Sam Presti spent a significant amount of time talking about Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, and Jared McCain in his press conference.
Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti just wrapped up his press conference to kick off the 2026-27 NBA season, and, as usual, he covered a lot of ground. One of the things that he specifically went out of his way to mention was a trio of young guards that he believes will be a significant part of the future of this team: Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, and Jared McCain.
While Presti did not get into any specifics about the potential extension of guard Cason Wallace, he did share just how much confidence he has in him on the court by saying, “I think the greatest sign of respect that we can show Cason is moving Lu in that trade.” The Thunder are coming off an offseason where veteran guard Lugentz Dort was traded to the Atlanta Hawks. Dort has long been the Oklahoma City Thunder’s number one perimeter defensive option, and it seems that torch has been passed to Wallace. He wasn’t the only young Thunder player Presti has confidence in.
Jared McCain was a name that was brought up multiple times throughout the hour-and-a-half availability, and every time he did come up, you could almost hear the excitement Presti has for him in his voice. McCain was a trade deadline pickup this past season and contributed well for someone joining a contender mid-year, but Presti does not think the Thunder have seen the best of him yet. While most of his offense came from the three-point line last year, Presti seems to believe he has much more to his game that will be unlocked now that he’s had a full offseason and will have a full training camp under his belt. Most teams would do anything to have this much young talent, but Presti mentioned yet another young thunder guard who very well could have the biggest impact of the three.
Ajay Mitchell has had a Jalen Brunson-esque rise over his first two seasons in Oklahoma City and Presti believes he’s still got more to show. Specifically, he mentioned Mitchell added some strength this offseason that should help him as he continues to improve as a defender, but also should help him in his difficult quest of staying healthy. When asked what other areas of improvement were still ahead of Mitchell, Presti was quick to mention that he is an underrated passer.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are littered with young talent who should continue to improve season after season, but these three young guards were clearly on Presti’s mind as he looks forward to what many expect to be another season contending for the title.
