How Will OKC Thunder's 'Big 3' Rank Among NBA Stars in 2030?

After winning an NBA title in 2025 and returning the team's entire roster, Oklahoma City is the betting favorite to take home another championship in 2026.

General manager Sam Presti hasn't just built a team that will be strong in the coming years, though, the Thunder has the potential to sustain its success beyond the current decade. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren all entering or in the midst of their prime, the group should be competitors for years to come.

Additionally, OKC has inked all three of the aforementioned players to max contract extensions, meaning the trio should remain in tact for the forseable future. NBC Sports projects Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren to still be one of the best units in the NBA five years from now, ranking all three in the outlet's top 25 fantasy basketball players of 2030 list.

Gilgeous-Alexander took the No. 3 overall spot, preceed by Victor Wembanyama and Cooper Flagg. Holmgren checked in at No. 10 on the list, trailing a pair of Rockets' players. Finally, Williams earned the No. 17 ranking, with Jayson Tatum, AJ Dybantsa and Dylan Harper rounding out the top 20.

Of course, any list projecting five years into the future is mostly guesswork and based on projections, especially when factoring in players who haven't even played regular season college basketball yet.

Coming off an MVP season, Gilgeous-Alexander falls behind a potential MVP candidate in the near future and a promising rookie who still has to prove himself in regular-season competition, let alone meangingful games. Still, the Thunder point guard will be 32-years-old heading into the 2030 campaign, and may have taken a step back from his peak while Flagg and Wembanyama could be in the midst of theirs.

Holmgren has shown the potential to be one of the top big men in the NBA, but needs to stay healthy and continue to improve on offense to live up to those expectations. Defensively, the former No. 2 overall selection is already one of the best players at his position.

Williams' positioning is the most puzzling, as the 24-year-old earned All-Star, All-Defense and All-NBA honors while helping the Thunder to a title during his third professional season. The 2022 lottery pick showcased his versatily on defense by playing defense on post players during stretches when the Thunder dealt with a handful of injuries at the center position.

Williams' also performed well on the biggest stages, turning in a strong performance in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on the road agaisnt Minnesota, notching 34 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals while shooting 13-of-24 from the field and 6-of-9 from beyond the arc.

In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Williams notched 40 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and just one turnover while shooting 14-of-25 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range.

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