing Camara’s four-year, $81MM deal a win-win for the forward and the team, while suggesting that Sharpe’s four-year, $90MM contract represents more of a “calculated risk” for the two sides. As Highkin writes, Sharpe still has All-Star upside entering his age-22 season, but there’s certainly no guarantee he’ll reach that ceiling.
- Retirement isn’t a consideration in the short term for Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley, who said ahead of his 19th NBA season that he’s “looking forward to trying to get to 20 and see what happens,” according to Sam Yip of HoopsHype. “There hasn’t been a day that I have felt like I should retire yet,” Conley said within a larger Q&A. “… I think it’ll come to a point where you get kind of overwhelmed with the amount of work you have to do in order to stay at par to keep up with these guys, that it just becomes too much. But so far it’s not there, so hopefully we can squeeze a little bit more juice out of this thing.”
- In an in-depth story for The Athletic, Jon Krawczynski examines Anthony Edwards‘ drive to continue improving and his determination to win an NBA championship after being ousted in the Western Conference Finals in each of the past two years. Edwards is listed as questionable to play in Wednesday’s season opener in Portland due to back spasms, per the Timberwolves (Twitter link).
- Did the defending champion Thunder peak last season, will they peak this season, or are the best years for this core still ahead of them? Zach Kram of ESPN considers that question, outlining why all three possibilities are viable. Oklahoma City picked up its first win of the season in dramatic fashion on Tuesday, beating Houston by one point in a double-overtime thriller after Thunder players received their championship rings.
And-Ones: International Players, NBA Europe, Taxpayers, More
Highlighting some of the storylines and potential milestones to watch as the 2025/26 NBA season gets underway, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press observes that the league is setting a series of records related to international players this fall.
According to Reynolds, there are a record 135 players born outside of the U.S. on the league’s 30 opening night rosters. Of those 135 players, 71 are from Europe, which also represents a new high watermark. In total, 43 non-U.S. countries are represented on NBA rosters, tying a league record, Reynolds writes, and each team has at least one international players on its roster.
The rising level of talent from Europe and elsewhere around the world is one reason why the NBA has been moving forward on plans to launch a new professional league based in Europe. According to Aris Barkas of Eurohoops, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told reporters this week that the goal is to get NBA Europe off the ground within the next couple years. Tatum also specifically identified seven countries the league is eyeing for permanent franchises in that league.
“In phase one, our plan is Spain, U.K., France, Italy, Germany, maybe Turkey, and maybe Greece,” Tatum said. “But there will be some open spots in the ecosystem, so in the early phase, (others) will be able to qualify.”
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Fourteen of the NBA’s 30 teams will open the season as projected taxpayers, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), though he acknowledges that number will certainly change in the coming months. The Raptors (over the luxury tax line by just $772K), Nuggets ($402K), and Suns ($274K) are among the prime candidates to duck out of tax territory by February’s trade deadline.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac also takes look at teams’ cap situations around the NBA, identifying where every club is operating relative to the aprons, tax line, and salary cap.
- In an extensive preview of the 2025/26 season, a panel of ESPN writers ranked all 30 teams entering the year, from the Thunder at No. 1 to the Wizards at No. 30.
- Within the past year, several NBA stars have taken on general manager or assistant GM roles with their alma maters, including Stephen Curry at Davidson, Trae Young at Oklahoma, and Damian Lillard at Weber State. Lindsay Schenll of The Athletic explores that trend, noting that the titles are mostly ceremonial but that those stars are willing to help fundraise, recruit, or do whatever else the program might ask of them. “I may not talk to every recruit, but if there is a high-level recruit, you best believe I’m gonna talk to the kid,” Young said. “If there’s a kid I feel like we’re not going after hard enough, I might bring it to their attention. … I’m not gonna overstep. But there’s definitely opinions I’m gonna mention.”
