Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Defends Chet Holmgren After Rough Game 7

After losing to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came to the defense of teammate Chet Holmgren, who had a game to forget.

Holmgren, one of the league's top young big men, had just 4 points on two shot attempts for the Thunder in the club's winner-takes-all Game 7 loss to the Spurs. The Thunder were defeated 111-103, dashing their hopes of repeating as NBA Champions in the process.

It was a terrible showing by Holmgren in such a pivotal game, and it had fans and talking heads alike roasting him on social media and on television for such a poor performance in such an important game, with many suggesting the Thunder get rid of him.

But Gilgeous-Alexander decided to take the high road and support his teammate, instead.

We need Chet Holmgren."

"We need Chet. We just need Chet Holmgren. Before Chet was here, we weren't who we are today. We didn't have the success we had today. When he's the best version of himself, we're the best version of ourselves, and it's no secret," Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters in Oklahoma City at the team's year-end media availability on May 31.

"We need Chet. He's another guy who got all offense, defense, and All-Star in one year at a super young age. Guys like that, you need on your team."

Chet Holmgren Know He Needs to Be Better

In addition to Gilgeous-Alexander speaking to the media at the Thunder's year-end availability, Holmgren did as well, giving himself a chance to defend his shoddy performance in Game 7 against San Antonio.

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"I feel like it comes down to looking at the tape, figuring out where I can improve individually, and then trusting my work through the offseason," Holmgren said.

"I'm going to really have to dive into the tape to really understand the specifics of it, but just kind of from a raw feeling, I feel like part of it was being kind of closed out heavy too, and then also just being a little out of rhythm at times. I feel like there were definitely opportunities to get more (shot) attempts up that I didn't in the moment, and that's an area to improve."

It feels like Holmgren is saying all the right things, but now the question Thunder fans have to ask is whether he will answer those questions with Oklahoma City or if he will do so with another team, as many fans want to see the team trade him away.

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Will The Thunder Trade Chet Holmgren?

While Gilgeous-Alexander came to his teammate's defense, just like any true team leader would do, it doesn't mean the organization didn't see how poorly Holmgren played in the NBA Finals and has other ideas.

Last offseason, the Thunder inked Holmgren to a five-year, $240 million contract that kicks in next season. With the Thunder set to be deep in the second tax apron and approaching record financial penalties for exceeding the luxury tax, Thunder GM Sam Presti has to seriously consider if having Holmgren at a $40 milllion cap number for next season and for four years beyond that is what the team wants to do.

With Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Jalen Williams all on max contracts, the Thunder will have to make tough decisions about the rest of their roster depth this offseason. But if the team traded Holmgren, those financial issues would be alleviated.

It's going to be a tough call for Oklahoma City to make. As Gilgeous-Alexander stated, when Holmgren is at his best, the Thunder are nearly unbeatable. But he simply wasn't at his best against the Spurs, and it cost his team the chance to return to the NBA Finals for the second straight season.

It will certainly be interesting to see what Presti decides to do this summer as he tries to keep the Thunder as an elite NBA team while also balancing the financial tightrope of the second apron. That's why he's paid the big bucks, after all, and Thunder fans will just have to trust their highly-regarded GM makes the right decision either way.

Related: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Sends Strong Message on Sam Presti After Thunder Fall Short

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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 8:33 AM.