With the Thunder’s preseason schedule in the books and rookie center Aday Mara potentially just four days away from making his regular season NBA debut, the big man’s former team in Spain is making noise about trying to block him from suiting up for Oklahoma City, writes Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.

As Urbonas outlines, Basket Zaragoza – whom Mara played for before making the move to UCLA in 2023 – issued a formal statement contending that the 21-year-old’s contract with the club runs through 2027 and said it has not received a request for his international transfer. Zaragoza is arguing that Mara’s move to the NCAA didn’t terminate his contract in Spain, since FIBA doesn’t require an international transfer for players who enroll in U.S. colleges.

A Thunder spokesperson downplayed the issue, submitting the following statement to several media members, including ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link):

“Aday last played three years of NCAA college basketball and therefore, as advised by the NBA, no clearance from the Spanish team is required for him to play in the NBA.”

Typically, if a player requires a FIBA letter of clearance, that happens before he officially signs with his new team. Mara inked his rookie scale contract with the Thunder in July after being drafted 12th overall in June and has since suited up for the club in both the Summer League and the preseason. The 7’3″ Spaniard was impressive in five preseason outings, averaging 13.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.4 blocks in 23.3 minutes per game while shooting 78.7% from the floor.

Here’s more on the Thunder:

• The 2025/26 campaign was a forgettable one for Jalen Williams, who missed the first month of the season while recovering from wrist surgery and then suffered multiple hamstring strains that limited him to 33 regular season games and five playoff outings. But the former All-NBA forward, entering the first year of his maximum-salary rookie scale extension at age 25, is both physically and mentally ready for a bounce-back season in ’26/27, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. “I feel great,” Williams said. “I’m blessed to be on a really good team and be healthy enough to go out and play again. And I think after not playing a lot last season, I have a lot more enthusiasm. … I’m excited to get back to it.”
• The Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate, acquired the returning rights to three players, including former NBA lottery pick Killian Hayes, in a trade with the Cleveland Charge (Twitter link via Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire). It’s unclear whether Hayes intends to sign a G League contract this fall to play for the Blue, but if that’s the plan, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he signs an Exhibit 10 deal with the Thunder first in order to ensure he receives a bonus on top of his NBAGL salary.
• In case you missed it, Oklahoma City waived three players from its preseason roster on Friday.