- Sovereign wealth funds based in Abu Dhabi and elsewhere in the Middle East have become increasingly involved in the NBA as investors in recent years. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst explores how this partnership between the league and those investors came about and where it’s headed in the future.
Thunder’s Jalen Williams, Isaiah Joe Out For Opener
Thunder star Jalen Williams will not play in Tuesday’s regular season opener vs. Houston as the All-Star forward continues to recover from offseason surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who says (via Twitter) the 24-year-old is not expected to miss extended time.
In a full story for ESPN.com, MacMahon notes that Oklahoma City has been cagey about Williams’ recovery timeline.
“Just whenever I feel like I can be a hundred percent, then I’ll rock out,” Williams said during the preseason. “Part of the process is just figuring out how to get my jump shot back. A lot of it is just trying to get feel back.”
Williams sustained the wrist injury in early April, shortly before the regular season ended, and played with it during the playoffs, which saw the team win its first championship. He just started shooting with his right hand this month, MacMahon adds.
The Thunder’s injury report also includes sharpshooting guard Isaiah Joe, who has been ruled out with a knee issue, per Rylan Stiles of SI.com. Thomas Sorber (season-ending torn ACL), Kenrich Williams (arthroscopic knee surgery) and Nikola Topic (testicular procedure) are sidelined as well.
As for the Rockets, they will be without Fred VanVleet (torn ACL), Dorian Finney-Smith and Jae’Sean Tate, Stiles writes. Both Finney-Smith and Tate are recovering from offseason ankle surgery.
The Rockets announced they will use a jumbo-sized starting lineup on Tuesday consisting of Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, as Stiles relays.
No Rookie Scale Extensions For Rockets’ Eason, 11 Others
The Rockets and forward Tari Eason failed to come to terms on a rookie scale extension ahead of the 5:00 pm Central time deadline on Monday, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Entering the day, Eason looked like one of the top remaining candidates to sign a rookie scale extension, along with Nuggets wing Christian Braun and Hawks guard Dyson Daniels. However, while Braun and Daniels completed deals worth $25MM annually, the Rockets and Eason were unable to find common ground “on multiple fronts,” according to Charania.
That wording suggests the two sides not have seen eye to eye on both years and dollars, or perhaps they disagreed over how the end of a potential extension would be structured in terms of options and/or guaranteed money.
According to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), the Rockets and Eason’s camp had been “far apart in valuation” for weeks and weren’t able to bridge that gap despite an 11th hour push from the team, which was in position to work out an agreement with Eason after extending Kevin Durant over the weekend.
Eason is one of 12 players who didn’t sign rookie scale extensions prior to Monday’s deadline despite being eligible. Those players will now be on track for restricted free agency when their rookie scale contracts expire during the 2026 offseason.
Here’s that full list of players, sorted by their 2022 draft position and with their projected 2026 qualifying offers included in parentheses:
- Jaden Ivey, Pistons ($13,402,098)
- Bennedict Mathurin, Pacers ($12,256,222)
- Jeremy Sochan, Spurs ($9,615,393)
- Ousmane Dieng, Thunder ($9,132,437)
- Jalen Duren, Pistons ($8,966,188)
- Ochai Agbaji, Raptors ($8,879,483)
- Mark Williams, Suns ($8,774,590)
- Tari Eason, Rockets ($8,014,182)
- Dalen Terry, Bulls ($7,661,348)
- Malaki Branham, Wizards ($7,110,593)
- Walker Kessler, Jazz ($7,064,702)
- Peyton Watson, Nuggets ($6,534,714)
Those qualifying offers, which must be issued in order to make the player a restricted free agent, are subject to change depending on whether or not the player meets the starter criteria next season. A player drafted in the top 14 who falls short of the criteria would have a qualifying offer worth $8,774,590. A player who was drafted between No. 10 and No. 30 and achieves the starter criteria would see the value of his QO increase to $9,615,393.
