Significant Injuries Mean the Thunder Need Guards — Bulls Trade Fit? ...Middle East

Before Sunday, the absolutely loaded Oklahoma City Thunder appeared to be the clear favorites to claim their second Larry O’Brien Trophy in three seasons.

But all that changed during a 108-101 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. And our Chicago Bulls might be able to help.

The 3-0 Thunder lost recently-extended guard Cason Wallace and maximum-salaried All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams to injuries incurred during the games. Williams’ brutal break looked to be season-ending even at the time. Warning: this video is not for the squeamish.

Jalen Williams has suffered a serious ankle injury, and they are bringing out the stretcher Sending prayers. ? pic.twitter.com/slBsN4GB4d

The exact extent of Wallace’s shoulder injury, meanwhile, seemed to be more of a question mark.

Cason Wallace heads to the locker room due to a left shoulder injury after a collision with a moving screen by Isaiah Jackson (with replays).It seems his shoulder was a bit out of place, right?Let's hope him to see him recover ASAP pic.twitter.com/xmac92FES8

In a press conference Monday, Sam Presti provided a potentially season-ruining update. Per Shams Charania of ESPN, Williams both dislocated his left ankle and fractured his fibula. Wallace, meanwhile, tore his left shoulder labrum. The ailments will both require surgery, and at minimum both those Thunder starters will miss most of the season. Charania threatens that Williams and Wallace could be on the shelf for the entire year. ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel writes that Wallace is projected to return in five-to-six months, so in theory he could be available by the start of the playoffs.

Before Presti’s announcement, Williams cleaned out his Instagram and posted an inspirational blurb, writing in his bio, “Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.” Williams, of course, missed 49 games for the 68-win Thunder last season. He was available for just five of Oklahoma City’s 15 playoff games last season, and his absence was deeply felt on both sides of the hardwood in a Game 7 Western Conference Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Jalen Williams has deleted all his Instagram posts, replaced his profile picture with a black screen, and changed his bio: “Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.”???(h/t @APH00PS) pic.twitter.com/cQcjpzpre3

While the Thunder do have depth in reserve, they also have an abundance of future draft picks and an increasingly pricier roster. Oklahoma City doesn’t want to burn a shot at another title with two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still very much in his prime and a fairly talented, healthy roster around him.

To truly compete for the 2027 crown, the Thunder need supplemental scoring and handling along the perimeter.

In the short term, guards Ajay Mitchell and Bulls alum Alex Caruso may receive the biggest influx of touches. Mitchell will likely start, while Caruso’s balls-to-the-wall play style may compel coach Mark Daigneault to keep him on the bench. 22-year-old shooting guard Jared McCain seems likelier than Caruso to be the other starter, by benefit of his relative youth. Caruso — who’s a decade older — is better, but needs to keep his minutes somewhat in check.

The Thunder are infamously flush with draft picks and swaps, although the haul from their hilariously poor trade with the Clippers for Paul George will finally run out next summer.

At what point should our Bulls actually consider a trade this early into the year, with draft relegation very much a possibility given what we’ve seen from them on the floor so far?

The Bulls Can Help the Thunder Right Now — But the Cost Could be too Steep

The Bulls do have some pieces that might entice Oklahoma City. But should Chicago, staring down what will already be a pretty dismal season in terms of its probable win-loss record, really offload anybody this soon?

I also recently explored how first-year Bulls executive vice president Bryson Graham might be able to help the Golden State Warriors get off of Kristaps Porzingis’ likely dead money for the rest of this season. As I noted then, the Bulls’ low upside even without a trade that would make them worse in the present should give Graham pause.

“There’s one big problem with a Porzingis trade for the Bulls: this Chicago squad is very bad, and on the cusp of a really tough 10-game stint over the next month-ish during which they could go 0-10. The league’s new lottery rules punish the teams with the three worst records. Those clubs would get fewer lottery balls than the teams with the league’s fourth-through-10th-worst records.”

“While the Sacramento Kings occupy a futile tier all their own, the Bulls might not be much better. Shipping off useful players for someone who’s too unhealthy to suit up would only increase Chicago’s chances of falling into this relegation zone at the bottom of the league’s standings.”

The Bulls players Oklahoma City would most want, given their most pressing post-injury needs, are All-Star shooting guard Norman Powell and defense-first bench wing Isaac Okoro.

