It’s Highly Unlikely the OKC Thunder Move off Chet Holmgren

Following the Thunder’s disappointing Western Conference Finals exit to the San Antonio Spurs, rumors have grown surrounding Chet Holmgren’s future.

The All-NBA forward and runner-up Defensive Player of the Year certainly didn’t see the best of series, with his production dropping across the board. With MVP candidate Victor Wembanyama roving the interior, he wasn’t able to see his typical at-rim production, and the faster postseason closeouts didn’t allow him to fire triples either.

All of that culminated in a fateful Game 7, where in an eight-point loss, Holmgren scored just four points and took two total shots.

Now, the mock trade machines have been fired up regarding Holmgren. Personalities in Kendrick Perkins and Stephen A. Smith have already called for OKC to trade Holmgren. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Conner said he would move Holmgren for Duke’s Cameron Boozer, a projected top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. And the general consensus is that OKC needs to acquire the long-disgruntled Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee.

The only issue with these thought processes is that Oklahoma City won’t be moving off Holmgren.

His 10.7 points and 27% 3-point shooting in the conference finals weren’t up to his or the team’s standards, but one series won’t discount years worth of impact for Oklahoma City. Holmgren cemented himself as the second best defender in the league this season, earning All-Star and All-NBA status in the process.

One series also won’t erase his Playoffs-best output in the two previous rounds, where he scored 18.6 points on 60% shooting, to go along with 9.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.

While Holmgren’s shot form certainly needs to quicken from a postseason perspective, he’s still one of a few players capable of both protecting the rim and shooting threes, which massively plays into the Thunder’s defensive-minded system. Without a strong shot-blocker behind, their cadre of point-of-attack defenders would be lessened.

There’s plenty more reasons the Thunder won’t be moving off of Holmgren, starting with the organization’s top-to-bottom love for the forward.

Top decision-maker Sam Presti spent the No. 2 pick on him, patiently waited for his arrival through a Lisfranc injury, and Oklahoma City has finished as the West’s No. 1 seed since. Head coach Mark Daigneault has long talked about Chet Holmgren’s competitive makeup, and two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reinforced his belief in Holmgren at exit interviews on Sunday.

“I didn’t perform my greatest this series either, Chet won’t come to me with a development plan for the summer — Chet knows how much I care about this game, and want to be the best version of myself every night we’re out there on the floor. And I know how much Chet loves this game and wants to be the best version of himself every night out there on the floor,

“He’s going to get better at basketball, he’s just going to be a better player because of the makeup he is, the talent he has. I don’t need to umbrella Chet.”

Amid what is sure to be tons of toxic Chet Holmgren discourse, I'll remind you that he is a notoriously hard offseason worker,

Few players I'd be more confident in coming back better than him. https://t.co/uT44W5GcFH
— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) May 31, 2026

In addition to the strides that the Thunder organization are confident Holmgren can make, the Thunder were also eight points away from a Finals berth without an All-NBA wing in Jalen Williams, and a rising guard in Ajay Mitchell.

While the Western Conference is sure to continue getting better around OKC, they'll have clear pathways toward improvement as well. And moving on from a 24-year-old All-NBA player won't involve that.

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