As Victor Wembanyama waited to learn the identity of his eventual NBA team ahead of the 2023 Draft, Adrian Wojnarowski shared a somewhat startling sentiment bubbling among teams hoping to secure the greatest prospect in basketball history during ESPN’s broadcast of the lottery. 

“A number of executives who are in the room tonight, who are waiting on those bouncing balls in the lottery, they tell me that they believe Wembanyama could be the best player in the NBA on both the offensive and defensive ends by his third season in the league,” Wojnarowski said. 

That simply does not happen, at least not under modern circumstances. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the MVP and a champion by his second NBA season, but he played a full collegiate career. Magic Johnson won Finals MVP as a rookie, but Abdul-Jabbar was by his side for all but the clinching game of the Finals and would remain the superior player for several years. LeBron James reached the NBA Finals in his fourth season, but got swatted away by a more experienced San Antonio Spurs team and wouldn’t return until his eighth season.

These words were spoken about Wembanyama mere months after his 19th birthday. He had no NBA experience. He didn’t come up through the traditional American collegiate system. He was more accomplished in Europe, winning the French MVP award in 2023, but he barely played in the EuroLeague. Luka Dončić won the EuroLeague MVP award at 19. Wembanyama averaged 6.5 points in 17.5 minutes against Europe’s best competition. It didn’t matter. His future was obvious to anyone who’d ever bounced a ball. He was going to be the best basketball player in the world. Health permitting, he might genuinely be the best basketball player who’s ever lived.

We usually don’t start with those conversations. Michael Jordan didn’t truly throw his name into the “GOAT” ring until his first three-peat. James was compared to him from the moment he arrived in the NBA, but he’s said himself that his 2016 championship over the 73-win Golden State Warriors was the moment, in his mind, when it really happened. That came in his 13th season.

2026 NBA Finals schedule: Knicks vs. Spurs odds, dates, game times

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But Wojnarowski’s prophecy came true. It’s Wembanyama’s third season, and he’s already claimed “best in the league” status. He and the Spurs just knocked off two-time reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals on the road in Game 7 on Saturday night. Gilgeous-Alexander was burdened with injuries to his secondary shot-creators, Ajay Mitchell and Jalen Williams, but Wembanyama was playing with two of his best teammates, De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper, also hobbled. 

In the regular season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 5.4 shot attempts in the restricted area per game. In the first six games of the Western Conference Finals, that number was nearly cut in half, down to three. Without the rim, the MVP was mortal. He shot 32.1% in the non-restricted portion of the paint, 38.3% in mid-range and 26.1% on 3s. When he didn’t draw fouls, he just didn’t have an efficient means of attacking San Antonio’s Wembanyama-led defense. This is Wembanyama’s competition, and he erased him.

It usually takes a few tries to reach this point. Jordan lost to the Bad Boy Pistons three times. James lost to the Boston Celtics twice and got pushed to the brink against them in 2012. There’s a certain rhythm to these things. A young star ascends, loses a few times to the incumbent heavyweights and then finally gets over the top. There wasn’t even really a climb here. The Spurs faced the Thunder in five regular-season games and won four. They beat them in their first postseason matchup. Maybe Wembanyama is just so big that he could pull himself up the mountaintop from a standing start.

The Thunder aren’t going anywhere. They’ll presumably be among Wembanyama’s biggest threats moving forward. They’ll probably be healthier if there’s a rematch next season, and both sides are loaded with enough assets to improve on the trade market if they decide it’s necessary. The rivalry isn’t over.

But this is probably the worst Wembanyama’s ever going to be. He’s not close to his peak yet. One of the stories of the season was how effectively Oklahoma City’s defense kept Wembanyama away from the rim. He had 23 paint touches in Game 1, according to NBA.com tracking data. Then he had 33 in Games 2-6 combined. He still can’t quite assert his position near the rim as well as he’ll be able to in a few years, and his young guards will get better at entering the ball into him. He’s not going to completely bulk up, but he’ll probably add some muscle to better handle Oklahoma City’s physicality. His post-game is still developing. He worked with Hakeem Olajuwon last offseason. Odds are, he’ll check in with other legends in the summers to come. He’s still getting better.

