On Sunday evening, the Oklahoma City Thunder had to make a decision on contract options impacting a trio of the team's young players. Nikola Topic and Jared McCain were waiting to hear about their fourth-year options, while Thomas Sorber had his third-year option in the balance.
The team has only seen Topic play in 10 games in his NBA career thus far. He was sidelined his entire rookie season rehabbing a torn ACL he suffered before the 2024 NBA Draft. Last year, he was sidelined for most of the year dealing with testicular cancer, a heartbreaking situation for anyone to go through.
This summer, adversity hit Topic again as he had a procedure done to his back, which has limited his ability to participate in training camp and has not suited up for games just yet this season. A ten-game NBA sample size is all the team has been able to go off of for his expensive $7.4 million contract option after being the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
McCain was the No. 16 pick in that same draft, starting his career with the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded to the Bricktown Ballers last February. He was tossed into the fire on a contending team, even tasked with starting games in the Western Conference Finals last May. Now, McCain has seen three straight starts for this banged-up Thunder squad. His option was the easiest to decide on of the three. His moments on the court have been flashy and full of promise. Still, Sunday night, the Thunder had to make it official with McCain's $6.7 million team option.
Sorber has not logged a single minute of NBA basketball. Summer League, preseason, regular season, or playoffs. He underwent a foot procedure in college to cut his freshman campaign at Georgetown short in February of 2025 before being the No. 15 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Just before the 2025-26 campaign began, Sorber suffered a torn ACL in September of 2025, holding him out the entire year. A clean-up procedure this summer has held him out of all of Summer League, preseason ,and regular-season games to this point. Making his $5.1 million team option the most interesting decision of this group.
On Sunday evening, the Thunder handed down the verdict.
Topic saw his fourth-year rookie scale option declined. Not a surprise, as the payroll continues to increase in Oklahoma City, his hefty $7.4 million figure was just too rich for what he has proven on the court. This doesn't instantly end his tenure in Bricktown.
These option decisions are for the 2027-28 campaigns, but it also doesn't completely shut the door on a long-term partnership between the two sides -- though admittedly makes it unlikely. -- the reality is Topic has to eventually play basketball and prove to be an NBA player. When healthy this season, due to Oklahoma City's injury struggles, he will have chances to. If he does, the market still will not be vast for the former lottery pick. Oklahoma City could hypothetically re-sign him at a lower number this summer in Free Agency. Though the historical odds on a situation like this one playing out that way are low.
McCain was the easiest one to predict. The Thunder had every reason to pick up his $6.7 million option and ensure he is on the roster for the 2027-28 campaign. This summer, the Duke product will be extension-eligible, and this also pushes his 2028 free agency -- if it gets to that point -- into restricted free agency territory.
Sorber was by far the biggest wildcard. The Thunder clearly like his potential as a big man, whom they selected with the No. 15 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but the injuries continue to pile on his frame, and with the emergence of Aday Mara is signing up a year in advance to pay Sorber $5.1 million worth it given the team's financial situation?
Ultimately, the team elected to accept Sorber's team option for the 2027-28 season. If the Georgetown product can translate the skill set he showed in college, this decision will look like a win for Oklahoma City to have a talented front court member owed only $5.1 million, as tough decisions hit that room this summer with Jaylin Williams' $7.7 million team option and Isaiah Hartenstein's $25 million contract on the books as superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's supermax kicks in.
Even Kenrich Williams, who has helped the Thunder in the frontcourt, is an expiring deal, leaving a minute void in the frontcourt room with tough decisions to make on Williams and Hartenstein once the season ends. The bottom line remains: regardless of dollars and cents, Sorber needs to step on the court at some point this season. His timeline is largely unknown right now, but with the M.A.S.H. unit Thunder battling every night, they should hope Sorber's and Topic's return comes within the month of November to help out.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/thunder/onsi as OKC Thunder Make Option Decisions on Key Young Pieces .