A team that issues a qualifying offer to a potential restricted free agent gains the right of first refusal on that player and can match any offer sheet he signs with a rival suitor. A player who doesn’t get a QO next June would hit the market as an unrestricted free agent.
Magic forward Paolo Banchero, Thunder teammates Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, Kings forward Keegan Murray, Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe, and Heat forward Nikola Jovic joined Braun and Daniels in signing rookie scale extensions, bringing the total for 2025 to nine. The details on those deals can be viewed here.
Thunder Exercise 2026/27 Options On Topic, Wallace
The Thunder have exercised their 2026/27 team options on guards Nikola Topic and Cason Wallace, the team announced in a press release.
Wallace, the 10th overall pick of the 2023 draft, will now earn a guaranteed $7,420,806 in ’26/27, which will be his fourth season. He will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.
Topic, the 12th pick of last year’s draft, will earn $5,429,760 in ’26/27 (his third season). Both players already had guaranteed contracts for ’25/26.
Wallace, who turns 22 next month, has been a rotation regular over the past two seasons for the defending champions. In 68 regular season games (27.6 minutes per contest) in ’24/25, the defensive stalwart averaged 8.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals on .474/.356/.811 shooting.
Topic, 20, missed his entire rookie season due to an ACL tear. He won’t make his regular season debut until at least November after undergoing a testicular procedure earlier this month.
We’re tracking all the 2026/27 rookie scale option decisions here. They are due by October 31.
Thunder Convert Youngblood To Two-Way, Waive Three Players
The Thunder have announced a series of roster moves as they get their roster ready for the regular season. According to the team, guard Chris Youngblood has had his Exhibit 10 deal converted to a two-way contract, while forwards Zack Austin, Malevy Leons and Dariq Whitehead have been placed on waivers.
Youngblood went undrafted out of Alabama in June after previously playing for Kennesaw State and South Florida. As a super-senior in 2024/25, he averaged 10.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per game across 28 appearances for the Crimson Tide, posting a shooting line of .447/.388/.804.
Youngblood earned a promotion to a two-way contract with his play for the Thunder in the preseason. The 23-year-old averaged 11.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 19.3 minutes per game in three appearances, knocking down 44.4% of his three-point attempts.
Austin, Leons, and Whitehead were also on Exhibit 10 contracts, but that trio now seems likely to join the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. They’ll earn bonuses worth $85,300 apiece if they spend at least 60 days with the Blue.
As for the Thunder, they now have 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts and three on two-way deals, so barring any last-minute sign-and-waive moves, their roster looks all set for opening night.
Thunder Sign Dariq Whitehead To Exhibit 10 Deal
5:18 pm: Whitehead did indeed sign an Exhibit 10 contract, confirms Keith Smith of Spotrac (via Twitter).
10:21 am: Four days after being waived by the Nets, former first-round pick Dariq Whitehead has signed with the Thunder, the team announced today.
A 6’7″ wing, Whitehead was a consensus five-star high school recruit who spent a single season at Duke in 2022/23. He was drafted 22nd overall by Brooklyn in 2023, but only played in 22 NBA games during his first two years in the league, averaging 5.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per contest.
A series of injuries have derailed Whitehead’s NBA career so far. After undergoing a pair of surgeries on his right foot before being drafted, he had another procedure in January 2024 to address a stress reaction in his left shin, ending his rookie season early.
The Nets opted to waive Whitehead this fall even though his $3.26MM salary for the coming season was fully guaranteed. That money remained on Brooklyn’s cap after the 21-year-old cleared waivers earlier this week.
Whitehead’s new deal with the Thunder will likely be an Exhibit 10 contract, lining him up to receive a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he becomes an affiliate player for the Oklahoma City Blue and spends at least 60 days with OKC’s G League team.
The G League also figures to be the next stop for Cameron Brown, the forward who signed with the Thunder on Thursday. Brown was waived today in order to make room on the roster for Whitehead, per the club.