Shai Gilgeous-Alexander plans to let Sam Presti cook this summer.
The two-time MVP and one-time NBA champion assures the media that he will provide no input on offseason decisions as the Thunder seek to reclaim championship status in the league following their seven-game loss to the Spurs in the Western Conference finals.
The Thunder held their exit interviews on Sunday, less than 24 hours after their season ended.
But even before that, we heard from the reigning league MVP moments after the loss to San Antonio.
“I will give zero input,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the loss, regarding having a voice in offseason decisions. “I will let Sam Presti, the greatest GM ever, do his job.”
Presti and the Thunder face a more difficult offseason than they’re accustomed to, with a lot of questions looming over their summer.
OKC hasn’t had to worry about finances, but that ends this summer.
Gilgeous-Alexander will enter the final year of his rookie extension, but his veteran extension will begin in 2027-28.
SGA will make north of $40 million next season before jumping up to $61 million the season after, which is the first of a four-year, $285 million deal.
Both Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, the team’s first-round picks from 2022, are both going to begin their rookie extensions this coming season.
Holmgren, who had an infamously terrible Game 7, will go from under $14 million this past season to pocketing $41.5 million next year, the first of a $239 million deal over five years.
Williams, who made $6.5 million, will earn the same deal as Holmgren after both were extended on max contracts.
The team will be up against the second apron, potentially, depending on their roster moves.
Isaiah Hartenstein ($28.5 million) and Lu Dort ($18.2 million) both have team options for next year, making their returns unlikely without some creativity from Presti and the front office.
Additionally, the team will have to make long-term decisions soon on Cason Wallace, Kenrich Williams, and eventually, Jaylin Williams, Jared McCain, and Isaiah Joe, all of whom will see their deals end between the summers of 2027 and 2028.
Alex Caruso is also entering the second year of a four-year, $81 million contract, where he’ll make $19.5 million this coming season.
The Thunder will still have the ability to consistently retool as they’ll have 14 first-round picks between 2026 and 2033, including two this year, along with 12 second-rounders.
OKC’s picks in 2026 are at No. 12, No. 17, and No. 37, respectively, and because they have so many deals they’re committed to, with the development of recent first-round picks Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber expected, the team is a prime candidate to take a swing this year, either in the draft or the trade market, or both.
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