The Oklahoma City Thunder entered this offseason with a looming threat of a hefty luxury tax bill and potentially entering the second apron. But Sam Presti once again pulled off a genius maneuver to avoid it without disturbing the core of the team.
But in the process, he had to trade some crucial role players who were a part of the 2025 championship-winning roster, including Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe.
Chet Holmgren, the Thunder’s starting center, recently spoke to Ben Golliver of ESPN and gave his reaction to these moves.
When Dort had initially been traded, Holmgren took to social media but only posted a picture of Dort with multiple emojis of crossed fingers. But now, Holmgren broke his silence and equated all the moves to feeling “like losing a family member.”
“That’s how the business of this game goes,” Holmgren said at a USAB Foundation charity event in Southern California. “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.”
“I have complete trust in our team and the moves they make,” Holmgren added. “I trust what they’re doing is to get it right. It’s my job to be in the gym all summer to get my stuff right.”
After winning the championship in 2025, the Thunder tumbled against the Spurs in the 2026 Western Conference Finals (WCF). During the interview, Holmgren then dove into the key takeaways for the whole team from that loss.
“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,” Holmgren said in conclusion.
Holmgren has experienced a challenging range of emotions as a result of the Thunder’s offseason changes, particularly after developing close relationships with teammates who are no longer in Oklahoma City.
But the young team also learned a valuable lesson from the Conference Finals loss to the Spurs. The loss highlighted the need for increased consistency, poise, and execution by demonstrating that skill alone is insufficient when the stakes are highest.
Holmgren seems committed to applying those lessons to the upcoming season as the Thunder proceed with a modified roster. Even though change can be unpleasant, it might eventually help the Thunder move closer to another championship.