He has a ways to go before he reaches those loftier ambitions. He’s not even a champion yet, and the New York Knicks pose a very real threat to his coronation. They beat the Spurs twice during the regular season, including the NBA Cup final, and that was before New York’s magical run through the Eastern Conference. He might still lose. He might face the same stumbles that Jordan and James did during their respective rises to power.

But the basketball world looked at Wembanyama before he’d even arrived in the NBA and reasoned that he would probably be the best player in the league by his third season. That theory, outlandish as it probably seemed to some in the moment, came to pass. And with that being the case, we probably can’t dismiss any other outlandish beliefs surrounding his future. 

Who cares that he’s only played three years? We’re all watching him and thinking the same thing. There’s never been anyone like him before. Nobody has ever had his combination of size, skill and demeanor. He’s capable of things on a basketball court that no other human being ever has been. 

It will take years for his resume to compare to Jordan’s or James’, but he’s ahead of where they were at this stage of their careers. If this goes the way we think it’s going to go, he’s going to be the greatest player in NBA history.

Dylan Harper #2 of the San Antonio Spurs drives to the basket against Tyler Kolek #13 and Jordan Clarkson #00 of the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter of the championship game of the Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena on December 16, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will be well represented in the NBA Finals featuring the San Antonio Spurs, who have fast-rising rookie Dylan Harper, and the New York Knicks with former Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson.

Harper’s mother, Maria, was born and raised in Bataan before moving to the United States when she was seven years old. Clarkson’s mom, Annette Davis, also has Filipino roots and was born in Angeles City, Pampanga.

Harper and the Spurs booked a title date with the Knicks, who swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, after dethroning the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road in Game 7 on Sunday (Manila time).

READ: Dylan Harper joins list of players with Filipino roots in NBA

“It’s a blessing to represent the Philippines, where I’m from. I think Jordan Clarkson and I are doing a great job doing that, but I think the biggest thing is what’s in front of me,” said Harper during the post-game press conference following the Spurs’ 111-103 victory.

The 33-year-old Clarkson, who has represented the Philippines in the Fiba World Cup and Asian Games, is making his second NBA Finals appearance since 2018 as part of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Interestingly, this year’s finals is a rematch of the 1999 edition where the Spurs beat the Knicks in five.

San Antonio is back in the championship round for the first time since winning it all in 2014 with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard as their core.

The NBA Finals tips off on Thursday in San Antonio.

FILE–US chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines–Chess World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura is in the country to compete in the inaugural WR Bughouse Championship, which kicks off Monday at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Bonifacio Global City.

The American Grandmaster arrived in Manila on Sunday with his partner, German Wadim Rosenstein, founder of WR Chess, which is staging the event with a total prize pool of $100,000 (around P6.1 million).

“Good morning from Manila,” Nakamura posted on social media. “Through chess, I’ve been able to travel around the world, and this is now the 63rd unique country I’ve been to.”

Nakamura headlines the two-day tournament featuring bughouse, or transfer chess, with 52 teams vying for the $50,000 top prize.

Also seeing action are American GM Awonder Liang, ranked No. 34 in the world, alongside Canadian Eilia Zomorrodian; Australian GM Anton Smirnov and American GM Timur Gareyev; and Indonesian GM Novendra Priasmoro and WGM Ardhiani Anastasia.

Leading the local challenge are GM Daniel Quizon and IM Eric Labog, GM Darwin Laylo and FM David Elorta, WGM Janelle Mae Frayna and WIM Ruelle Canino, and IMs Pau Bersamina and Jem Garcia.

The tournament opens with a 12-round elimination phase at 4 p.m., with the top eight teams advancing to Tuesday’s knockout stage.

Nakamura will also hold an autograph-signing session from 10 a.m. to noon on a first-come, first-served basis.

In bughouse, captured pieces are passed to a teammate for use on the adjacent board, with each player allotted five minutes and no increment.

Matches are decided by checkmate, resignation, or time forfeiture. Automatic checkmates using transferred pieces are prohibited, while pawn promotions are limited to pieces available from captured material.

