Thunder Rumors: Holmgren, Caruso, Hartenstein, Dort, More
Although league insiders don’t expect Thunder head of basketball operations Sam Presti to make any “panic moves” following his team’s elimination in a tight Western Conference finals, rival executives have wondered for months whether the team will have to part with certain rotation players beginning this offseason as the roster gets more crowded and more expensive, per Anthony Slater and Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
“There can’t be room for everybody,” one Eastern Conference executive said to ESPN.
Much of the speculation in the wake of Saturday’s Game 7 loss has centered on Chet Holmgren, who shrank against Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama, attempting just two shots from the floor in that do-or-die contest. However, Holmgren continues to be backed within the organization as a “franchise pillar,” write Slater and MacMahon.
Veteran guard Alex Caruso is also viewed as a “firm member” of the long-term core in Oklahoma City after a strong showing in the Western finals, according to Slater and MacMahon, who say that there’s also anticipation among league and team sources that big man Isaiah Hartenstein will return to the team for the 2026/27 season too. That could mean OKC picks up its $28.5MM team option on Hartenstein or turns that option down in order to negotiate a new contract.
Luguentz Dort‘s future with the Thunder is less clear. While his $18.2MM team option isn’t exorbitant, the club has no shortage of reliable wing defenders, including Caruso and Cason Wallace, which could make Dort the odd man out in OKC, observes Kurt Helin of NBC Sports.
While Slater and MacMahon acknowledge that Wallace looks ready to take Dort’s place in the starting five, sources familiar with the thinking of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tell ESPN that the two-time MVP highly values playing alongside Dort, a fellow Canadian, and is expected to let management know that.
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- If Oklahoma City looks to move players on guaranteed contracts to create more financial flexibility, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins are potential trade candidates to watch, Slater and MacMahon say. The two wings, who will earn a combined $20MM+ in 2026/27, played regular rotation roles during the season but weren’t used much in the playoffs.
- Rival executives expect Oklahoma City to decline its $7.2MM team option on Kenrich Williams, though there’s a chance the veteran forward, a longtime member of the Thunder, could return to the team on a lower cap hit, Slater and MacMahon report.
- League sources tell ESPN that the Thunder have already had exploratory conversations with teams drafting in the top 10 about what the price would be to move up. While Oklahoma City is armed with the 12th, 17th, and 37th picks this year and has a surplus of future draft assets, the team’s decision on whether to pay the price to move up will likely be made on draft day and will depend on whether a specific target is available.
- While the Thunder front office will have some important roster decisions to make this summer, the 2027 offseason is viewed as the real start of a “financial reckoning” for the organization, according to Slater and MacMahon. That’s when Gilgeous-Alexander’s super-max extension will begin, increasing his salary from roughly 25% of the cap to 35%.
International Notes: Parker, Hezonja, Bertans, Canada, Murray
Spurs legend Tony Parker is the new head coach of France’s Under-17 national team, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Parker, who played 18 NBA seasons, has already opened training camp for the upcoming FIBA U17 World Cup that will be held in Istanbul later this month.
“I’m so excited. Like the first day of school,” Parker said of his new job. “I was so happy to put on this French national team jersey again.”
This marks the start of a coaching career for the 44-year-old Parker, who will take over ASVEL Villeurbanne next season as the highest-paid coach in the French League. He’s a French basketball legend, but he never participated in the World Cup as a player.
“To put things in context, back then, the World Championship wasn’t the competition everyone wanted to play in,” Parker said. “Since there was EuroBasket every two years and the Olympic Games, it was tough to play every summer.”
There’s more international news to pass along:
- Former NBA forward Mario Hezonja has been named Most Valuable Player of the Spanish League, Askounis states in a separate story. Hezonja, who played five seasons with Orlando, New York and Portland, averaged 17.5 points per game with Real Madrid. There was reported to be “serious interest” in Hezonja from several NBA teams last spring, but he opted to remain in Europe.
- Davis Bertans, who played for five teams in eight NBA seasons, is taking over as sports director for the Latvian men’s national team system, Askounis adds in another piece. That will include everything from the Under-14 age group up to the senior national team. “During my playing career, I have had the great opportunity to work in world-class organizations with excellent coaches, team managers, and staff,” Bertans said. “I am confident that this experience will help me create an environment where players, coaches, and staff can achieve the highest goals. At the same time, by getting involved and developing the next generation of basketball players to ensure the sustainability of Latvian basketball.”
