Nikola Topic option declined by Thunder for next season
The Thunder declined Nikola Topic's $7.4 million option, making the 2024 lottery pick an unrestricted free agent after injuries limited him to 10 games.
Why Nikola Topic is trending
Nikola Topic's $7.4 million option has been declined by the Thunder, making the 2024 lottery pick a pending unrestricted free agent. The move came in the same announcement where Oklahoma City picked up options on Jared McCain and Thomas Sorber, so this was not a quiet transaction, it was a clear signal about where Topic stands with the team. He is currently recovering from back surgery he had this summer and has no timetable to return, which is the backdrop for the decision.
An option decline sounds like a procedural line in a transaction log, but for a player picked 12th overall, it is the clearest message a front office can send without saying it out loud. The Thunder are not walking away from Topic entirely, declining an option just means they are not guaranteeing next season's money while his health is still an open question. It puts a timeline on a situation that has had none.
Three years, 10 games
Topic was the 12th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, but injuries have eaten almost his entire time in Oklahoma City. He missed his whole rookie season after a knee injury he suffered before the draft even happened. Then last season, he missed a large chunk of the schedule after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer during the preseason. He had a procedure to address it in October 2025, went through chemotherapy, and worked his way back into game shape.
His NBA debut did not come until Feb. 12, and even that was limited. By the time the season wound down, he had appeared in just 10 games total across three years with the Thunder. Ten games is not a sample size, it is barely a look.
Where things stand now
Topic is currently recovering from back surgery he had this summer, and there is no timetable for his return. That is the backdrop for the Thunder's decision to decline his option instead of locking in another season at $7.4 million. Declining the option does not end the relationship outright, it just means Topic will hit unrestricted free agency instead of staying on his rookie deal terms.
The same day, the Thunder picked up options on Jared McCain and Thomas Sorber, keeping both of those players under contract. Picking up those options while declining Topic's shows the front office is still making calls across the roster, this was not a pause on business, Topic's situation was simply handled differently than theirs.
What happens next
Nothing is settled yet. Topic has no known timetable to return from back surgery, so any free agency conversation is on hold until he is healthy enough to play. Unrestricted free agency means he can sign with any team once he is eligible, including a return to Oklahoma City if both sides want that.
For now, the known facts are limited to the roster move itself, a $7.4 million option declined, two other options picked up, and a former 12th overall pick with 10 games played in three years still trying to find his way back onto an NBA court.
Facts per ESPN. Opinion is the taproom's.