Some takes are best left in Drafts, and sometimes things just don’t work out as planned. For the Minnesota Vikings’ sake, we track those items weekly in an article of “Nopey Nopes” — Vikings-themed content that is absurd, false, or didn’t unfold as expected.

This week lassoed a weird theory about rookie linebacker Jake Golday, a take on the Vikings’ quarterback room, and the state of Florida trying to flex on Teddy Bridgewater.

Vikings Offseason Debates Stretch from LB to QB

The Nopedy Nope: Drafting Jake Golday was dumb because the Vikings already have Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson.

The Ringer‘s Diante Lee retweeted a posting about Golday, captioning, “I still struggle to see how Golday is going to find an outsized role on a defense where Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel are both better versions of what he can bring to the table. Minnesota didn’t need another downhill thumper or tweener type in its LB room.”

He then noted that Minnesota’s existing linebackers won’t be around forever: “They’ll all be phased out soon, I know. Still don’t know if it justifies Golday being picked where he was.”

The tweet flummoxed Vikings fans.

The Vikings didn’t draft Golday just because they were bored. Looking ahead to 2026, Minnesota’s top linebackers from last season will be the following ages: Blake Cashman will be 30, Andrew Van Ginkel will be 31, and Eric Wilson will be 32. Additionally, Cashman and Van Ginkel are both set to enter free agency after this season.

This situation is momentous. Three key linebackers are already on the wrong side of 30, and two of them could be leaving next March. From this perspective, it makes perfect sense why the Vikings would want to draft a linebacker early in April.

Lee’s point that Golday could fit into Brian Flores’ defense in 2026 is valid. While Golday may not have a prominent role immediately — rookies often take time to develop — the Vikings are not just focused on this season only for Golday. Golday’s career won’t be evaluated in January 2027. This pick is about preparing for 2027, 2028, and 2029, when Cashman and Van Ginkel may be gone, declining, or in different roles.

Minnesota didn’t draft Golday despite having older linebackers; they drafted him because the linebacker room is aging.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on wondering why a team would draft a young linebacker when the other linebackers are age 30 or older.

The Nopedy Nope: The Vikings’ quarterback room is one of the worst in the NFL.

Garrett Podell of CBS Sports called the Vikings’ QB room the seventh-worst in football, explaining, “One would think the Minnesota Vikings’ signing of two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kyler Murray would keep them off this list, but that’s not the case. Murray earned his Pro Bowl selections in 2020 and 2021. That’s a lifetime ago in NFL years. From 2022 to 2025, Murray missed 30 of his possible 68 games.”

“In the five games Murray played for the Cardinals in 2025, he averaged a career low 227.0 total yards per game. Recent first-round pick J.J. McCarthy was the worst quarterback in the NFL in 2025, which sparked the signing of Murray. McCarthy’s performance was simply incredible considering the offensive ecosystem under 2024 Coach of the Year Kevin O’Connell.”

Murray and McCarthy are on tap to battle for the QB1 job this summer.

“Despite an electrifying supporting cast, McCarthy ranked dead last in the league in completion percentage (57.6%), touchdown-to-interception ratio (11-12), and passer rating (72.6). Murray could rediscover his early career form with Minnesota,” Podell added.

“Murray is one of just four players in NFL history with 20,000-plus passing yards (20,460) and 30-plus rushing touchdowns (32) through his first seven seasons, joining Josh Allen, Cam Newton and Lamar Jackson. Week 1 starter: Kyler Murray.”

The world is not high on the Vikings’ quarterback room.

The Verdict: “QB Room Power Rankings” don’t really matter in May, but to suggest the Vikings have the league’s seventh-worst group is a little strange. When did the world decide that Murray is a terrible passer?

The Nopedy Nope: Teddy Bridgewater was the villain and culprit for helping high school football players.

Bridgewater won. Associated Press reported Saturday: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the ‘Teddy Bridgewater Act’ into law Friday, meaning high school coaches in the state will now be able to use their own money to help their players with expenses such as food, transportation, physical therapy and rehabilitation services.”

“The Bridgewater Act is named for the Florida native and longtime NFL quarterback who coached his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High, to a state championship in 2024. But he was suspended for the 2025 season after revealing that he personally paid for meals, ride-share services and treatments for some players.”

