It’s been yet another busy offseason for the Oklahoma City Thunder, as the team has been active in the draft, free agency and on the trade market. All three primary methods of roster building have been leveraged by Oklahoma City, which has led to quite a bit of change on the roster.

When looking back at the various moves that have been made since draft night, it’s clear the Thunder has been in acquisition mode. When comparing the current roster to the one that the team closed the season with, there’s been more incoming assets than outgoing.

Outgoing:

^{*on two-way contract last season}

Incoming:

^{*later waived}

It’s worth noting that just before the 2023 NBA Draft, OKC also made a trade with the Denver Nuggets, trading the worst of the Thunder’s 2024 first-round picks and the No. 37 selection in the 2023 NBA Draft for a top-five protected first rounder in 2029.

Bigger picture, the incoming assets have created a bit of a roster crunch. Oklahoma City now has 20 players on guaranteed NBA contracts for the 2023-24 season. As such, five players will have to be cut before October.

Current Roster:

^{*two-way contract}

While at the surface this may lead some to think that the Thunder brought in too many players, that’s not the case at all. Worst case Oklahoma City waives five players, which will mean solid players are let go. Even then, most of the players that would be cut are guys that were recently acquired as salary dumps and the team was already compensated with six second-round selections for absorbing these contracts. Furthermore, the Thunder could also trade some of the cut candidates and add even more future draft capital.

No matter how the remainder of the offseason goes as it relates to the roster decisions, the Thunder made the most of its cap space. Rather than outright signing players with that money, OKC used that space as an asset to acquire picks.

Expect more activity in the coming months for the Thunder, especially creative moves to reduce headcount on the roster. This is a pivotal season as Oklahoma City looks to exit a rebuilding phase and enter a cycle of consistent playoff success over the next decade.