The season is still weeks away, and the OKC Thunder are already feeling the effects of the financial acrobatics they were forced to perform over the offseason. During the summer, the organization was forced to say goodbye to Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Lu Dort, and others.
One of the aforementioned “others” is Branden Carlson, who spent the first two years of his career in Oklahoma City before signing with the Trail Blazers in July.
Needless to say, the Trail Blazers are already thanking their good fortune that the Thunder didn’t have the luxury of retaining the seven-footer. Carlson is already making waves throughout camp, as he was recently singled out for his offensive rebounding prowess, among other things.
Branden Carlson is the direct result of Thunder’s financial hardships
Carlson is just another example of a luxury OKC can’t afford. With at least four big men in front of him on the rotation, it made little sense to keep him on the roster only to be buried on the depth chart. His current $2.4 million salary will surely be allocated to other places on the roster.
Carlson, however, is still a promising young center who possesses the uncommon ability to spread the floor on offense. In 2025-26, he shot 36.0 percent from behind the three-point line and collected 3.0 rebounds in just 11.6 minutes per game. Now, he has the potential to take what he learned in Bricktown and use it to earn himself a legitimate role on a lesser team.
The big man’s signing with Portland is a possible glimpse into the future, as OKC will almost certainly be forced to spread more of their depth to the rest of the league.
Thunder may be forced to give up many more fruits of their labor
The unfortunate part of Carlson’s favorable first impression is that it is likely just the beginning. Dort, Wiggins, and Joe will also receive an opportunity to show their former team what it lost. It’s not like GM Sam Presti doesn’t know what he had when he chose to trade the trio. The problem is that he had no choice in the matter.
Presti has gone on record praising the second apron for promoting development and disincentivizing teams from buying talent, but he is about to lose the very talent his organization worked so hard to produce.
Cason Wallace will presumably sign an extension soon, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s supermax deal kicks in next year. If fans thought the Thunder were strapped for cash this offseason, they aren’t ready for what next summer will bring. It’s far-fetched to think OKC will be able to retain every significant piece of their current roster after the season.
Branden Carlson’s early success is a clear sign of what’s to come: products of the Thunder’s elite development overflowing onto other teams who have been unable to replicate the same results on their own. The inevitable successes of Dort, Wiggins, and Joe this season will only pour more salt on the wound.
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