All the Bridgewater fuss kicked up last summer, as the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) didn’t enjoy the fact that he accommodated his players to the utmost.

“There will be strict rules regarding how — and how much — coaches can spend. It would apply to a team’s head coach only, cannot be used in recruiting, must be reported in full to a state agency and is capped at $15,000 per team per year,” AP added.

Bridgewater, now a backup quarterback for the Detroit Lions, was vindicated, paving the way for his return to high school coaching if he so desires when his NFL career ends.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on punishing Bridgewater for a righteous act.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker

No one had a better moving day at the Charles Schwab Challenge than Eric Cole. But now comes the hard part.

Cole, the 37-year-old PGA Tour veteran, shot a seven-under 63 on Saturday at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, to take a one-shot lead into Sunday’s final round. His 63 was two strokes better than the next-best round on Saturday (Nico Echavarria’s 65) and four better than a handful of others who shot 67.

This week is his 120th career start; he’s still looking for that elusive first victory.

“It’s not going to be an easy day tomorrow, I know that from my experience,” Cole said Saturday. “I know that it’s going to be difficult, but that’s why I practice really hard and that’s why I try and do everything the way I do so that I could be as prepared for whatever tomorrow brings.”

Cole started the day five off the lead but torched the classic country club well before the leaders teed off. He was four under on the front and added birdies on 10, 11 and 14 before his only bogey at 15. He bounced back with a birdie on 16 and parred the last two to take the clubhouse lead; a couple of hours later it was good for the 54-hole lead.

“Everything was kind of working well,” he said. “I got off to a really good start. I kind of knew going into it that it was going to be a harder course, firmer conditions. Getting off to that start and realizing how much harder the course was today was great. Then, yeah, just kept trying to hit good shots one after the next and make birdies when you can.”

Cole’s had runner-up and third-place finishes in his career (two of each) although all were in 2023. The closest he’s come to a victory was losing the 2023 Honda Classic in a playoff.

Cole sits at 12 under, one ahead of Ryan Gerard, who birdied the last two holes Saturday to shoot 68 and jump into solo second.

“That’s going to be big for tomorrow,” Gerard said of his finish. “Every shot really matters; any time you get a chance to capitalize on an opportunity you got to take advantage of it. And this course is going to play difficult, so you got to go out there with the right attitude and keep putting it in front of you and keep hitting it in the right spots.”

J.J. Spaun and Mac Meissner are tied at 10 under. Spaun, the 2025 U.S. Open champion, most recently won a month ago at the Valero Texas Open.

There’s also seven players tied at seven under, a group that includes Justin Thomas, Gary Woodland, Ludvig Aberg, Akshay Bhatia and Brian Harman.

“I think [Sunday] will play similar to today if there’s wind,” Cole said. “There’s no rain, so it’s not going to get any softer. So just be prepared for probably another difficult day that requires a lot of good quality shots.”

The 2026 Tower Unity Cup will get underway on Sunday, May 31, at Primary School, Ikot Ntuen Oku, with an exciting opening fixture between Ibiono Ibom Pro and Mayflower All-Stars.

The grassroots football competition is sponsored by former Akwa United and Nigeria U-23 midfielder Godspower Aniefiok, popularly known as Tower, who currently plays abroad.

The opening match is expected to provide an entertaining start to the tournament as both teams boast a blend of experienced players and promising young talents.

Although this will be the first meeting between Ibiono Ibom Pro and Mayflower All-Stars, both sides are known for their attacking style of play and ability to score goals. With quality players expected to be on display, football fans can look forward to an open and competitive contest.

Tower, a product of Greater Tomorrow Football Academy, enjoyed two spells with Akwa United and also featured for several clubs in Nigeria and overseas during his playing career. He represented Nigeria at U-23 level and remains passionate about the development of grassroots football.

According to the organisers, the competition is aimed at promoting grassroots football development in Akwa Ibom State and creating opportunities for young footballers to showcase their talents.

Seven teams are participating in this year’s tournament. They include Tower & Friends, Ibiono Ibom Pro, Royalty FC, Dynamic SPMD, Mayflower All-Stars, Greater Tomorrow Academy and Immortality FC.

