The last 36 hours brought no Thunder transactions, only a Wizards move with no Oklahoma City tie; the next games on the calendar are preseason outings October 6 against the Pelicans and October 7 against the Bucks. Last season's league-best net rating of 11.1 thinned to +2.0 per game over the final 10 games, the same stretch when Alex Caruso and Jared McCain logged extra minutes with a teammate out.
A Clear 36 Hours
Nothing involving a Thunder player changed hands in the last 36 hours. The only transaction in the broader rumor feed, the Wizards signing Jazian Gortman and waiving Steve Settle, has no Oklahoma City angle. Camp keeps building toward the preseason opener October 6 against the Pelicans, followed by the Bucks on October 7, the Hawks on October 12 and the Pacers on October 13, before the regular-season opener October 20 at the Spurs on NBC/Peacock.
The Margin Thinned
Last season Oklahoma City finished with the league's best net rating at 11.1, built on the top-ranked defense and a top-ten offense across 82 games. Over the final 10 games of that run, the margin narrowed to +2.0 per game, a far smaller cushion than the full season implied. In the same stretch, Caruso played 10 more minutes a night than his season average whenever a teammate sat out, and McCain's minutes rose by 11 a night under the same circumstance.
Payroll, Unchanged This Week
Payroll stands at $216.2 million, above the $209.0 million apron threshold and the $200.4 million tax line. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams each make $41.5 million, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earns $40.8 million, and Isaiah Hartenstein follows at $23.1 million. None of those figures moved this week. The open question is whether that late-season thinning was fatigue, rotation experiments, or simply a long 82-game season catching up, and the preseason slate starting October 6 is the first chance to see an early answer.
When do the Thunder play their first preseason game?
October 6 against the Pelicans, with the regular-season opener set for October 20 at the Spurs on NBC/Peacock.
Did Oklahoma City's record last season hold up down the stretch?
The Thunder's league-best net rating of 11.1 for the full season dropped to +2.0 per game over the final 10 games, a notably tighter margin than the season-long number.
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