Before you know it, the 2025-26 regular season will start. It’s September, which means we’re within a month of training camps across the league starting. The Oklahoma City Thunder will soon begin their NBA championship reign.

To prepare for the new season. ESPN’s Kevin Pelton broke down the biggest roster hole on every NBA team. With the offseason almost over and rosters basically set, we have a decent picture of what teams’ opening night could look like.

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For the Thunder, Pelton went the joke route. The NBA champion had one of the greatest seasons ever. They had a historic 68-14 regular-season record and brought home the Larry O’Brien trophy. They set several records, including the largest point differential ever.

After celebrating the NBA championship, the Thunder quickly did their offseason homework. They signed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to contract extensions. They’ll run it back with mostly the same roster.

It’s the smart decision to make. Don’t fix what’s not broken. That’s why Pelton said the Thunder’s biggest roster hole is actually outside of their team. He went with a new OKC arena.

“Groundbreaking on the team’s new arena across the street from the Paycom Center — planned to open in 2028 — is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026,” Pelton wrote. “Certainly, that will leave a bigger hole than any on the roster of the defending champs, who return their entire rotation.”

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This is a funny entry. In reality, maybe the Thunder could get more out of their bench playmaker. But that’s small potatoes. Fans saw renderings of the first of the upcoming new OKC arena. Besides a smaller capacity rate, it was universally praised.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: ESPN: What is OKC Thunder’s biggest roster hole in 2025-26 season?