Sam Presti and the OKC Thunder are fully committed to sticking with Chet Holmgren

The 2026 Playoffs were supposed to be another championship run for the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, they had to play against the upstart San Antonio Spurs while also dealing with injuries to Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell.

When those players are sidelined, it is natural to think about Chet Holmgren stepping up as the second option behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That did not happen, which led to widespread criticism and speculation about Holmgren's future.

Chet Holmgren is staying put in Oklahoma City

As an All-NBA big man, expectations are always high for Holmgren. He was superb on both ends of the floor in the regular season, but that faded away in the Western Conference Finals.

Earlier in the Playoffs, he seemed aggressive enough to still be one of the best players on the team. Unfortunately, the WCF felt like there was a different Holmgren out there on the court compared to the Holmgren NBA fans have become familiar with.

MORE: Chet Holmgren is staying motivated after his WCF struggles

Immediately after the WCF, many have speculated that Holmgren would get traded. The Thunder have silenced those doubts because they are committed to Holmgren and his long-term contract with the team.

"He had an awful series; the circumstances are that he's not supposed to be the second option. This idea that it's time to pull the plug on Chet Holmgren in Oklahoma City, and I can promise you this, Sam Presti will not be taking that advice," Tim MacMahon said on ESPN's NBA Today.

Moving forward, Holmgren will be driven by this WCF loss. It was a rough series for him, but he has room to improve, and that will make him a much more dangerous player to go up against for Victor Wembanyama and other players.

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