Chet Holmgren Out of OKC? 3 Possible Landing Spots

It’s not a good time to be Chet Holmgren.

After being compared to Victor Wembanyama since he was a teenager, Saturday brought the cold, hard truth that the Gonzaga product might never be able to keep up with the 7-foot-4 French titan for the San Antonio Spurs.

In Game 7, Holmgren shied away from the moment, not taking a single shot in the final three quarters of the game and watching as his team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, were eliminated from the NBA playoffs.

As the Thunder head into an offseason where Holmgren will soon be making over $50 million a year, there’s a possibility that the fearless Thunder might make another big move (literally) to save their depth and reload for another run at the championship.

If they do move Holmgren, here are three interesting spots where he could land.

More news: Chet Holmgren Just Humiliated Himself on the NBA's Biggest Stage

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Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers fans might groan seeing their name here, but Los Angeles needs a center of the future for Luka Doncic, and Deandre Ayton is not the answer. It’d be a complete gamble if Holmgren could live up to his lofty salary, but it might be a move the Lakers need to make to maximize Doncic’s chances at competing for a championship.

While I don’t think either Thunder fans or Lakers fans would be happy with what this trade would entail, it’s a possibility.

Milwaukee Bucks

The fantasy trade you’ll be seeing on social media all summer: Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Thunder and Chet Holmgren to the Bucks, with maybe some draft capital and an extra player thrown in.

Oklahoma City needs a player with the athleticism to match Wembanyama, and Antetokounmpo in his peak form might be the only player who can do so currently in the NBA. Milwaukee gets a legitimate young, top-25 basketball player and someone to help build around without needing to start over completely.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Why not return home?

Holmgren is obviously a giant, but he has the body that fits better at the power forward position than at taking damage under the rim as a center. For the Timberwolves, he could let Rudy Gobert be the ultimate rim protector while creating an extremely lengthy frontcourt with Anthony Edwards continuing as the gunner at the guard position.

While Timberwolves fans might not be happy with what they’d have to give up, I’d presume they’d be happier with Holmgren as their second option, more so than human spinning top Julius Randle.

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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 3:30 PM.