The Oklahoma City Thunder fell short in their quest to win back-to-back NBA championships, losing in seven games to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 Western Conference Finals. The nature of that exit, with Chet Holmgren being a no-show against Victor Wembanyama, led to calls for the Thunder to look into acquiring Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
While the Thunder do have the assets to pull off a trade for Antetokounmpo, NBA insider Jake Fischer reports they are not expected to pursue him.
“As much as the idea of Thunder splurging for Giannis to counter Wemby might make sense on paper, league sources with knowledge of the Thunder’s thinking continue to dismiss them as a legitimate Giannis Antetokounmpo suitor. The Thunder obviously have the draft capital and an abundance of talented young players to get Milwaukee’s attention, but it’s wise in times like these to consider Sam Presti’s history.
“Presti is hardly known for paying exorbitant trade costs to bolster his roster … let alone for an older newcomer like Antetokounmpo would be at 31. You’ll recall that Paul George was 27 — smack dab in the middle of his prime — when the Thunder acquired PG-13 from the Pacers without even sacrificing a draft pick in a swap that sent Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo to Indiana.”
The Thunder, who were the No. 1 seed with a 64-18 record, shouldn’t get desperate at this point. Yes, it’s concerning how Holmgren melted away against Wembanyama. Also, the Spurs will definitely give the Thunder major headaches in the years to come, but there isn’t exactly a big gulf between these teams. This series could have ended differently had it not been for the injury bug.
Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell both played in only three of the Thunder’s seven games against the Spurs due to injuries. Them being available throughout definitely wouldn’t have hurt their team’s chances of advancing.
It’s also too soon to write off Holmgren and part with him for Antetokounmpo or any other big name. We are talking about a 24-year-old who is coming off a very good season. Holmgren finished second in DPOY voting, made the All-NBA Third Team, and the All-Defensive First Team. You don’t give up on players this good after one bad series.
The Thunder appear to agree, as NBA insider Tim MacMahon reported that they won’t be trading Holmgren. That, in turn, also makes it harder for them to pull off any blockbuster trade. It won’t be impossible, but Thunder general manager Sam Presti’s history suggests he is not going to go down that route.
Now, Antetokounmpo would definitely improve the Thunder or any other team, for that matter. The 1o-time All-Star averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game for the Bucks in 2025-26.
Antetokounmpo has been one of the very best players in the world for years now, and he will have a big say in where he ends up for a very simple reason: his contract. The 31-year-old can become a free agent in 2027 by opting out of his $62.8 million player option for 2027-28.
Teams are unlikely to be willing to give up all the assets it would take to acquire Antetokounmpo if he’s only going to be around for a year. So, if the Thunder aren’t on the list of teams he wants to get traded to, that’s more incentive not to pursue a trade.
All things considered, it’s far more likely that the Thunder only make some smaller moves this summer, and not a big one. That won’t be a mistake either, as this core is great as is.