Following the opening game, Dynamic SPMD will face Royalty FC on June 2, while Greater Tomorrow Academy will take on Immortality FC on June 3.

The organisers disclosed that the competition will feature players currently playing both in Nigeria and abroad alongside emerging grassroots talents. They expressed confidence that the tournament will produce exciting football and help discover future stars.

The first-round matches will be played on a home-and-away basis, with teams battling for places in the next stage of the competition.

Football fans across Akwa Ibom are expected to turn out in large numbers as the Tower Unity Cup begins with what promises to be an entertaining showdown between Ibiono Ibom Pro and Mayflower All-Stars.

Coco Gauff finally met a player in Paris who could match her court coverage in long baseline rallies.

Anastasia Potapova ended Gauff’s French Open title defense in the third round with a 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 victory over the American on Saturday.

The match was played before mostly empty stands inside Court Philippe-Chatrier as French fans stayed away to watch the Champions League soccer final.

Gauff’s second Grand Slam title came with a victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the final at Roland Garros a year ago.

The 30th-ranked Potapova, who was born in Russia but now represents Austria, improved to 3-2 in her career against Gauff. She’s having quite a clay season after reaching a final in Linz, Austria, and the semifinals of the Madrid Open as a qualifier.

The fourth-ranked Gauff was coming off a run to the Italian Open final. She waved to the crowd and quickly walked off court when the match was finished.

When Gauff shanked a forehand wide on Potapova’s first match point, Potapova fell on her back and covered her eyes as she stuck her feet up in the air in celebration.

Osaka’s fashion statementEarlier, Naomi Osaka beat 18-year-old American opponent Iva Jovic 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-4 after nearly three hours – in her 100th Grand Slam match – to set up a round-of-16 meeting with top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka.

Sabalenka beat Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 7-5.

For her second-straight match, Osaka wore a metallic gold bomber jacket over a sequined gold playing dress during her walk-on. But this time her outfit was offset by a tannish-gold colored train that stretched all the way down to the red clay on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.

For her opening match, Osaka walked on in a ceremonial black skirt and sleeveless beaded bodice before revealing her gold dress, which she said reminded her of the Eiffel Tower sparkling at night. Then she had on the bomber jacket and an ivory-colored train for her second match.

“It’s a surprise every time,” Osaka said of her fashion choices.

“For me, it would be weirder to wear a normal tennis kit, almost, at this point. It’s the fun of it. For a long time, I didn’t have fun for a little bit. And you guys know that period of time in my life,” Osaka added, referring to how in 2021 she withdrew from the French Open because of issues with anxiety and depression. “Now I just want things to be fun, and I want to make it exciting for myself.” 
Osaka’s outfits are planned a year and a half in advance and require at least four fittings.

“We have so many fittings throughout the year because your weight can fluctuate or the fabric can change a little bit,” she said. “There is a lot of effort that goes into it.” 
Heat wave endingFor the seventh straight day of the tournament, it was hot and humid, with the temperature rising to 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit). The heat is expected to break for Sunday and the second week.

Midway through Osaka’s victory, a spectator was carried out of the stadium on a stretcher because of an apparent illness.

On the court, French player Diane Parry beat 2019 semifinalist Amdanda Anisimova 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3), and Diana Shnaider of Russia defeated Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine 7-5, 6-1 after Oliynykova accused her of liking Russian propaganda posts on social media amid the war between their countries.

In men’s action, Alejandro Tabilo ended the run of 17-year-old Frenchman Moise Kouame with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (9) victory; and 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini required 5 hours, 13 minutes to defeat Francisco Comesana 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (13).

Berrettini banged his chest after winning on his fourth match point when Comesana’s shot landed long. Then he cried.

Flavio Cobolli beat Learner Tien 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 and will next meet unsung American Zachary Svajda, who defeated Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3.

Later, Felix Auger-Aliassime plays American opponent Brandon Nakashima. At No. 4, Auger-Aliassime is the highest-seeded player remaining in the top half of the draw after Jannik Sinner’s stunning defeat two days ago.

Organizers moved the small advertising boards at the back of the court to behind the line judges after complaints about safety. Turkish player Zeynep Sonmez had to retire from a doubles match after tripping over an advertising board on Friday.