- Canada has unveiled its 23-man player pool for this summer’s World Cup qualifiers, which begin with a July 3 game against Puerto Rico, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN (Twitter link). The list features some big names, including two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but one notable omission is Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. “No, Jamal Muray is not committed to playing in the program going forward,” Canada general manager Rowan Barrett said (Twitter link from Michael Grange of SportsNet). “He’s got tremendous desire to play for the country, but sometimes there are things going on with the athletes that prevent them from doing so.” Shaedon Sharpe and Andrew Wiggins are also not on the list.
Northwest Notes: Gilgeous-Alexander, Game 7, Wolves, Blazers
The Thunder expected to be fighting to win their second straight championship next week. Instead, they face a summer of introspection and figuring out what they need to do to reach the Finals again.
When it comes to making or suggesting personnel changes, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says that he will not be a part of the discussions, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter video link).
“I will give zero input,” he said. “I will let Sam Presti, the greatest GM ever, do his job.”
As Gilgeous-Alexander won a second consecutive MVP award and led the Thunder to another deep playoff run, critics have griped about his playing style, accusing him of egregiously seeking out contact and flopping. Warriors forward Draymond Green said that the conversations have skewed too negative for his taste, according to Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area.
“We want to pinpoint the thing that we can slow down. Shai’s falling. Shai’s at the free-throw line. Everybody’s complaining about Shai getting too many foul calls. And going into Game 6, Shai had shot five more free throws in the series than Wemby. But the whole complaint is Shai’s getting too many foul calls. I don’t understand it,” Green said. “‘Ah man, he’s foul baiting.’ Shai, what I will say is, you’ve reached a new level of greatness, my man. Congratulations. Your hard work has paid off. You’ve reached a new level of greatness because you have sports media heads coming out and talking about what they don’t like about your greatness. Imagine that.”
We have more from around the Northwest Division:
- The Thunder‘s inability to make, let alone win, their second straight Finals is a testament to how difficult it is to be a repeat champion in the NBA, Joel Lorenzi writes for The Athletic. While fans have grown accustomed in the past to teams like the Heat and Warriors rattling off championships, this season will mark the eighth straight year without a repeat winner. “It always takes a little bit of luck,” Alex Caruso said. “We were lucky last year, our team was healthy the whole time outside of (Jalen Williams’) wrist, but he was able to play still. This year, losing those two guys, it changes the dynamic of the team. Obviously, you’re playing a good opponent. You’re playing a 62-win team.” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr empathized with the difficult task. “The whole league, by the way, is spending all their time trying to figure out how to beat you, building their teams to beat you, building new schemes to beat you. That’s a lot to face year in and year out,” he said. “And at the same time, it’s like, what an honor that is.”
- Another team trying to figure out how to beat both the Thunder and Spurs is the one that lost to San Antonio in the second round: the Timberwolves. After an earlier exit than they would have liked, they’ll have some ability to be aggressive in pursuing trades, but will also have to deal with a handful of roadblocks, Yossi Gozlan writes in his offseason preview for the Third Apron. One of the bigger questions facing the team’s new ownership is whether the Wolves will be willing to operate as a second-apron team again. The answer to that question will determine how aggressive they’ll be in shedding salary or pursuing upgrades. With Anthony Edwards becoming extension-eligible this summer, the team will also need to show him that they’re taking the right steps in making the team a true contender.
- Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon‘s hockey team, the Carolina Hurricanes, is in the midst of a massive arena renovation that came through coordinated efforts with the state mayor, the public university system, and more parties. While it’s not a perfectly analogous situation to the Blazers’ efforts to renovate the Moda Center, exploring why the former has been so successful might help provide insights for the latter, writes Bill Oram of the Oregonian. The Blazers’ arena project faces community skepticism, especially regarding using a clean energy fund for the $4.3 billion franchise, at a time when the city’s economy is losing jobs at a rate much higher than in other areas of the country.
Thunder Notes: SGA, J-Dub, Mitchell, Wallace, More
After largely struggling in the first six games of the Western Conference finals, back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was excellent for the Thunder in Saturday’s Game 7 loss to San Antonio, finishing with 35 points (on 12-of-21 shooting), nine assists, four rebounds, three steals and one block in a game-high 43 minutes.
“He was brilliant,” head coach Mark Daigneault said, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (subscriber link). “… Obviously that would’ve been one of the stories of the game had we been able to figure out a way to win it.”
