After a serious ankle injury to Jalen Williams and a torn shoulder labrum for Cason Wallace, the Oklahoma City Thunder plan to use a $14m Disabled Player Exception, the mechanism that lets a team add a replacement for a player ruled out long-term. To ease the strain on their payroll, the club may also fast-track a trade of Alex Caruso, who is owed $63m over three years. There is a crisis in Orlando too, where Jalen Suggs has been sidelined with a knee injury and Paolo Banchero will miss four to six weeks with an ankle problem.
The trade market is already stirring. Feeling the financial squeeze of the second apron, the NBA's toughest payroll threshold, the Magic are also considering moving on Wendell Carter Jr.'s $58m contract. In New Orleans, meanwhile, Herb Jones has seen his playing time cut from 28.4 to 17.0 minutes.
