OKC Thunder Rookie Big Men Should Have Ample Opportunity Next Season
OKC Thunder Rookie Big Men Should Have Ample Opportunity Next Season
The Thunder have some new help in the frontcourt, and that duo should get its fair share of playing time.Ivan White|
In this story:
Oklahoma City ThunderThe frontcourt will look a bit different in Oklahoma City next year, and the additional help should be a welcome sight.
As the Thunder and the other 29 teams around the league navigate through the offseason and free agency, which is slated to start on Tuesday night, there isn’t much left on the to-do list for the 2025 champions. While some minor moves and a potential extension for Cason Wallace are still on the docket, the Thunder at least have their frontcourt nailed down for next season.
With the trio of Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams all set to return for the 2026-27 season, Oklahoma City’s center rotation could certainly look similar to the past two years. Still, the one thing that has consistently been a nuisance for the Thunder in recent years is their injury issues down low.
With all three missing significant chunks of time at some point over the past two seasons, the Thunder have been left shorthanded at the position on several occasions. Now, with rookies Thomas Sorber and Aday Mara in the picture, the prospect of being left without a full center rotation is unlikely.
While Mark Daigneault has always been a coach willing to experiment and will surely give Sorber and Mara some minutes even with a healthy rotation, his job becomes a bit easier when some bigs inevitably miss time. Considering one or both could be eventual replacements for Hartenstein and/or Williams inside, getting Sorber and Mara on the floor for significant chunks of time could be key to the Thunder’s success in future seasons.
Beyond that, the Thunder’s impressive depth along the perimeter and star power should allow the rookie big men to have a relatively long leash when it comes to playing through mistakes. Sure, Mara and Sorber won’t be getting to play 25 minutes on rough nights very often, but whatever amount of playing time Daigneault’s rotation allows for won’t be immediately cut simply because of some shaky performances.
After all, the Thunder’s goal is to win another NBA championship, and having another big man to rely on by the 2027 playoffs could be a huge luxury. And that type of luxury won’t be available whatsoever without that duo getting to make mistakes and have an ample amount of learning experiences.
With so many smart players on the roster who have championship experience, there is a wealth of knowledge for Mara and Sorber to lean on, which is an advantage many rookies around the league don’t have. Neither Mara nor Sorber will become some household name in year one, but they should both be staples in the Thunder rotation for much of the regular season.
Published 21 minutes ago
IVAN WHITEIvan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered the OKC Thunder since 2022 and covers OSU athletics for The O’Colly.
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LeBron James’ incredibly sneaky tactic to protect Bronny’s future before blockbuster Lakers decision
What LeBron James leaving Lakers means for Bronny James- US News
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Skip to main content NBALeBron James’ incredibly sneaky tactic to protect Bronny’s future before blockbuster Lakers decision
By Ryan Anderson Published June 30, 2026, 6:35 p.m. ETSee more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The California Post on GoogleLeBron James made it clear he wanted to play in the NBA with his son. The Lakers made that happen by drafting Bronny James. Now that LeBron is leaving Los Angeles, Bronny’s future with the Lakers is suddenly much less clear.
With LeBron informing the Lakers that he will play elsewhere during the 2026-27 season, attention quickly shifted to what the decision means for his son. Bronny is entering his third NBA season and remains under contract with Los Angeles after the remainder of his salary for next season became fully guaranteed.
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That detail matters.
Bronny is set to make more than $2.2 million next season on the four-year deal he signed after the Lakers selected him with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. While his future has always been viewed through the lens of playing alongside his father, the Lakers are not required to move him just because LeBron is leaving.
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In fact, keeping him may be the simpler option.
Bronny has made gradual progress since entering the league. After spending much of his rookie season developing with the South Bay Lakers, he appeared in 42 games during the 2025-26 season and earned limited playoff minutes against the Rockets and Thunder. His numbers remain modest, but his 3-point shooting improved, and he has shown signs of becoming a useful defensive guard off the bench.
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For a Lakers team now moving forward around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, cheap backcourt depth still offers plenty of value. Bronny is not expensive, is still only 21 and has a team option for the 2027-28 season.
The more complicated scenario would involve Bronny joining LeBron’s next team.
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Golden State has been heavily linked to LeBron, especially after Draymond Green declined his player option to help create flexibility. If the Warriors also make a push for Anthony Davis, they would likely need inexpensive contracts around a top-heavy roster built around Stephen Curry, LeBron, Davis and Green. In that case, Bronny’s low salary could make theoretical sense.
But the Lakers would have to cooperate in a trade. And they are no longer in the business of keeping James content.
For now, the most likely outcome is that Bronny stays in Los Angeles and continues trying to carve out his own NBA role.
LeBron’s Lakers chapter is over. Bronny’s may not be.
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Woman secretly livestreamed more than 700 hours of her ex-husband using his Ring cameras
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Inset: Rayna Bell in court. Background: Ring camera footage showing Rayna Bell's ex-husband being spied on in his California home (KNSD/YouTube).
A California woman has admitted to using her ex-husband's Ring cameras to spy on him, with court documents saying she livestreamed more than 700 hours of the man and his family from inside his home.
Rayna Bell pleaded guilty last week to a misdemeanor charge of eavesdropping using an electronic device, according to court records. She was ordered to pay restitution as part of the plea deal and must serve one day in custody, with credit for time served and one year of probation.
Sign up for the Law&Crime Daily Newsletter for more breaking news and updatesA request for a "domestic violence restraining order" filed by the ex-husband, obtained by local NBC affiliate KNSD, accused Bell of "unlawfully accessing" her ex's private Ring camera system last year and linking his account to half a dozen Amazon Alexa devices that were registered to her.
"[Bell] viewed video footage for approximately 44,640 minutes — an average of 12 hours per day — over the span of two months," the request said. "These devices include cameras inside and outside my home, including our children's rooms. Her unauthorized access violated both my privacy and the safety of my household."
The ex-husband and his family told KNSD they first noticed something was wrong after hearing a voice coming from one of the cameras.
"It was his ex-wife's voice," recounted the man's fiancee, Acacia Young. "We tried so hard to try to restore the peace, the security, the privacy. Once you are robbed of that, it's almost impossible to try to restore that in your home."
According to the restraining order request, the footage that Bell "live viewed" and recorded included "deeply personal and private moments, such as my fiancee breastfeeding our newborn, nudity and partially undressed footage of our children … in vulnerable settings."
The recordings were "deeply invasive" and deemed as possible child exploitation by the ex-husband, according to KNSD.
"[Bell] also accessed and recorded confidential household conversations, including private discussions between my fiancée and me regarding our finances, credit card numbers, banking details, Social Security information, medical records, medical health history, and other protected health and identity-related data," the request charged. "Her conduct constitutes a serious invasion of privacy and potential identity theft."
Bell did not respond to KNSD's requests for comment. Her ex-husband plans to take legal action against her in civil court.
"You're always going to feel like they can do it again," Young said. "Or if they had the opportunity, they would do it again."
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