The 27-year-old guard credited the Spurs after the game, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press relays.
“Yeah, they’re young, they’re talented, well-coached,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Play the right way, play together, seems like they like each other. They have the makeup, for sure. You don’t beat us without the makeup and they beat us. They have the makeup to go get one.”
Gilgeous-Alexander, who acknowledged the roster might look different next season due to the ever-changing nature of the NBA, said he won’t be involved in any personnel moves.
“I will give zero input. I will let Sam Presti, the greatest GM ever, do his job,” he said (Twitter video link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- As Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes, the Thunder refused to use injuries an excuse after the loss even though they weren’t at full strength; Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf strain) were both sidelined for most of the series. Alex Caruso noted that injuries are part of any playoff run and Oklahoma City was fortunate last year but “unlucky” in 2025/26 in that regard. Still, several members of the Thunder felt as though they still could’ve come out on top. “To be a 64-win team, have the net rating we did, overcome some of the adversities we did in the season, is something we’re incredibly proud of,” Daigneault said. “It’s something we can build on. When you have a team that’s together for a long time, you have to grow from every experience, including the tough ones. And it’s the NBA — there are tough ones. And we can also be really disappointed. We felt like we could have won the series, obviously, right there in the game and in the series. There’s nobody that we don’t think we can beat, respectfully.”
- Daigneault admitted on Sunday that the absences of Williams and Mitchell lowered the Thunder’s ceiling but said he’s looking forward to a having Williams healthy again in 2026/27 after he was plagued by various injuries over the past year-plus, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter video link). “Missing (Williams) impacts your ceiling. Missing Ajay Mitchell impacts your ceiling. But we’ve been able to maintain a really high floor. I’m proud of that,” Daigneault said. “That’s a huge accomplishment for the season, and it will pay dividends moving forward and will pay dividends for us this year. … I’m excited about a healthy Jalen Williams. I’m excited about a healthy team and what that can look like moving forward. So that becomes the priority especially with him. It was a tough year for him, and we need to do everything we can to get him in full form, and he does too.”
- Williams believes he would’ve made a difference in the series had he been healthy, tweets Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. “I don’t do the hypothetical thing too much because it does not solve anything that’s going on right now,” Williams said. “But to humor your question, obviously I think I could have made an impact. I think we could have won if I played. We went to seven with them without me playing. I don’t think I make us worse. That’s really my answer to that. It’s also hats off to (San Antonio). What do you want them to do about me being hurt? … We’ll just have to wait until we meet again at some point.”
- Gilgeous-Alexander referred to ’25/26 as a failure on Sunday since he and the team were unable to win their second straight championship, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN. “I failed at my goal,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve. But I learn the most about myself and make the greatest amount of increases in my career when I fail and don’t get what I want. I look at this no different. I didn’t get where I wanted to go this season. There’s a reason for that. Now I have to look at that reason and try to make sure it never happens again.”
- Cason Wallace, who made a number of huge plays in the fourth quarter to keep the Thunder in Game 7, is extension-eligible beginning this offseason and said he loves being part of the team, but it sounds like he’ll leave any contract negotiations to his agent, according to Rylan Stiles of SI.com (Twitter link). “Love the Thunder. But you know I’m more focused on getting better this summer and being able to go out there and compete next season,” said the former lottery pick, who was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in ’25/26.
Spurs Reach NBA Finals; Victor Wembanyama Named MVP Of WCF
The Spurs won a tough Game 7 at Oklahoma City on Saturday night to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. The 111-103 victory sets up a matchup with the Knicks for the NBA championship, with Game 1 tipping off Wednesday night in San Antonio.
Victor Wembanyama was a unanimous choice as Most Valuable Player of the Western Conference Finals (Twitter links). He received the Earvin “Magic” Johnson trophy in a vote by nine media members.
Wembanyama played 42 minutes in Game 7, finishing with 22 points, seven rebounds and two assists, and he got plenty of help from his teammates.
De’Aaron Fox contributed 15 points, five assists and three steals and hit several big shots to stave off Thunder rallies. Julian Champagnie added 20 points with six three-pointers, Keldon Johnson sank two crucial threes in the fourth quarter and backup center Luke Kornet may have made the play of the game by blocking Isaiah Hartenstein on a breakaway (Twitter video link).
League MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 35 points, with many of them coming on difficult shots over multiple defenders. Cason Wallace added 17, but OKC couldn’t find much additional scoring with Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell both sidelined by injuries. Chet Holmgren had a particularly forgettable night, finishing with four points on just two shots from the field.
“They’re young, talented, well-coached, play the right way, seems like they like each other,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of the Spurs (Twitter link from Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic). “They have the make-up. You don’t beat us without the make-up.”
The victory not only gives the Spurs a shot at their first NBA title in 12 years, it may signify the start of a long-term shift in the balance of power. With the deepest roster in the league, the Thunder looked capable of stringing together a potential dynasty after winning 68 and 64 games the past two seasons. But San Antonio took down the defending champs with a younger core built around Wembanyama (22), Stephon Castle (21) and Dylan Harper (20).
This year’s series could also be the start of an extended high-stakes rivalry between the two franchises. The Thunder have the ability to bring back virtually their entire roster next season, but they also have a stockpile of draft picks if they want to chase a veteran star. Regardless of which path they choose, Oklahoma City and San Antonio figure to enter the 2026/27 season as heavy favorites to grab the top two seeds again and return to the Western Conference finals.
Wembanyama was overcome by emotion as the final seconds ticked away, and he spent several minutes hugging teammates and friends before heading to the locker room. Speaking at the post-game press conference, he made it clear that the Spurs’ mission isn’t complete, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
“We want four more,” Wembanyama said. “We’re not done.”
Thunder Notes: SGA, Caruso, Game 7, Ament
Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had an underwhelming Western Conference finals to this point, largely struggling against San Antonio’s smothering defense, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscriber link).
The reigning back-to-back MVP also hasn’t converted the looks he normally makes, Martinez notes. During the regular season, the Canadian guard shot 55% when he was open (defined as 4-6 feet of space), but he’s only converting 37% of his open looks against the Spurs.
“I’m not too sure, to be honest,” Gilgeous-Alexander said when asked why his shots aren’t falling at their usual rate. “A lot of the shots that I’m shooting, I’ve shot plenty of times before, and they feel good. They’re just not going in.”
Gilgeous-Alexander was visibly tired after Thursday’s Game 6 loss in San Antonio, according to Martinez, but the 27-year-old is confident he and the team will bounce back in Saturday’s do-or-die Game 7 in Oklahoma City.
“It’s too late to abandon my work, my game and who I am this late in the season,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’ve got to trust it and live or die by it.”
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- While Gilgeous-Alexander has struggled with his shot, the opposite has been true for veteran Alex Caruso, who’s averaging 15.3 points per game while knocking down 55.6% of his three-pointers through six games against the Spurs. For context, the 32-year-old averaged 6.2 PPG and shot a career-low 29.3% on threes in 56 regular season games, well below his career rate of 36.5%. Caruso never questions the competitiveness of his teammates, per Martinez (Twitter video link). “It puts you at ease knowing you’re going to get the best from each guy. They’re going to go out there and put their best foot forward and do what they need to do to sacrifice for the team and try to win the game, which is all you can do,” Caruso said. “All you can ask for is to go out there and play your best and let the results fall where they may. Looking around the locker room, there’s no doubt in my mind that the guys are ready to go to war for each other.”
- Aside from the double-overtime classic in Game 1, the other five games of the Western Conference finals have been pretty lopsided, with an average margin of victory of 17 points, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes in his preview of Game 7. Kurt Helin of NBC Sports also previews the Game 7 matchup between the Spurs and Thunder, noting that OKC doesn’t believe being at home will be a major advantage. “Anything can happen in a Game 7,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s win or go home. It being in your building is nice, but it doesn’t really mean anything. You have to go out there and be the better basketball team or else your season’s done and that’s what it comes down to.”
- Projected lottery pick Nate Ament confirmed to Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports that he had a 1-on-0 workout with the Thunder earlier this week (Twitter video link). The Tennessee forward said the workout was “super tough endurance wise.” Oklahoma City currently controls the 12th, 17th and 37th picks in June’s draft, though there have been rumors that the team might try to move up.
Thunder Notes: Injuries, Game 4 Loss, SGA, Holmgren
The Thunder looked overmatched Sunday night without Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, and they may need at least one of them to return to have a chance to beat the Spurs in the Western Conference finals, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Williams was downgraded to out with left hamstring soreness shortly before Game 4 tipped off, while Mitchell was ruled out Saturday night due to a strained right calf. There’s no indication yet on whether either player will be available when the series resumes Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
As Mussatto observes, OKC struggled to get good shots or even to hold onto the ball with two of their best play-makers sidelined. They shot 33% from the floor and 18% from three-point range and weren’t able to reach 80 points until Nikola Topic hit a garbage-time layup late in the game.
