Thunder's Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace both need surgery, out indefinitely after 3-0 start

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 3-0 and just lost two starters for months, possibly for the year.

General manager Sam Presti announced Monday, Oct. 26, that All-Star wing Jalen Williams dislocated his left ankle and fractured his left fibula in Sunday night's 108-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Guard Cason Wallace tore the labrum in his left shoulder in the same game. Both will have surgery.

How it happened

Williams went down with about 1:15 left in the fourth quarter. He was fouled hard in the air on a drive, and his left leg got caught under his body as he landed. His ankle was bent in the wrong direction. He left the floor on a stretcher and gave the crowd a thumbs-up on the way out.

Wallace had already left in the first quarter with what the team first called left shoulder soreness. Forward Jaylin Williams also exited early with right wrist soreness. The team has not announced a diagnosis for him.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points in the win. He was emotional afterward. "I just feel bad for him," he said. "It's obviously going to be tough without a player like that. But he's not gone forever. He'll be back better than ever, and we know it. We've just got to hold the fort down until he comes back."

What Presti said

Presti gave no return date for either player. He said a timeline will come after surgery.

"This is an injury that generally we see more in football players," Presti said of Williams. He said he spoke with doctors, Williams' agents, the team and the player's family, and that "it's a surgical situation." He described Williams as in good spirits and "very optimistic."

Of Wallace, Presti said: "I think everybody knows he's a total warrior and probably would have gone back in the game if we let him." He added, "There's no way to paint that differently."

ESPN's Shams Charania reported both players are expected to miss several months. ESPN also reported both will miss most of the regular season and potentially all of it.

A pattern for Williams

Williams is 25 and in the first year of a five-year, rookie-scale max extension. He has played through a lot already.

He had surgery on his right wrist after the 2025 title run and a second procedure last fall. He missed 49 regular-season games last season, including time for multiple hamstring strains. He appeared in only five of Oklahoma City's 15 playoff games, and the Thunder lost the Western Conference finals to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games.

Through three games this season he was averaging 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 38.5% shooting.

Wallace, a fourth-year guard, entered this season as a full-time starter for the first time. He recently signed a five-year, $139 million extension that begins in 2027-28. Through three games he was averaging 6.3 points and shooting 30% from three. Oklahoma City traded Luguentz Dort to Atlanta partly because of Wallace's playoff play, according to HoopsHype.

Can the Thunder survive it?

CBS Sports' analysis argues the Thunder have lost their status as title favorites, while stressing they are built for the regular season. Oklahoma City went 39-10 without Williams last year, a 65-win pace, with a +10.9 net rating in his minutes off the floor. Its four most-used Williams-free lineups each outscored opponents by at least 18.6 points per 100 possessions, CBS found.

The argument against optimism is the one CBS also makes: the Thunder measure themselves against San Antonio, not the regular-season standings. Losing Wallace as well, a defensive starter, makes this absence harder than last year's.

NBC Sports expects Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso and Jared McCain to absorb more minutes.

Money and trade options

Presti was asked whether the injuries could push him into a trade. He said he hasn't thought about it.

"For me, the last not even 24 hours, whatever it's been, it's all about people," Presti said. "I know you got to ask the question... but I really haven't given a lot of thought to that. Right now, it's about those two guys, their families."

The Thunder can apply for disabled player exceptions for both players. A league doctor would have to determine that the player is very likely to be out past June 15. According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, Williams' salary would allow Oklahoma City to bring in a player making up to $15 million. The exception does not open a roster spot.

The next developments are the surgeries and the timetables that Presti said will follow. The doctor's determination on the June 15 threshold is the step that would unlock any exception.

The Thunder's next game was not part of the announcement.