The Oklahoma City Thunder already got a harsh reminder this summer that winning comes with a bill.
To stay under the second apron, they had to move salary and part with quality players. Lu Dort went to the Atlanta Hawks in one trade, Aaron Wiggins went to the Hawks in another, and Isaiah Joe was sent to the Detroit Pistons. Those were the kind of moves that make the current CBA impossible to ignore.
Now comes the next challenge: keeping Chet Holmgren out of trade conversations.
Around the league, Holmgren is exactly the type of player teams will try to pry loose. He’s one of the NBA’s best defenders, and he’s already shown he can be part of a championship-level core. Peter O’Keefe of Blue Man Hoop even laid out why the Golden State Warriors should go after him.
But for Oklahoma City, the answer should be simple. Holmgren belongs in the Thunder’s Big 3 with Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and that group should be untouchable.
Holmgren had a rough playoff run this year. His offense faded badly, and there were stretches where he was barely a factor. Even so, that doesn’t wipe away the value he brings on the defensive end, or the role he plays in what the Thunder are building.
The Thunder may eventually face more tough money decisions as the years go on. That much seems unavoidable.
But Holmgren should not be one of them. Trading him would make no sense, especially this season, when teams may already be checking in to see whether Oklahoma City is willing to listen.
The calls may start coming. The Thunder just need to keep saying no.
In Other News...
Kevin Durants Westbrook Message Hits Right At Thunder Fans History
Russell Westbrooks retirement announcement prompted a flood of reaction across the NBA, but Kevin Durants message landed especially hard for Thunder fans who lived through the rise of that era in Oklahoma City. Durant looked back on the eight years they spent together with the franchise, emphasizing the grind, the shared day-to-day work and the way their partnership helped define a run that put the Thunder at the center of the league conversation.
For a fan base that still measures that stretch by playoff pushes and what might have been, Durants note carried the weight of history instead of nostalgia for its own sake. He credited Westbrooks impact on the franchise and on the teams legacy, a reminder that even as their paths split long ago, the imprint they left in Oklahoma City is still part of the story being told whenever either name comes up. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Fans Already Have One Big Russell Westbrook Debate
Russell Westbrooks retirement closes the book on an 18-season NBA run that began in Oklahoma City and helped define an era for the Thunder. He spent his first 11 seasons with the franchise, won an MVP award, made nine All-Star teams and turned the triple-double into part of the leagues everyday conversation. Even with his career now officially finished, his place in Thunder history feels settled, and the only real question around the organization is how soon the team will formally honor him.
There is already widespread expectation that Oklahoma City will retire Westbrooks No. 0 jersey, and Jalen Williams recently floated the idea that the ceremony could happen at the teams upcoming home opener. For Thunder fans, that only adds to the anticipation around a player who remains one of the franchises defining figures. The debate now is not really whether Westbrook belongs in that rafters conversation, but when the moment will arrive and how the organization chooses to frame it. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Fans Will Get Some Emotional Title Reunion Games This Season
The Thunders championship season now has a few familiar faces scattered around the league, and the first wave of reunion nights will arrive early. Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins, now teammates in Atlanta after Oklahoma Citys 2026 offseason shakeup, are scheduled to come back through Paycom Center in November, giving fans a chance to see two pieces of the title run in opposing colors.
Isaiah Joe is next up, with Detroit bringing him back to Oklahoma City in December, while Branden Carlsons return wont come until 2027 after his trade to Portland. For a fan base that just watched a title group get broken up in pieces, the calendar is already setting up a handful of emotional nights, even if some of the biggest reminders of what the Thunder built are still ahead. [Read more 🡒]