Draymond Green didn’t bother pretending he was neutral when the Oklahoma City Thunder’s bid to repeat fell apart in the 2026 Western Conference Finals.
The Thunder came up short in Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs, finishing five wins shy of back-to-back titles after a season packed with injuries. Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell were both missing in the back half of the seven-game battle, and even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s huge effort couldn’t drag Oklahoma City all the way through. In the biggest game of the year, the Thunder simply didn’t get enough help around the two-time MVP winner.
Green, a longtime Thunder villain, said he was more than fine with the result.
“You’re going to put on an act and be like, you know, I don’t really care if OKC wins again or not. Deep down inside, you don’t want to see another team go back-to-back," Green said.
"Like, we did that. We were the last team to do that, right?
Like you want to hold on to some of that."
For Green and the Golden State Warriors, that distinction still matters. Golden State’s peak is behind it now, and the four-time NBA champion made it clear he takes pride in the Warriors being the last team to win consecutive titles. The Warriors did it in 2017 and 2018, with Kevin Durant joining Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Green to form a powerhouse run that lasted three seasons before Durant left.
Since then, the league has lived in a stretch of parity without another back-to-back champion. The Thunder were widely viewed as the best bet to end that streak, but the New York Knicks ended up surprising the sports world by rolling to a 16-3 run and capturing the Larry O’Brien trophy.
In Other News...
Thunder Make Quiet Offseason Call On Brooks Barnhizer
Brooks Barnhizers first season in the organization mostly unfolded in the background, with the No. 44 pick in the 2025 NBA draft spending the bulk of his rookie year with the G Leagues OKC Blue. Now the Thunder have made their view of the young wing official by tendering a two-way qualifying offer, a move that keeps the door open for him to stay in the program and continue developing under their watch.
Barnhizer is now a restricted free agent with a standing one-year contract extension attached, and the expectation is that he returns on a two-way deal. Oklahoma City still has flexibility around its three two-way spots, with Josh Dix already in place and Otega Oweh a possible fit as well, so the Thunders quiet offseason call on Barnhizer may end up being just one piece of a broader roster puzzle. [Read more 🡒]
Only One West Move Should Really Concern Thunder Fans
The Western Conference has been busy enough this offseason that it would be easy to lose track of which moves actually matter in Oklahoma City. Memphis dealt Ja Morant to Portland, Charlotte sent LaMelo Ball to Minnesota, and the Thunder mostly went about the quieter business of trimming their tax bill while keeping the championship core intact after moving Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe.
For Thunder fans, though, the Minnesota deal is the one worth watching closely because of how it could reshape the way the Timberwolves play around Anthony Edwards. Ball gives them a very different kind of handle, creation and shooting presence, and that kind of guard talent can change a series in a hurry if everything clicks. The larger question for Oklahoma City is whether this is merely another headline in a chaotic summer or the one West swing that could actually show up on a future bracket. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Suddenly Face A Painful Cason Wallace Decision
Cason Wallace has become one of the quiet anchors of Oklahoma Citys defense over the past three seasons, the kind of perimeter stopper teams value even when he is not the loudest name in the room. That is why the growing speculation around a possible extension matters so much for the Thunder, who have spent years building around flexibility, young talent and a roster good enough to force hard choices sooner than expected.
Wallaces future is now tangled up with bigger questions about how Oklahoma City wants to shape its long-term perimeter defense, especially with Lu Dort already part of that equation. If the Thunder decide not to pay for an extension, the front office may have to decide whether to keep holding onto a prized defender or turn him into a major trade piece, and those are the kinds of decisions that can define a contenders next phase. [Read more 🡒]