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The calendar has flipped to August. Which means we're in the annual drought in the NBA's year-round calendar. Don't expect much to happen over the next couple of months. Teams across the league are in vacation mode and just waiting for the 2026-27 season to start.
The Oklahoma City Thunder fell short of a second NBA championship, but remain in the meat of the title conversation. Bringing back mostly the same crew, expect them to be one of the league's top teams for a fourth straight year.
To prepare for the 2026-27 regular season, Thunder Wire will lay out three goals for all 17 players on the roster. OKC has 14 standard players and three two-way players. Let's look at Cason Wallace and what he could accomplish this upcoming year:
Get contract extension done
Probably the last domino to fall in OKC's offseason. The Thunder and Wallace must figure out a contract extension this summer. You can't risk this going into restricted free agency next summer. That just invites chaos. Considering nothing has been done yet, you can safely say we're in an old-school contract negotiation. The first one this front office has had in a minute. I wouldn't be surprised if both sides are pretty far apart.
On one hand, the Thunder will likely point towards Wallace's pedestrian regular-season numbers and waning 3-point percentage as to why he should get closer to around $20 million per year. On the other hand, Wallace will likely point to his stellar playoff numbers and trophy case as to why he should get close to around $30 million a year. Also doesn't help that OKC has lost some leverage with Lu Dort's departure. Hopefully, both sides can meet in the middle before the regular-season opener.
Cement status as starter
With Dort out of the picture, the Thunder have rolled out the red carpet for Wallace. He's been a pseudo-starter in his first three seasons. He's started in 114 of 227 regular-season games. That's half of the time. Now, he has every opportunity to become a permanent fixture in OKC's starting five. He's likely the most seamless of all the possibilities to start alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He can take on the opposition's top perimeter scorer and continue to take catch-and-shoot looks.
The best way to ensure Wallace stays a starter, though? Grow a little offensively. Considering OKC's departures this summer, there are plenty of scoring possessions up for grabs. The 22-year-old has a chance to be a little more creative as a scorer. It's up to him now to show he can be a consistent downhill threat. He's shown flashes over the years. But nothing sustainable. It's now or never.
Up your outside jumper
This is where Wallace can grow the most. He's always been a solid outside shooter. He's shot 37.4% from 3 on 3.2 attempts in his three seasons. But his outside shooting percentage has slowly dwindled over time. Let's see if an uptick in volume can correct that. Especially since he shot a sizzling 48.4% from 3 on 4.1 attempts in their recent NBA playoff run.
Playing alongside Gilgeous-Alexander should open up more looks for Wallace. Opposing teams usually collapse in the paint to stop the 30-point scorer. In those scenarios, simple kick-out passes have allowed his teammates to get open looks from deep. The 22-year-old should welcome that variety added to his shot diet. He's in line to get more outside attempts. If he can add more outside makes, then that's the quickest path for him to reach his ceiling. Can't go too many games in a row where your shot attempts are in the single digits.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: OKC Thunder 3 goals: Cason Wallace has chance to become full-time starter
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