Every champion feels like a budding dynasty in the moment, yet we’re about to crown our eighth different champion in eight years after the Oklahoma City Thunder dropped Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals at home to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. 

The collective bargaining agreement eventually comes for everyone, and the Thunder are about to experience the same. The 2023 Denver Nuggets lost key reserves Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, and then Kentavious Caldwell-Pope a year later. The 2024 Boston Celtics kept their roster together for another year, but traded away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis while losing Al Horford and Luke Kornet to free agency for the sake of avoiding the second apron.

The 2025 Thunder were as well-positioned to keep their team together as any recent champion has been. That was the benefit of having two All-Stars in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams on rookie deals. But the bill always comes due. It’s what made this year’s loss to the Spurs so devastating. This was Oklahoma City’s last cheap season.

The Thunder had the NBA‘s 19th-highest payroll in their championship season, according to Spotrac. They ranked 13th this season. But next year? At this moment, the Thunder are set to spend around $28 million more than any other team… without including their draft picks. Things only get harder for the 2027-28 campaign, when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s supermax extension kicks in, along with a possible rookie extension for Cason Wallace.

The Thunder have spent years preparing for this moment. They’re about as well-insulated against the effects of the aprons as any team reasonably could be. But decision time has officially arrived. Oklahoma City is no longer positioned to keep everyone. So let’s look at their finances and attempt to figure out where the cuts are coming.

So… how bad is it?

When you include their two first-round draft picks, No. 12 and No. 17, the Thunder are projected to be $39 million above the second apron for next season. Now, this raises our first substantial question: is the second apron an unofficial hard cap for the Thunder?

It doesn’t have to be. Most of the second apron’s restrictions relate to adding players externally. Well, the Thunder probably don’t think they need to add any big-name players externally. They’ve won 132 regular-season games over the past two years. They have a championship-caliber roster already. 

Going above the second apron freezes draft picks, but draft pick consequences are mostly irrelevant to the Thunder. They’ve accumulated such a draft surplus and have so many paths to adding more picks in the future that frozen picks, or even picks moved to the end of the first round (a consequence for spending three years out of five over the second apron), just won’t hurt them that badly.

Victor Wembanyama’s ‘greatest of all time’ trajectory is officially ahead of schedule after Spurs’ Game 7 win

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Nonetheless, I’d expect the Thunder to treat the second apron as a hard cap for this season because of what’s coming a few years down the line. The current collective bargaining agreement has an opt-out clause after the 2028-29 season. The NBA is certainly operating as though a lot is going to change after that, given that it included a 2029 sunset provision in its reformed draft lottery. Next year will be Oklahoma City’s first year of this era paying the luxury tax. You get three tax years before the now extremely punitive repeater tax kicks in. 

So let’s reverse engineer this: you get two second apron seasons before the third pushes a future first-round pick to No. 30, and you get three tax seasons before the fourth introduces the repeater tax. There are three years left before the CBA presumably changes. It would therefore make sense for the Thunder to stay below those thresholds and hope the next CBA changes in ways that are more favorable to them than the last one. That’s probably why they ducked the luxury tax this season. They wanted to delay the repeater clock, and next year, they’ll try to delay the frozen pick clock as well. They’ll have plenty of second apron years to come. Next year doesn’t have to be one of them.

Which players are on the chopping block?

Here’s our second major question: who’s replaceable? There are three very obvious answers here:

