Chet Holmgren came up short in the Thunder Game 7 loss to the Spurs, recording just four points and four rebounds in 33 minutes.
Throughout the series, Oklahoma City appeared to have the advantage thanks to its unprecedented depth, with role players turning the tide in multiple games. But down the stretch, with Jalen Williams dealing with a nagging hamstring injury, it was surprisingly the Thunder's lack of go-to scoring options that led to their downfall.
Holmgren, an All-NBA Third Team selection, was expected to take on that secondary scoring role with Williams sidelined. Yet it was mostly cardio that the Thunder got out of the Gonzaga product.
Holmgren looked closer to his All-NBA self leading up to their playoff series against San Antonio, suggesting the Victor Wembanyama effect was primarily to blame for his lack of offensive contribution. Could that present an opportunity for a team like the Portland Trail Blazers to steal a rising star?
Blazers need to call the Thunder about Chet Holmgren
Holmgren is only 24 years old and will only continue to get better, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander alluded to after the Game 7 loss. That didn't stop fans from calling for a Holmgren trade all over social media. That seems like an overreaction, given OKC's success since Holmgren joined their roster. But it does potentially open the door for the Blazers to at least make a call to GM Sam Presti to see if their seven-footer is suddenly available.
NBA insider Marc Stein has said he doesn't see many teams lining up to trade for Holmgren after the playoff outing he just had. Portland has to continue playing the long game, using this as a rare opportunity to bolster its frontcourt depth and defensive identity.
Blazers GM Joe Cronin has attached draft capital to land a rising star in the past, stealing Deni Avdija from the Washington Wizards. Teams rarely, if ever, get the better end of the deal when trading with Presti. However, it's still a worthwhile pursuit if they can get reasonable value -- a suddenly more realistic possibility after the Game 7 disappointment.
Holmgren fits perfectly with the timeline of Avdija, Toumani Camara, and the rest of Portland's young core. His positional versatility between the four and five is exactly what the Blazers frontcourt is missing. Holmgren can spell Donovan Clingan for stretches, giving them insurance in case Yang Hansen doesn't pan out, or Robert Williams III walks in free agency or deals with another brutal injury. Or, in the best-case scenario, Holmgren can give them more length and defense when playing alongside Clingan, as both bigs continue to improve their floor-spacing ability.
Whether the Thunder ultimately makes Holmgren available remains to be seen. They have all 15 players under contract for next season and could decide to run it back, betting on a healthier roster to get over the Wembanyama hurdle. Presti has taken a conservative approach that has worked up until this point, with this being the first setback in what many deemed to be a potential Thunder dynasty.
Holmgren, despite his shortcomings against the Spurs, remains an integral part of that dynasty... for now. But his annual salary jumps from $13.7 million to $41.5 million next season, extending all the way until 2030-31. Presti will soon have his work cut out to retain this deep roster, and moving Holmgren has to be more on the table now than it was before, given his new contract and poor playoff performance.
If other teams are turned away by the playoff outing, this would be a great opportunity for Portland to zig while the rest of the league zags.
Add us as a preferred source on Google