“I thought we left a lot to be desired on that end of the floor tonight,” coach Mark Daigneault said. “We didn’t have the sharpness, force or precision necessary to crack them. And they were really good defensively.”
While the Thunder have experienced injuries throughout the regular season and playoffs, they’ve rarely had to survive without two of their best offensive initiators. In their absence, a huge burden fell on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was limited to 19 points by the Spurs’ smothering defense and missed nine of the 15 shots he took.
SGA didn’t get much help from his teammates as Alex Caruso was shut out, Luguentz Dort managed just two points and Jared McCain was 1-of-10 on a four-point night. The misfiring took place throughout the lineup with Cason Wallace going 2-of-8, Jaylin Williams 1-of-7 and Aaron Wiggins 2-of-11.
“I think it’s a snowball effect,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “When you come out with the right energy, things like (missing two ball handlers) work out and the offense has flow. I don’t think we came out with the right energy today.”
There’s more on the Thunder:
- Gilgeous-Alexander talked about how to create more opportunities for Chet Holmgren, who had 10 points on eight shots Sunday night (video link from Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman). “Chet’s an easy target to find,” he said, “so probably just like find him more in the dunker, when he’s spacing, just put him in better positions to use his strengths as an offensive talent.”
- The Thunder are normally able to overwhelm opponents with their talent level, but that may not be possible for the rest of this series, states Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. The inability to adjust to the absences of Williams and Mitchell and the poor response from so many players who were thrust into larger offensive roles took away the team’s normal cohesion throughout the game.
- Even though they got outplayed in Game 4, the Thunder have the solace of earning a split in San Antonio and returning to Oklahoma City with home-court advantage, notes Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman. The players understand that they’ll have to fight through adversity to get past the Spurs and return to the NBA Finals. “I think the biggest thing is we can’t rely on it being our best day to win basketball games,” Holmgren said. “We gotta figure out how to do whatever the game calls for for us to win games. We didn’t do it tonight. … We’ve done it in the past. We’ve had games where things didn’t go our way or shots weren’t falling, whatever it might be. We still figured out how to win the game, and that’s what we have to do.”
NBA Announces 2025/26 All-NBA Teams
The league has officially announced its three All-NBA teams, recognizing the top performers for the 2025/26 season (all Twitter links).
A total of 100 media members voted on the All-NBA teams, with First Team votes counting for five points, Second Team votes counting for three points, and Third Team votes counting for one point.
This year’s All-NBA teams are as follows (each player’s point total is noted in parentheses):
First Team
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (500 points)- Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (500)
- Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (498)
- Luka Doncic, Lakers (482)
- Cade Cunningham, Pistons (414)
Second Team
- Jaylen Brown, Celtics (384)
- Kawhi Leonard, Clippers (277)
- Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers (276)
- Kevin Durant, Rockets (241)
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks (197)
Third Team
- Tyrese Maxey, Sixers (168)
- Jamal Murray, Nuggets (149)
- Jalen Johnson, Hawks (125)
- Jalen Duren, Pistons (121)
- Chet Holmgren, Thunder (87)
Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic, this season’s Most Valuable Player and runner-up, respectively, were the only unanimous first-teamers, with Wembanyama coming a single vote away — he had one Second Team vote to go along with 99 First Team votes.
Doncic and Cunningham each technically fell short of meeting the 65-game minimum required to be eligible for All-NBA and other major awards, but they appealed that ruling and were deemed award-eligible by the league. Doncic would have met the criteria if he hadn’t missed time due to the birth of a child, while Cunningham fell short after suffering a collapsed lung, so both players were granted “extraordinary circumstances” exceptions.
Notably, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who played 61 games, also applied for an extraordinary circumstances exception. However, his request was denied, so his name didn’t show up on award ballots even though he likely would’ve been voted onto an All-NBA team if voters could’ve selected him. Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and LeBron James – who had made 21 consecutive All-NBA teams – were among the other superstars who didn’t meet the 65-game criteria.
Outside of the 15 players who made All-NBA teams, another dozen players showed up on at least one ballot, starting with Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who had 26 voting points (Twitter link).