• Lu Dort has an $18.2 million team option and is a 3-and-D wing on a roster with an endless supply of 3-and-D wings. He was mostly bad in the Western Conference Finals, and while his on-ball defense remains a strength, his offense has become a real weakness. You could argue that just removing him is a net positive. Wallace and Ajay Mitchell are better than him. They were underutilized on the bench, but Dort’s status as an elder statesman kept him in the starting lineup. If the Thunder can get something for Dort? Great. But there aren’t many teams positioned to take on his contract since he’s making more than the mid-level exception, and Oklahoma City’s preference is probably to keep him away from the Lakers, who would have the cap space to sign him outright if that option is declined. The last thing they’d want would be for Dort to defend Gilgeous-Alexander in a playoff series next year, especially after helping Dallas get Daniel Gafford in 2024 came back to bite them in the playoffs. That means the other cap space teams (Bulls, Nets) and the big trade exception teams (Celtics, Mavericks, Grizzlies) probably get the first crack.
• Jared McCain, making only $4.4 million with two years left on his rookie deal, may well have been acquired specifically to replace Isaiah Joe as the “designated shooter” in their rotation. Joe is set to make $11.3 million next season, but McCain played far more than Joe did in the playoffs. The Thunder wouldn’t have any trouble trading Joe into someone’s mid-level exception. He has a very affordable team option for the 2027-28 season as well.
• Aaron Wiggins is on another team-friendly contract. He’s making $9.2 million and has two more cheap years after that. He’s been buried in Oklahoma City, but he’s certainly a rotation-caliber player and possibly even a starter on another team. He didn’t factor meaningfully into Oklahoma City’s playoff rotation, and besides, the Thunder need to clear someone notable out of their perimeter rotation to accommodate former No. 12 pick Nikola Topić, who missed his rookie season with a torn ACL and most of his sophomore season recovering from testicular cancer. The Thunder need to see what they have with him.

Those are the easy ones. Merely removing those three salaries would leave the Thunder with 14 roster spots filled, with total obligations slightly below the second apron. That doesn’t mean we’re stopping here, though. Oklahoma City is likely to want to find more savings, both for long-term planning and to leave itself a bit of flexibility for moves during the season or to pursue a possible free agent or two. There are three more situations that should be monitored here:

• Isaiah Hartenstein has a $28.5 million team option. The Thunder have Jaylin Williams as a reserve center, and they drafted Thomas Sorber at No. 15 last year to be a long-term front-court project. Nonetheless, Hartenstein is unquestionably irreplaceable in the current construction of the team. The Thunder simply do not get offensive rebounds when he’s not on the floor. He’s among the NBA leaders in screen assists, a critical stat for springing Gilgeous-Alexander as a driver. His physicality was essential against Victor Wembanyama, and his parabolic flip shot is one of the very few shots in basketball that truly vexes Wembanyama as a rim-protector. Nobody else has a shot with such a high arc. Oklahoma City cannot let him go. He’s badly needed for next year’s championship pursuit. So odds are, the Thunder will work with Hartenstein on a long-term extension that will probably lower his salary for next season by a bit, but secure him for multiple seasons.
• Kenrich Williams has a $7.2 million team option. He doesn’t play much. That’s not a matter of quality. He’d play more on most other teams. But in Oklahoma City, he’s a beloved locker room figure. He’s another candidate to have his option declined only to re-sign for multiple years at a slightly lower figure. Locker room figures are eventually going to become an unaffordable luxury here, but for now, they’ll try to keep Williams in the fold.
• In a perfect world, the Thunder would probably prefer not to make both the No. 12 and No. 17 picks. They simply won’t have minutes for multiple rookies, and they’ve already had to purge several players they made meaningful investments in, like Tre Mann and Ousmane Dieng, purely because of a lack of minutes and money to spend on them. The Thunder also quietly don’t have nearly the pick surplus they once did. They have two incoming top-five protected picks coming from Denver, along with first-round swaps with the Clippers in 2027 and the Mavericks in 2028. After that? It’s only their own picks, which will probably be bad. They’d probably love to turn one or both of this year’s picks into selections in the 2029 or 2030 draft. Maintaining liquidity will be important for the Thunder if they ever want to make an aggressive pursuit of a specific draft prospect down the line.

This is likely what’s on the table. I’d imagine Dort, Joe and Wiggins — or at least two of the three — are unlikely to return. Hartenstein should be back on a new deal, and the Thunder probably won’t make both of their first-round picks. But those are the obvious concepts. What if we thought a little bigger…

Could the Thunder take a more extreme step?

Ducking the second apron next season is, as we covered, achievable. It’s off the table entirely for the 2027-28 campaign. At that point, the trio of Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren alone will be making roughly $150 million. Factor in the $21 million going to Alex Caruso, whatever they re-sign Hartenstein for this summer or next and the rookie extension Wallace is going to get (Stephen Noh’s salary model valued Wallace at around $28 million this season, so price an extension accordingly) and those six players alone might get the Thunder to the second apron. And on top of that, Mitchell has a team option for the 2027-28 season that the Thunder might like to use to get him to re-sign at a favorable, long-term number.

