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The Bricktown Brief · Morning

Four Out, One In, Then Out Again Before the Opener

Five camp invitees are gone by Oct 18, one of them a day after he signed.

$216.2MPayrollabove the apron line
$200.4MTax Linethreshold already cleared
1-4Preseasonofficial record still 0-0
2026-10-20Openerat Spurs, NBC/Peacock
By the Thunder Nightly Desk · Sunday, October 18

Oklahoma City waived five training-camp invitees in two days, among them Buddy Boeheim, who had been with the team for a single day. The preseason closes at 1-4 with six players day-to-day or out as the regular-season opener arrives October 20 at San Antonio.

Thunder Nightly artwork
Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Camp Roster Clears Out

Nate Johnson, Christoph Tilly, Lamar Wilkerson, Dariq Whitehead and Buddy Boeheim all left Oklahoma City by October 18. Boeheim's exit is the odd one: he signed with the Thunder on October 17, in the same move that waived Whitehead, and was gone himself a day later. Hoops Rumors described the round as four training-camp invitees waived. Tilly's Exhibit 10 deal from September 14 also ended without a regular roster spot attached.

Health Report Before the Opener

Six players carry injury designations heading into Tuesday. Jaylin Williams, Cason Wallace, Nikola Topic, Thomas Sorber and Chet Holmgren are each day-to-day with an estimated return of October 20, the same date as the opener. Otega Oweh is the exception: he is out with a right-side Achilles injury, not expected back before July 2027.

The Bill and the Calendar

Payroll runs $216.2 million, above the apron line and the $200.4 million tax threshold, with Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams each earning $41.5 million. Oklahoma City holds pick swaps in the 2027 and 2028 first and second rounds and owns its 2029 and 2030 picks outright. The preseason ends at 1-4, a mark that stops mattering once the schedule opens October 20 at San Antonio.

Is Buddy Boeheim still on the Thunder roster?

No. He signed October 17 and left October 18, one of five camp invitees to exit that same stretch.

When does Oklahoma City's regular season actually start?

October 20 at San Antonio. The 1-4 preseason mark does not count toward the real record, which is 0-0.

By the Thunder Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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