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (14 points), Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (9), Cavaliers guard James Harden (6), Rockets center Alperen Sengun (6), Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (5), Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5), Heat big man Bam Adebayo (4), and Celtics guard Derrick White (3) all earned multiple votes, while Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, and Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley earned one Third Team vote apiece.
As usual, there are also financial implications worth noting related to the All-NBA teams. First and foremost, Duren will now be eligible to sign a contract with the Pistons that starts at up to 30% of the 2026/27 salary cap as a restricted free agent this summer. That means he could earn up to a projected $287.1MM over five years.
If he hadn’t made All-NBA, Duren’s maximum five-year contract with Detroit would’ve been worth a projected $239.3MM. Either way, the most a rival team can offer him is four years and $177.4MM.
Maxey and Cunningham are on their way to meeting the super-max (ie. Designated Veteran) criteria but would need to earn All-NBA honors again in 2027 to become eligible for maximum-salary extensions worth up to 35% of the cap instead of 30%.
Wembanyama is in a similar boat — despite making the All-NBA First Team and being named Defensive Player of the Year, he would need to achieve one of those feats again in 2027 in order to increase the maximum value of his next contract from 25% to the cap to 30% via the Rose rule. Wembanyama will be eligible to sign a rookie scale extension this offseason and is a lock to do so.
Paolo Banchero and Jalen Williams had Rose rule language in their maximum-salary rookie scale extensions, which were signed last offseason and will go into effect this July. They could’ve increased their respective starting salaries beyond 25% of the cap if they’d made an All-NBA team, but neither player did.
Interestingly, the maximum-salary rookie scale extension that the Thunder negotiated with Holmgren in 2025 did not include a Rose rule escalator, so the projected value of the big man’s contract (five years, $239.3MM) remains unchanged even though he earned a spot on the Third Team. It’ll go into effect this year and will be identical to Williams’ deal.
Finally, Edwards would have become eligible to sign a super-max extension with the Timberwolves during the 2027 offseason if he had been named to an All-NBA team this season. Because he didn’t qualify, he’ll need to make All-NBA next season in order to meet the performance criteria for a Designated Veteran extension.
Thunder Notes: SGA, Bench, Turnovers, McCain, Caruso
The Spurs scored the first 15 points. Then the Thunder came roaring back in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, led by two-time Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA had 26 points and 12 assists in the 123-108 victory, which gave Oklahoma City a 2-1 series lead.
“We just went out there and competed,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, per Raul Dominguez of The Associated Press. “They obviously jumped on us early. First game in their building, their crowd behind them, they were excited to play. We just wanted to make sure we competed from that point on. We obviously didn’t give our best effort to start that game, but can’t do nothing about it. It’s behind us. All we can do is focus on the next possession, and we did that.”
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- Head coach Mark Daigneault pointed to his team’s low turnover total, 10, as a key to the comeback. “Other than the first 15 points, our defense was really tight,” Daigneault said. “We got back, settled down into the halfcourt. Our offense had something to do with that. We ran good offense tonight, despite the fact that they were amped up and ready to go, the Spurs were. It’s a discipline series. We did that. We couldn’t be reckless against them, they are too good with the ball, too well coached, too talented. So you’ve got to be able to do it with discipline. I thought we really were disciplined tonight.”
- Despite Jalen Williams (hamstring) being sidelined, the Thunder have so much depth that their reserves outscored the Spurs’ bench, 76-23. In-season acquisition Jared McCain led the way with 24 points. “He just oozes confidence,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “He knows exactly who he is, he knows exactly what he does, and he goes out there and does it no matter what. Whether the ball goes in or out he makes the next play, he makes the best play for himself and for the guys out there. He’s always aggressive, always in attack mode and we needed it tonight.”
- Who is the series MVP thus far? Not SGA or Victor Wembanyama, according to Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman, whose pick is Alex Caruso. The veteran guard has not been simply a defensive dynamo but has made all-around contributions, scoring 15 points in 24 minutes in Game 3, Carlson notes. He is averaging 21.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks in the series and is a plus-46 during his minutes. “I think the most impressive thing is, he makes the plays that have nothing to do with physical ability,” Chet Holmgren said.
Thunder Notes: Caruso, Gilgeous-Alexander, McCain, Accountability
The Thunder boast a two-time MVP guard, an All-Star big man, and an All-NBA wing, but through two games of the Western Conference Finals, 32-year-old backup guard Alex Caruso has been the key to unlocking the team’s potential on both ends of the court, Kelly Iko writes for Yahoo Sports.
