Thunder’s Jalen Williams dislocated left ankle and fractured fibula; Cason Wallace tore his labrum

This is devastating news coming out of Oklahoma City.

Jalen Williams suffered a dislocated left ankle and fractured fibula following a horrific fall during Sunday’s win over the Clippers, Thunder general manager Sam Presti announced during a press briefing Monday. Although Presti is not discussing a return timetable, Williams will miss most – and more likely all – of the rest of this season.

“It’s an injury that you usually see more in football players,” Presti said, adding that the former All-Star was in good spirits. “I spent a lot of time talking to different doctors and his agents, us, his family, and it’s a surgical situation.”

In that same game, starting guard Cason Wallace left with a shoulder injury that turned out to be a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Presti said. That will also require surgery and, again, while Presti won’t give a timetable, Wallace will likely be out for an extended period of time, possibly the season.

“I think everyone knows he’s a true warrior and he probably would have come back in the game if we had left him,” Presti said of Wallace. “Last night was obviously difficult. There’s no way to paint this any differently.”

Both players were major contributors to the Thunder’s 2025 championship, and both played key roles in OKC’s plans to return to the Finals.

In three games, Williams averaged 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, but those numbers understate his two-way value. Although he has struggled with his shooting (38.5% so far this season), he has stepped up in decisive moments. When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an off night against Denver, Williams scored 21 points to secure the victory. Just having him on the court as a secondary shot creator and threat took a lot of pressure off SGA.

Wallace took on a major defensive role for the Thunder to start the season, but his offense was always there, averaging 6.3 points per game and shooting 30% from 3-point range. Still, he was a key cog in an elite defense.

Both players were starters and played key roles in the Thunder’s 3-0 start. Expect Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso and Jared McCain to get more carries now to try to fill these huge gaps.

When asked if these injuries might push the Thunder to make a trade to help fill out the roster, Presti said he hasn’t thought about it yet.

“For me, the last 24 hours, no matter what they’ve been, it’s all about the people,” Presti said. “I know you have to ask… but I haven’t really thought about it. Right now, it’s about these two guys, their families.”

Oklahoma City can request a disabled player exception for Williams and Wallace, which would give them some financial flexibility to bring in another player (however, that would require a league doctor to say the player is very likely to be out after June 15). Williams’ salary would allow them to sign a player for up to $15 million, reports ESPN’s Bobby Marks, however, that does not open up a roster spot. Both Williams and Wallace are under contract with the Thunder until at least 2031.

Presti also spoke about Oklahoma City and Thunder culture.

“I’m not going to sit here and say that this is exactly where we want to be, or this is how we would like things to be there. But at the same time, we are extremely optimistic about the recovery of both players,” Presti said. “More importantly, you know, things could have been a lot worse. And I think in those kinds of situations, it’s important to take stock, to take a step back, to realize that we’re dealing with people, to realize that we’re dealing with the greatest athletes in the world. They’re going to be back. They’re going to be playing for our team. They’re going to be representing our city and our state in no time…

“As an organization, but also as a city and a community, this is what we were built for. This is the kind of thing that’s thrown at you here, and you work your way through it. You roll through the punches and you push through the roadblocks. And I think our guys are ready to do that. But it’s certainly disappointing. I don’t want to sugarcoat that for anyone.”