Thunder cut projected payroll to $234M after moving Dort, Joe and Wiggins
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Oklahoma City’s offseason cost-cutting drive has shaved hundreds of millions from the club’s books. Entering the 2026 summer, ESPN’s Bobby Marks estimated the Thunder could face a combined $557 million in salary and luxury-tax charges. Exercising team options on Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort and Kenrich Williams while making their draft selections would have produced a $261 million payroll and a projected $296 million tax bill.
Instead, the front office renegotiated slightly cheaper contracts with Hartenstein and Williams and shipped out Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins without taking back salary. The revised outlook shows approximately $214 million in salary and about $20 million in tax penalties, dropping the overall obligation to roughly $234 million—more than $320 million below the original projection.
Dort, Joe and Wiggins were regulars during the 2025-26 season but recorded the Thunder’s lowest on/off numbers among the 12 players who logged at least 75 playoff minutes. Despite their departures, Oklahoma City retained its top three stars, primary backcourt and interior rotation while realizing the extensive savings, Marks noted.
Ownership under scrutiny
General manager Sam Presti labeled the Dort trade a financial decision and said ownership has pledged to reinvest the savings into future rosters. The move arrives as the organization seeks public funding for a new arena, prompting local columnist Joe Mussatto to write that governor Clay Bennett and the ownership group are now “on watch” amid optics of simultaneous cost cutting and taxpayer spending.
Dort’s legacy and Joe’s farewell
In The Oklahoman, Jenni Carlson highlighted Dort’s seven-year defensive impact, while Mussatto called the former undrafted guard one of the franchise’s top developmental success stories. Speaking Monday at a charity event in Oklahoma City, Joe said he is eager for his new opportunity in Detroit yet will “always treasure” his Thunder years. “This place is home,” he told reporters. “The connection is going to live on forever.”
Source: Hoops Rumors
