The Thunder are expected to be one of the NBA’s top contenders again next season, but it won’t it be quite the same team with Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe all gone, writes Ben Golliver of ESPN. Appearing at a USA Basketball Foundation charity event in Southern California, Chet Holmgren discussed the departure of his long-time teammates, saying it felt “like losing a family member.”
“That’s how the business of this game goes,” Holmgren said. “No team, all 17 guys, sticks together forever. But it doesn’t make it hurt less when you see guys go. At the same time, I’m excited for (Dort and Wiggins) and the opportunity they’re going to have in Atlanta. I’m happy for whatever major milestones they reach over there.”
Dort and Wiggins were sent to the Hawks in separate deals, and Joe was traded to the Pistons in a series of cost-cutting moves. General manager Sam Presti was able to get back seven combined second-round picks and unload enough salary to re-sign center Isaiah Hartenstein for three more years at $75MM.
Holmgren said he has “complete trust” in the front office to remake the roster to challenge for another title after falling to San Antonio in this year’s Western Conference finals.
“We learned the same lesson (in 2026) as the year that we won it: It was almost more of a reminder of just how hard it is to accomplish, and how much goes into it,” Holmgren said. “There is no guarantee. You can put in all the work and still come up short. At the end of the day, you have to be okay with putting in the work with no guaranteed outcome. We came up short this year. That doesn’t change the process.”
There’s more on the Thunder:
- OKC still has an open roster spot after Denver matched its offer sheet to Spencer Jones on Monday. Rylan Stiles of SI believes the team should probably leave it unfilled as next season begins, but examines a few options to be the 15th man, including G League guards Buddy Boeheim and Payton Sandfort of Oklahoma City Blue.
- In a separate story, Stiles points out the obvious pressure on Thunder ownership to prove the team can remain at the same level after saving $240MM on its tax bill for the upcoming season. Stiles also notes that Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain will all be eligible for extensions next summer, while two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s supermax deal will kick in, paying him $60.6MM in 2027/28. Stiles adds that OKC should be preparing to spend several seasons in the second apron.
- The Thunder were delighted to add Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz in this year’s draft, an assistant coach told Keith Smith of Spotrac during the Las Vegas Summer League. “Aday gives us incredible size behind Isaiah and Chet up front. His passing ability is also top-notch for a player his age and size. There’s real skill there that we’re excited about working with,” the assistant said. “Bennett is super smart. He processes everything really quickly. He’s also a big-time shot-maker. We had an early conversation about how deep our guard group is and Bennett’s answer was ‘Time to get to work then.’ What more can you ask for?”