Norman Powell’s Thunder Fit

Hot off his first All-Star season, Powell has struggled to score efficiently for the Bulls. In fairness, that’s entirely his fault, as Tiago Splitter’s offense has looked fairly disorganized at times.

Without a starting-caliber point guard to run the show currently rostered (prove me wrong, Josh Giddey), Powell, Caleb Wilson, and Matas Buzelis have at times been forced to take on ball-handling duties perhaps a bit more than they’d prefer.

Norman Powell vs. Washington Wizards 10/24/202618 PTS | 4-12 FG | L 120-124 pic.twitter.com/l1VRLGLn3t

In just 29.1 minutes a night, Powell has been averaging 19.3 points a game, mostly off his career-high 9.0 free throw attempts. He’s connecting on 85.2 percent of those looks, but that’s about the only place he’s been an efficient shooter this year.

The 33-year-old has been connecting on just 34.1 percent of his field goal tries, including a middling 28.0 percent of his 8.3 triple tries per. With the Miami Heat last year, Powell averaged 21.7 points while slashing .470/.380/.827. Those kinds of shooting splits, combined with his ability to score off the bounce and at least stay with his man defensively, could make him an intriguing option for the Thunder. He’s on a two-year, one-plus-one deal. Powell is making $21.5 million right now, and has a $22.6 million player option. So if he doesn’t work out this year, he can be released into free agency next summer.

Because the Thunder are deep into the league’s second luxury tax apron, figuring out trade terms could prove tough. Would Oklahoma City be willing to ditch starting center Isaiah Hartenstein in a deal for Powell? Probably not. Would the Thunder send Alex Caruso, plus someone on a rookie-scale deal (to make the money work), back to the Bulls? The prospect of having parted ways with Caruso and Luguentz Dort, two of the 2025 team’s best defenders, in the same calendar year while bringing back a probable rental in Powell might not sit well with Presti or fans.

So shipping out Powell is probably a pipe dream.

Isaac Okoro’s Thunder Fit

While losing Powell would probably hurt the Bulls’ chances at avoiding relegation too much for Chicago to make a trade this early, ditching Isaac Okoro right now wouldn’t affect things too adversely.

Okoro, 26, needs to be a respectable 3-point shooter before he’ll have much trade value for anybody. This year in a reduced role behind Powell (although he occasionally closes games ahead of Buzelis), he’s been averaging just 5.3 points on a .444/.200/1.000 slash line.

Chicago’s best point-of-attack defender, Okoro is on a fairly team-friendly $11.8 million expiring deal this year. Would the Thunder give up oft-hurt former lottery pick point guard Nikola Topic’s $5.4 million rookie-scale contract (or second-year center Thomas Sorber’s $4.9 million rookie-scale salary) and, say, reserve big man Jaylin Williams’ $7.8 million deal, along with a lottery-protected pick, for a shot at Okoro?

The Bulls turn defense into offense for an Isaac Okoro jam ?pic.twitter.com/xoyTDwjR7f

That could be an opening pitch from Graham, but Presti might hang up the phone!

The addition of rising rookie big Aday Mara makes Williams expendable for Oklahoma City, while the Bulls could really use some extra strength and toughness in the frontcourt. This is the kind of trade that wouldn’t actually make Chicago much worse, as it would help the club improve in an area of need.

But losing Williams for that return might be too pricey an exchange for Presti’s blood. At the very least, he would probably balk at surrendering anything more than a second-round pick when it comes to draft equity. Still, if this deal is on the table, Graham should pounce. Barring an insane offer (i.e. multiple firsts with limited protections, plus some appealing young pieces), he may want to wait on moving Powell until the Bulls’ offense looks more functional, hopefully closer to the trade deadline.

Hence then, the article about significant injuries mean the thunder need guards bulls trade fit was published today ( Wednesday 28/10/2026 - 03:49 PM ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Significant Injuries Mean the Thunder Need Guards — Bulls Trade Fit? )

Also on site :

• Jonathan Taylor’s wife wonders about his Colts future after sweeping trades: ‘Should I start packing?!’
• AC Milan vs. Bologna Prediction, Picks, Live Odds – Oct. 28
• Latest transfer news today: Arsenal suffer fresh winger blow as Liverpool ‘monitoring’ £50m centre-back