Oklahoma City

Thunder

Williams is expected to be healthy in time for the start of next season. The 24-year-old small forward suffered a torn ligament in his right wrist late in the regular season. He underwent surgery to address a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, according to the team. Williams played through the injury during the Thunder’s championship playoff run.

Gilgeous-Alexander now has the highest annual salary in NBA history. After a season in which SGA won the scoring title, took home regular season MVP honors, led the Thunder to the championship and was awarded NBA Finals MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander earned a well-timed raise. Coming off one of the best seasons for a guard in league history, SGA will of course be one of the first names off the board in fantasy drafts next year.

Williams suffered a torn ligament in his right (shooting) wrist late in the regular season. That injury makes his performances during Oklahoma City’s run to the NBA title more impressive. The good news is that, according to Thunder lead executive Sam Presti, Williams is expected to be a full go when the 2025-26 season begins. JDub was a top-25 fantasy player last season, exceeding his Yahoo! ADP by a round in 12-team formats. At worst, he should be a third-round pick in 12-team leagues next fall.

Not long after deciding to decline Mitchell’s team option, the Thunder have secured his immediate future in Oklahoma City. The 38th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Mitchell averaged 6.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists in his 36 appearances. A toe injury suffered on January 3 sidelined him for over three months. Mitchell does not offer much fantasy value in his role, but he’ll provide additional depth off the Thunder bench.

Instead of picking up Williams’ option for the 2025-26 season worth $2.1 million, the Thunder declined to give him a far superior deal. The third year of Jay Will’s new contract will be a team option. A preseason hamstring injury limited Williams to 47 games during the regular season, but he is a valued reserve for the NBA champions. He recorded four double-doubles and three triple-doubles, stepping up to provide value on nights when Chet Holmgren or Isaiah Hartenstein was unavailable. As was the case this season, Williams will likely be most valuable to fantasy managers as a streamer in 2025-26.

OKC has drafted a ton of players with upside in recent years, and now they add an older player in Barnhizer. The 6'6" wing is smart player on both ends of the floor and is a strong playmaker. He isn’t a great shooter, which may make it difficult for him to find a place in the rotation with the defending champions. The Thunder also already have a loaded roster, and it wouldn’t be shocking if Barnhizer ends up on a two-way contract.

While Oklahoma City made this pick, Clifford will be headed to Sacramento via trade. The 6'6" forward will have the ability to step into the NBA and make an immediate impact, which can’t be said for many players. He averaged 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 three-pointers for Colorado State last season on efficient shooting splits. He’s a complete prospect, but at 23 years old, that should be expected. He should be able to contribute on both ends of the floor from day one and should be one of the best rookies in the league next season. While Sacramento’s wing rotation is a bit crowded with DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Keegan Murray all figuring prominently, Clifford is capable of providing value off the bench. His improved playmaking has the potential to be a valuable asset for a team that is short on players who can consistently set up their teammates.

Sorber had a productive freshman season at Georgetown, but a left foot injury in February ended his lone college season prematurely. There are no indications that the foot injury will impact him moving forward, but it did prevent him from participating in parts of the combine. He’s a bit undersized for a center at 6’9”, but his 7’6” wingspan and solid frame will help him battle down low. He averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.0 blocks per game last season, which is an exciting stat line for fantasy managers. While heading to Oklahoma City likely means Sorber, Georgetown’s first first-round pick since Otto Porter Jr., will be limited from a fantasy standpoint, he’ll get to learn from a talented frontcourt that includes Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.

It wasn’t always pretty, but SGA — who was named NBA Finals MVP afterwards — got the job done on Sunday night as the Thunder pulled away from Indiana in the second half to secure the franchise’s first title since moving to Oklahoma City. Gilgeous-Alexander shot a putrid 8-of-27 from the field and 2-of-12 from beyond the arc, but he got to the line 12 times and sank 11 free throws to buoy his scoring numbers. The 12 assists tie his season-high in that category, and his all-around contributions were spectacular, despite the inefficient shooting. Gilgeous-Alexander’s 2024-25 season will go down as one of the best individual seasons for a guard in NBA history, as he won the scoring title, regular season MVP and Finals MVP. The Thunder are early favorites to win the 2025-26 title, and Gilgeous-Alexander has the second-shortest odds to win a second straight MVP, behind only Nikola Jokic.

Like his superstar teammate, Williams was far from efficient as he and Shai Gilgeous Alexander combined for 49 points on 15-of-47 shots. Despite the poor shooting, Williams made a positive impact on the contest. He finished with the highest plus-minus in the game at plus-13 after recording a minus-40 in Game 6. Williams broke out in the regular season and broke out in an even bigger way in the Finals, as he scored 40 points in Game 5 and cemented himself as one of the best secondary options in the Association. The future looks bright for Williams and SGA.