Thunder GM Sam Presti Breaks Silence on Chet Holmgren Struggles

The Oklahoma City Thunder failed to defend their NBA title, falling to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.

In Game 7 of the series, the Spurs came out on top with a 111-103 final score on the road. Reigning back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did his part in the closeout game, recording 35 points and nine assists.

However, his fellow All-NBA teammate Chet Holmgren was nowhere to be found.

Holmgren recorded four point and four rebounds, attempting just two shots through 33 minutes of action.

These costly struggles result in swirling speculation about Holmgren’s future with the Oklahoma City franchise. Though he’s fresh off his first All-Star appearance and NBA Defensive Player of the Year runner-up campaign, some analysts suggested that the team part ways with the big man this offseason.

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Thunder GM Sam Presti was asked about Holmgren during a press conference on Monday.

“Chet’s one of our guys. He’s been so impactful. He drives winning on so many different levels for us,” Presti said. “All that to say, he didn’t have a great series.

“But if you go back and look at some of the greatest players in the game, they all have these moments where they run into defeat or struggle. That’s what makes them great players.”

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Holmgren’s numbers dropped dramatically when going up against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, averaging 10.7 points and 7.1 rebounds in the Western Conference Finals. He averaged 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds in a first-round sweep over the Phoenix Suns, and 20 points and 9.8 rebounds in a second-round sweep over the Los Angeles Lakers.

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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 9:38 AM.