After trading Aaron Wiggins earlier in the week, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz with their two first-round selections. It has been confirmed that there will be more roster changes on the way, as OKC has one too many players on its active roster.
With Oklahoma City approaching the second apron, the Thunder will likely move off another rotational piece as a cost-controlled measure, given the financial situation, after saving money with the Wiggins deal.
Potential names to watch with the pending free agency of Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Kenrich Williams. And Isaiah Joe is in a similar situation to the Wiggins move.
However, the Thunder may now also need to consider moving one or both of Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber — their top picks in the 2024 and 2025 drafts, respectively — both of whom have been plagued by injuries to start their careers and have essentially no NBA experience.
 The draft board did not break in the Thunder’s favor, with many of its top targets off the board, and they did not opt to move up from No. 12, but OKC did move up from No. 17 to No. 16 with its second first-round pick. Here is what the newest players of the Thunder bring to the team.
With OKC taking two players with their first-round selections, the future of this roster becomes intriguing
Aday Mara
The 7-foot-4 big man adds to the OKC’s front-court rotation. He gives the Thunder more flexibility, bringing traditional size, elite rim protection, play-finishing, and a unique feel and high-level passing, which fit perfectly into the Thunder’s connective offensive system.
This raises even more questions surrounding Hartenstein, who is crucial for the Thunder to bring back this offseason, as he has a team option, for Mara to learn from him. The concerns around Mara are his motor, conditioning issues — playing only 23 minutes a game this past collegiate season, and limited mobility and lateral quickness defensively, with a limited offensive game. Though the Thunder clearly values Mara, viewing him as the best player available at No. 12.
Bennett Stirtz
At 6-foot4, Stirtz provides insurance to crowded guard rotation and additional offense on a cost-control contract. He adds an elite feel and IQ, playmaking chops, and much-needed shooting on or off the ball, as well as potential as a secondary creator.
Stirtz averaged 19.8 points, 4.4 assists (only 1.8 turnovers), and 1.6 stocks (steals plus blocks) per game while shooting 47.7% from the floor, 35.8% from beyond the arc on 6.9 attempts a game, and 84% from the free-throw line in 37 games while averaging a remarkable 37.2 minutes a game.
Oklahoma City is crowded at guard: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ajay Mitchell, Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, Topic, and now Stirtz. This trade-up gives the Thunder more flexibility and adds a logjam, potentially signaling what’s ahead for the Thunder’s roster.
Main Image: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
