The Oklahoma City Thunder have declined to pick up the $7.4 million option on 2024 lottery pick Nikola Topic for next season, which makes him a pending unrestricted free agent.
The Thunder also confirmed they have picked up the options on the contracts of Jared McCain and Thomas Sorber.
A difficult path to the court
Topic, the 12th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, has played just 10 games for Oklahoma City over the past three seasons. He is still recovering from back surgery he underwent over the summer and has no timetable for his return.
Topic missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury he suffered before he was drafted. He then missed a large part of last season after receiving a testicular cancer diagnosis during the preseason.
Back from cancer treatment
Topic had a procedure to address the cancer in October 2025, then underwent chemotherapy and worked his way back into shape. He made his NBA debut on 12 February and went on to appear in 10 games.