It was a sad ending to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s season on Saturday. While battling key injuries to players like Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell, OKC couldn’t adjust, resulting in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7, 111-103.
Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t as consistent as his usual self. However, he set his struggles aside in Game 7. In 43 minutes, the NBA MVP finished with 35 points, four rebounds, and nine assists in the loss.
“It was a failure. I failed at my goal,” Gilgeous-Alexander said following the season-ending loss. “I didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve.”
Oklahoma City heads into an offseason full of decisions. Players like Isaiah Hartenstein, Lu Dort, Kenrich Williams, and Jared McCain face team options for the 2026-27 season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: ‘I’ll Give Zero Input’ on Offseason Roster Decisions
Although the Thunder had one of the deepest rosters in the NBA in 2025-26, general manager Sam Presti will have to make decisions about multiple players this offseason.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said that he will keep his opinions out of roster conversations this offseason.
“I’ll give zero input,” SGA said, according to Thunder insider Clemente Almanza. “I’ll let Sam Presit – the greatest GM ever – do his job.”
Oklahoma City will have most of their main core for next season. Although time will tell whether players are traded. Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso, and Ajay Mitchell are all under contract for the seasons to come.
It will be interesting to see how Presti and the Thunder front office address the team options of Isaiah Hartenstein, Lu Dort, and others.
Despite being two of the higher-salaried players on the Thunder roster, Hartenstein and Dort were given limited minutes in their Western Conference Finals loss to the Spurs.
Hartenstein averaged just 20.9 minutes per game in the series, while Dort was given the next step down at 19.3 minutes per game.
Oklahoma City has to assume that Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs are going to be a familiar foe moving forward. The Spurs were the Thunder’s biggest issue in the regular season (the Spurs won the regular-season series 4-1), and the same pattern led to an early postseason exit.
Thunder May Address Chet Holmgren After Struggles in WCF
Coming off his most impressive season in the NBA, 24-year-old Chet Holmgren was limited by Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs’ defense in the Western Conference Finals.
Holmgren couldn’t find momentum in the final seven games of the season. In the conference finals, he averaged 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks on 51.0/27.3/76.9 shooting splits.
Despite the controversy, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spoke highly of the 24-year-old.
“We need Chet Holmgren,” the Thunder superstar said. “When he’s the best version of himself, we are the best version of ourselves.”
“We need Chet Holmgren.”
Aside from his struggles in the Western Conference Finals, Chet Holmgren has become one of the best bigs in the entire league. In 2025-26, the Thunder center was named to the All-NBA Third Team, All-Defensive First Team, and earned his first All-Star bid while averaging 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game.
Oklahoma City appears committed to Chet Holmgren, agreeing to a five-year, maximum-salary rookie extension with the Thunder before the start of 2025-26. He’s estimated to make an annual salary of $47.85 million through the 2030-31 season.
Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Makes Roster Announcement After WCF Loss