Two Oklahoma City Thunder players were injured in the game against the LA Clippers, but none of the updates were more alarming than Jalen Williams’, who had to be stretchered off the floor at the Paycom Center. GM Sam Presti held an impromptu press conference as fears mounted, and the unfortunate news didn’t stop with J-Dub.

“First, I just want to talk about Jalen, was with him last night and this morning. He’s in great spirits and is extremely optimistic about the situation. He’s got a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle on the left side. This is an injury that generally we see more in football players. I have spent a lot of time speaking to different doctors and his agents, his family and it’s a surgical situation. That’s the way you deal with this type of injury.

“And we’ll have a timeline for everybody once we get through the surgery. So, I can’t really give you that right now because it would be inappropriate. We got to see kind of where we are after that’s done.”

Presti began the conference by first talking about Jalen Williams, whose fall in the final quarter led to the gruesome lower-leg injury. And the Thunder GM then gave bad news regarding Cason Wallace’s injury, who had to leave the game in the first frame. Wallace signed a five-year, $139 million contract extension just before the season began.

“We also got some tough news on Cason Wallace last night. He has a left laboral tear in his shoulder. Again, that’s going to be a surgical situation as well. Timeline: we’re going to have to get to that again once we have the surgery. We are going through the process right now to determine, you know, next steps.”

While Presti did not provide any timeline, ESPN’s Shams Charania shared the timeline of both injured Thunder stars on X. “Both will undergo surgery and be sidelined for several months — most, if not the entire season.”

It’s not been easy for J-Dub, who was limited to a career-low 33 games due to wrist and hamstring issues. And Wallace was supposed to take Lu Dort’s spot, who was traded because of cap concerns. Now, the Thunder GM also made it clear that “he hadn’t given a lot of thought” to any roster moves after the long-term injury to two of his stars. But cap analyst Bobby Marks hinted at how OKC could navigate the situation.

“The Thunder are allowed to apply for a Disabled Player Exception for both players,” Marks tweeted. “However, the physician designated by the NBA has to determine if either player will be out until June 15. Despite being over the first apron (they can also exceed Apron 2), OKC is allowed to use the DPE and 3 trade exceptions.”

Marks further tweeted that DPE would help the Thunder with $15.04 from Williams and $3.7 million from Wallace. If they are granted, then OKC can look to trade/sign/claim off waivers a player in the last year of their contract.

Let’s not forget that they have a plethora of picks to rebuild, plus trade exceptions of $17.8 million, $11.3 million, and $9.2 million.

If the Thunder decide to retool their team, then they have certain players who can be expendable. Guard Nikola Topic and big man Thomas Sorber are both locked into team-friendly rookie contracts, making them highly tradeable assets. Moving the duo would instantly free up roughly $10 million in salary, giving Oklahoma City’s front office another avenue for financial flexibility.

On the other hand, if the Thunder GM is looking to move a bigger piece than Isaiah Hartenstein, his hefty $23.1 million contract could be involved. Especially because rookie center Ousmane Mara gives OKC a legitimate, cost-controlled alternative in the frontcourt.

Now, as Presti said, he hasn’t given the roster changes a thought. But if the Thunder want to secure the top spot in the West for another year, then those trade conversations must be made.