Following the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Game 7 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals, what appeared to be the NBA’s next dynasty was at least temporarily derailed.
The concern for the Thunder and their supporters might be that the 2025-26 NBA champions have already been overtaken in the West by an upstart Spurs team and arguably the league’s brightest star in Victor Wembanyama.
So the immediate question after Oklahoma City’s 111-103 loss and a failure to defend its NBA title is what moves the team needs to make to either keep up with the Spurs or regain their status as the league’s top team.
Two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about the Thunder’s offseason plans after Saturday’s defeat and immediately dismissed the notion that he would offer any suggestions to general manager Sam Presti on any possible changes to the roster.
“I will give zero input,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I will let Sam Presti, the greatest GM ever, do his job.”
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Succinct and with a smile. If the Thunder star has any opinions on which players to retain and which to pursue, he’s certainly not saying so publicly. However, he may just want to restrict his efforts to the court and locker room, and let those who are tasked with constructing the roster and keeping Oklahoma City in championship contention do their work.
Yet asking Gilgeous-Alexander if he might offer some feedback to the front office isn’t an unusual question when superstars including LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry have used their status to exert some influence on their respective teams’ directions.
As was pointed out when asking about the offseason, the Thunder have some important decisions to make. The team can’t pay everyone. No professional sports franchise operating under a salary cap can. And Oklahoma city currently projected to be $102 million over the cap next season, according to Spotrac.
Isaiah Hartenstein has a $28.5 million club option for next season, and a $17.7 million club option awaits for Lu Dort. Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe are eligible for contract extensions. Additionally. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren have max extensions beginning next season. Gilgeous-Alexander’s max extension will kick in the following year.
Holmgren, in particular, put a large target on his back with his below-subpar Game 7 performance of four points on 1-for-2 shooting with the Thunder’s season at stake. His ability to be one of the only players capable of challenging Wembanyama on the court is in significant doubt. His future with the Thunder suddenly appears uncertain.
Yet Gilgeous-Alexander may also be looking at a team that was without two of its best players for most of the series with the Spurs. Williams (strained hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf strain) missed several games due to injury. Had they been healthy enough to contribute, would the Thunder have won?
Oklahoma City played San Antonio to seven games and lost Game 7 by eight points with their second- and third-leading scorers, averaging more than 30 points per game between them, out of the lineup.
Does a team that won 64 games during the regular season, has 132 combined victories over the past two seasons, and earned an NBA championship deserve the opportunity to run it back for at least one more shot at a title? Gilgeous-Alexander may think so. Perhaps he already knows that Presti feels the same way too.
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