The Oklahoma City Thunder, for the first time since their rebuild has started to find success, were forced to make a number of moves for purely financial reasons.
To this point, they've been able to build as deep and strong a core as Sam Presti's nose for role players allowed them to. That's the kind of flexibility you have when your stars are on rookie deals. But with the extensions for Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren kicking in this offseason, the Thunder were forced to move on from Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins in separate deals in order to duck below the second apron and keep their luxury tax bill manageable.
Those pieces are replaceable, and the Thunder have done an excellent job cycling in young talent to ensure some level of continuity when these moves needed to be made. But this offseason, Oklahoma City has needed to come face-to-face with an existential crisis of sorts.
How long will they be able to keep all three of their stars together? And who goes if they ultimately can't?
Of course, with Chet Holmgren's dud of a playoff performance against the San Antonio Spurs, most of the external pundits have placed him on the hypothetical chopping block. If he wants to quiet those rumblings, he'll need to take a major leap on the offensive end as he enters Year 5. But these same circumstances also leave Jalen Williams with a mandate— he needs to prove he can stay healthy and consistent as a second option alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander if he wants to be in Oklahoma City long-term.
Jalen Williams needs to use this season to prove he's the second star the Thunder need
This is not a call for the Thunder to move either Holmgren or Williams. In fact, the overwhelmingly likely scenario is that all three are with the team at least through the duration of their current contracts. Oklahoma City has prepared for this moment, and they're ready to address the roster accordingly.
But it's at least worth thinking about— especially considering the financial decisions that will need to come next offseason when Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain become extension-eligible.
While Williams had largely been healthy through the first three seasons of his career, it felt like his 2025-26 campaign was doomed from the start. His start to the season was delayed as he rehabbed a wrist injury, and he suffered multiple hamstring strains over the course of the campaign that ultimately sidelined him for large portions of the regular season and much of the playoffs.
Even when he was healthy, he wasn't particularly effective. He struggled to get downhill and command the offense as a secondary playmaker like he did during the championship run, and his 3-point volume dropped dramatically.
Let's say, just for the sake of argument, that the Thunder can only carry two stars long-term. Gilgeous-Alexander is a given. If Holmgren can continue to polish his offensive game, would his pure defensive impact put him above Williams in terms of organizational priority?
At the very least, it's a question that needs to be considered as this team's financial constraints get more concerning over the coming seasons.
If a pairing of Williams and Gilgeous-Alexander is going to make sense at a roughly combined price point of $105 million, Williams needs to be not only consistently available but also able to take the offense onto his shoulders when teams sell out on his counterpart. He needs to hit his perimeter shots more consistently, and he needs to leverage his strength and aggression in taking the ball downhill.
Williams can absolutely do this— and we've seen it over and over again in the past. But with financial uncertainty comes a new sort of burden, and Williams will need to prove himself again in 2026-27 as a result.
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