A year after showing his versatility by defending Nikola Jokic in the playoffs, Caruso has been tasked, at times, with guarding Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. Even more importantly, he has shown no fear in attacking the first-ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year on offense, even as some of his teammates shied away from the large barrier Wembanyama represents.
“He’s got an unbelievable focus and is a monster competitor,” said coach Mark Daigneault said of Caruso. “It seems like the bigger the moment, the bigger the game, the more he wants to compete in it. And he’ll fail and not blink, and he’ll be aggressive in the next possession, next game and he was huge again tonight. His minutes were massive for us.”
With Jalen Williams limited by injuries and Ajay Mitchell and Chet Holmgren working themselves into a rhythm, Caruso has stepped up offensively. Through two games, he is the series’ third-leading scorer behind the two teams’ respective MVP finalists, averaging 24.0 points per contest while hitting 11 of his 18 threes.
Caruso’s ability to guard up in the lineup also has downstream effects on the Thunder’s offense, as they are able to play more guards alongside him, thereby injecting much-needed shooting and ball-handling as the team searches for creases in San Antonio’s imposing defense.
“His leadership is over the roof, honestly, especially on the [defensive] end of the floor,” Luguentz Dort said. “He communicates a lot. He’s really smart as a player and watches a lot of basketball as well. So he knows a lot of plays and the tricks we need to get stops defensively. Able to read the game well and he’s been amazing.”
Whether he can keep up the hot shooting remains to be seen, but with Williams being listed as day-to-day after leaving Game 2 early with a hamstring injury and Mitchell also suffering an injury scare, Caruso’s responsibilities are unlikely to decrease as the series progresses.
We have more from the Thunder:
- After an uncharacteristically quiet performance in the Game 1 loss, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put together the kind of MVP performance fans have come to expect from him in Game 2, Joel Lorenzi writes for The Athletic. “I guess I just have sucked when I get too long of a break,” he said. “I don’t think it’s anything other than that. I don’t know. I guess I gotta do a better job with my breaks, especially during the playoffs.” Instead of playing into the Spurs’ coverages, Gilgeous-Alexander found ways to get to his spots and stopped letting Stephon Castle‘s rugged defense get to him. “We just had no choice but to play to our strengths,” he said, “or else.”
- If you just looked at the efficiency, it would be easy to miss Jared McCain‘s impact on Game 2, Lorenzi writes. Although McCain made just 4-of-14 shots from the floor, his energy and hustle were clearly infectious as he played his way to 12 points, six rebounds, and two steals in 26 minutes. This is nothing unusual for a player who has quickly ingratiated himself with his Thunder teammates due to his outsized personality, Marc J. Spears writes for Andscape. “The first week or two that he was here felt like he had been here the whole season,” Dort said of McCain. “That is the type of guy he is. That is the type of locker room we have. Really funny and really loud, and he blended in with everyone really quick.” It’s not just about his off-court personality, though. “That translates to his game as well,” Caruso added. “He is constantly moving on offense, which is manipulating the defense. He’s starting to pick up some of our other principles. He picked up a big offensive rebound tonight.”
- The Thunder have built a juggernaut based on the principles of precision, attention to detail, and accountability, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic. On a roster as loaded with NBA-level talent as Oklahoma City’s, players have had to find roles they can thrive in, even if that feels like a sacrifice. Cason Wallace is a good example of that trait: there are 20 players from the 2023 draft class that are averaging more points per game than the former 10th overall pick, but those guys aren’t playing critical minutes in the Western Conference finals, as he is. Even when Wallace isn’t on the floor, though, he knows what is expected of him. “Honestly, you just go out there and be who you are,” the defensive-minded point guard said. “If it’s your night then, you know, it’s your night, and we’re all gonna be excited, and we’re all gonna put our best foot forward. But when it’s somebody else’s night, we also understand that and we cheer them on.”
- While that sounds good in theory, Daigneault and the players know that it’s one thing for players to talk about accountability, but quite another to buy into it. “There’s a collective understanding of where the bar is,” Holmgren said, per Woike. “And it’s human nature is to be imperfect. Nobody’s gonna be perfect. I might shoot a shot where it’s ‘S–t, I ain’t shot one in a while.’ Human nature is ‘OK, let me get one up’ … But there’s an understanding that there’s human nature, that nobody’s gonna be perfect. But there’s also an understanding if somebody sees you drifting, hey, we’re gonna pull you back in.”