Victor Wembanyama has put the Oklahoma City Thunder in a tougher spot than they probably wanted to be in.
The Thunder have one of the priciest rosters in the NBA, but that bill is easier to swallow when the wins keep coming. Right now, Wembanyama is the reason that balance feels a little shakier. After San Antonio beat Oklahoma City in the NBA playoffs and lost only once to the Thunder in the regular season, the Spurs have made their case as the West’s top team.
The matchup that mattered most was the one in the middle. Wembanyama went right at Chet Holmgren in the postseason, controlling both ends of the floor and making Holmgren look hesitant just to catch the ball. What had once been billed as a rookie rivalry has tilted hard in Wembanyama’s direction.
That matters because Oklahoma City may soon have to make uncomfortable choices. If Holmgren can’t repair how he’s viewed after that series, he could become part of the roster shuffle that comes with the second apron.
The Thunder are also staring at a future in which several young pieces become extension-eligible. In the next two summers, Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, Jaylin Williams, and Jared McCain are all eligible for extensions.
Wallace, Williams, and McCain all made their mark against the Spurs, knocking down big shots and bringing strong defense. The article notes that if Holmgren had matched that level, Oklahoma City likely would have won back-to-back titles.
Keeping all of that talent together is going to be expensive, and moving Holmgren would create $239.2 million over five seasons. That kind of move would have sounded far-fetched before, but the source says it is becoming more realistic as the Thunder weigh how to preserve depth.
“The second apron is rearing its ugly head with OKC in real time and will continue to do so as long as the Thunder keep that big three together,” wrote The Athletic's Zach Harper. “They might have to make a big-time decision soon. If Holmgren continues to struggle against Victor Wembanyama when it matters most, then maybe that decision becomes easier.”
San Antonio, meanwhile, is in a very different financial position. The Spurs do not have the same second-apron pressure, with their best players still on rookie deals and Wembanyama’s pay cut giving the team flexibility that contending clubs rarely enjoy.
Holmgren’s playoff line only added to the conversation. In the Conference Finals, he averaged 10.7 points and took just two shots in a decisive Game 7. One series does not decide a player’s future, but it does leave him with a lot to prove.
If Oklahoma City ever does put Holmgren on the market, there should be no shortage of interest. Even with those struggles, he remains one of the NBA’s best defensive players and a reliable offensive piece. The problem is simple: against the one player he most needs to handle, he hasn’t held up.
In Other News...
P.J. Washington Trade Buzz Puts Mavericks Forward Situation In Focus
The Spurs are weighing a familiar kind of deadline question: whether to keep most of their roster intact or use the market to find a cleaner fit around what they already have. In that conversation, Dallas forward P.J. Washington has surfaced as a player who would make sense for San Antonio because he brings defensive versatility and enough shooting to help a team looking to raise its level without blowing up its structure.
One proposed framework has Washington coming back in a deal centered on Harrison Barnes, which gives the idea some texture even if nothing official has been reported. For the Spurs, the appeal is obvious, but so is the caution, since deadline talks often begin with the kind of match that looks simple on paper and then gets complicated once teams start asking what the real price should be. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Young Core Is Earning Attention Behind Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama already sits at the center of everything the Spurs are building, but the rest of the young core is starting to draw real attention of its own. A Bleacher Report projection that looked ahead to 2030 pegged Wembanyama as the leagues top player, while also slotting Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper into the mix as rising talents whose development will matter just as much to San Antonios long-term picture.
Castle came in at No. 27 and Harper at No. 15 in that projection, a sign that both are being viewed as more than supporting pieces even if neither is expected to match Wembanyamas franchise-player ceiling. The Spurs can live with that distinction, because the bigger question is how much each can sharpen the rough edges in their games and turn promise into dependable production around the player who changes the ceiling for everyone else. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Harpers Rise Just Turned Up A Real Spurs Debate
Dylan Harpers rookie year already had people in San Antonio talking about how quickly he was climbing, and now the conversation has spilled into a different lane entirely. In the upcoming NBA 2K27 game, Harper has been rated 85 overall, a number that places him ahead of some established names and underscores how much his stock has risen after a strong postseason showing.
For the Spurs, the rating is less about a video game number than what it hints at heading into the next season: a young player who may already be pushing into a bigger role sooner than expected. Harpers playoff line of 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists on 52.5% shooting only adds to the sense that his development is moving fast, and with NBA 2K27 set to release soon, the debate around where he belongs in the pecking order is only getting louder. [Read more 🡒]