At a certain point, this just isn’t tenable. That’s not even an apron matter anymore. Eventually, most owners would just draw a budget when it comes to cash spending. That’s especially true in small-market Oklahoma City. The Thunder have spent far more generously on players than most teams in a market like that would. Again, they’ve spent years preparing for this, but there’s a limit somewhere. At some point, maybe in a year, maybe two, the Thunder are probably going to have to move someone from their core, not just their rotational surplus.

Caruso and Hartenstein, as the oldest of those core players, are the easy targets. They’re both still essential, and were probably the second- and third-most valuable players on the team in the Western Conference Finals. Sustainability is great, but Gilgeous-Alexander, 27, is in his prime right now. The Thunder aren’t going to take a step back lightly, and besides, those are the players that would return the least if traded. If the Thunder want to really replenish their draft stock, they have to consider more extreme alternatives.

There’s been plenty of speculation about the Thunder making a big move up this year’s draft board, with Duke’s Cameron Boozer (No. 3 on CBS Sports’ Big Board) most frequently cited as the target. They’re not getting him with a godfather pick offer. The Wizards, Jazz and Grizzlies, picking in the top three, all have pick surpluses as it is. They don’t need six first-round picks in the future. They need a franchise player, and they’re probably not going to trade out of the top of this loaded draft without getting one. The Bulls are more of a blank slate at No. 4, but Boozer will likely be gone by then, and even if he weren’t, it’s just hard to imagine Chicago giving up on a pick like that when so little else on their roster is settled.

Realistically, if the Thunder are going to get into that range of the draft, they’re going to have to dangle either Holmgren or Williams. That’s it. If they want a young star, they have to give up a young star, and even then, it’s no certainty. Williams played through a wrist injury last postseason and was ultimately felled by a hamstring injury this season. Holmgren has plenty of injury issues of his own, and his stagnation as a scorer might have cost the Thunder this year’s championship. They are both enormously valuable players. They’re both probably looking less valuable than they did a year ago.

Holmgren is probably less replaceable. He’s maybe the second-best defender in the NBA, and even if he’s not quite the shooter his reputation suggests, having anyone that big that can even kind of shoot poses real problems for opposing defenses. The Thunder saw what they looked like without Williams for most of this season. They could have won this Spurs series without him had Mitchell been healthy. If some team views Williams as its franchise player and is willing to compensate the Thunder accordingly, well, they almost have to listen. The chance to duck out of that max contract for an asset haul could make the entire rest of the team financially viable, or even open up bigger moves in other areas.

The Wallace and Mitchell situations are reminiscent of the James Harden dilemma that general manager Sam Presti botched 14 years ago. Mitchell very nearly led the Thunder in scoring in the Lakers series. Wallace didn’t post big offensive numbers, but he had five 20-point games in February while the Thunder were missing several key players due to injury. On top of that, he’s obviously among the NBA’s very best defensive playmakers. It’s unlikely that either ever comes close to the MVP ceiling Harden hit in Houston, but these are both young players capable of more than they get to do in Oklahoma City. 

That doesn’t mean they necessarily want to leave. It does mean other teams would probably be eager to throw picks Oklahoma City’s way for the right to explore that untapped potential. They could both net multiple first-round picks through trade, or perhaps one fairly high one in this draft, if the Thunder feel any need to pursue someone outside of the established top four of Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Caleb Wilson.

Inertia is a powerful force in roster-building. Teams tend not to address issues until they have to. The likeliest outcome for the Thunder is some combination of moves from the last section. Anyone covered in this space is more in the “only if someone blows us away” realm of moves. The Thunder came one game away from beating the Spurs and returning to the Finals while shorthanded and still probably view themselves at least as next year’s co-favorite. There probably won’t be any crazy risks here. 

But a financial cliff is coming, and the Harden trade all those years ago suggests Presti is at least considering it. Nobody but Gilgeous-Alexander has proven himself completely indispensable for the long haul. If anyone else had, well, the Thunder would probably be headed to the NBA Finals right now.