OKC GM defends Holmgren amid playoff struggles and SGA foul debate in 2026

Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti backed Chet Holmgren’s resilience and defended Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s foul-drawing reputation after their playoff exit.

Presti backs Holmgren Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti stood firmly behind center Chet Holmgren following a tough playoff exit, pushing back against repeated criticism aimed at star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over his foul-drawing tendencies. During a postseason press conference that lasted over 100 minutes on Monday, Presti called Holmgren 'one of our guys' and reaffirmed his belief in the young big man as a key building block for the franchise as the NBA trade deadline approached. 'He drives winning on so many different levels for us,' Presti declared. 'He's a first-time All-Star, second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, third team All-NBA. We were sweeping our way to the Western Conference Finals primarily because of his efforts in the Lakers series.' ## Holmgren’s playoff struggles Chet Holmgren’s performance declined sharply in the seven-game defeat to the Spurs, with his points per game dropping from 17.1 in the regular season to just 10.7 in the series. In the final four games against San Antonio, Holmgren attempted only three three-pointers total, and in Game 7—a 98-91 loss—he managed just four points and four rebounds in a quiet outing. After the game, he admitted he could have taken more shots, having attempted only two. 'This is a guy that is intrinsically motivated,' Presti explained. 'He doesn't need people questioning him or things on the Internet to drive his improvement.. He doesn't need somebody to nudge him, he doesn't need somebody to question him. It's just kind of how he's wired. So I'm not really that concerned about him.' ## Presti labels Holmgren an underdog Presti referred to Holmgren as an 'underdog,' highlighting long-standing doubts about him from scouts dating back to his high school and college days. He emphasized that Holmgren 'fits' perfectly with the Thunder’s culture and expressed confidence in the center’s future progress. Presti also faced questions about the constant criticism Gilgeous-Alexander faces for drawing fouls, often mocked online for his dramatic movements that draw whistles. 'He's playing against six people,' Presti said. 'He has five defenders and the sixth defender is social media.' ## Defending Gilgeous-Alexander’s fouls Presti defended Gilgeous-Alexander’s ability to draw fouls amid widespread skepticism, noting that the reigning two-time MVP handles the scrutiny gracefully. He listed aspects of SGA’s game that deserve praise, arguing he defies modern NBA criticisms: - 'Players don't play defense' → Gilgeous-Alexander is a two-way player, often playing alongside four or five All-NBA defenders, yet his defensive impact is sometimes overlooked. - 'Players only complain to draw fouls' → He has received only three technical fouls this season, none for complaining; one was for waving a towel in support of a seldom-used teammate. ## SGA’s durability and foul stats Presti highlighted Gilgeous-Alexander’s durability in an era of heavy load management, his accessibility with fans—citing he signs '400 autographs' before every game—and provided statistical proof to counter foul-drawing allegations. 'If we are just trying to talk about drawing fouls, he drew 415 fouls this year,' Presti noted. 'Eleven were challenged. Eleven. Four of those were overturned. That's like 2.5 percent of the foul calls challenged. In the fouls drawn, he's tied with Joel Embiid for eighth in terms of number of fouls called. Six and seven are Jaylen Brown and Victor Wembanyama. That's kind of the group of players he is in.' ## Financial outlook and roster decisions The Thunder face rising costs with five-year, $239.2 million extensions for both Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams set to kick in next season, pushing their team salary from $186.7 million last year—just below the luxury tax—to a projected $250 million this season, deep into the tax and past the second apron. 'Just because we're (in Oklahoma City), I don't think we should be told that we shouldn't dream as big or go as hard (financially) as a team on the coast, if we have a team that's capable or demonstrated it is capable,' Presti said. 'That's the competitor in all of us in the organization and our ownership.' ## Team options and draft plans The Thunder hold team options on Isaiah Hartenstein ($28.5 million), Luguentz Dort ($17.7 million), and Kenrich Williams ($7.2 million) for next season, giving them flexibility to reduce payroll if needed. However, Presti made clear there is no set mandate to slash spending, as the franchise has prepared for this financial jump through revenue from lean years, an $850 million arena pledge, new TV deals, and potential expansion. 'We have a master plan for a practice facility, all this land to the south of us,' Presti said. 'It's ready. But we're waiting on that. We're not hitting go on that so that we can invest into the team itself.' ## Draft picks and roster flexibility Oklahoma City enters the draft with the 12th, 17th, and 37th picks and currently has no open roster spots, creating expectations Presti will clear space and refresh the back end of the roster. He acknowledged the possibility of keeping all options exercised and rolling into next season with a larger financial leap, but noted the process could extend deep into summer. 'Is it possible that we just pick up the options for everybody and roll into next season when we have a bigger financial jump for the team?' Presti asked. 'That's certainly possible..The process itself to get to those potential options, it could take a little while. I could see it going a little deeper into the summer than we're used to.' ## Decision timelines and draft rights The team options for Hartenstein or Dort must be decided by June 29, though the date can be delayed with mutual agreement. Presti stressed he wants to explore all avenues before finalizing moves, including the possibility of drafting players even if they won’t immediately make the roster. 'I want to understand everything that is available to me, in terms of trying to put things together,' he said. 'I wouldn't put a specific timeline on it. We could even be in a situation, because we have the draft coming up, where we might have more players (than 15 roster spots). If we feel it's more beneficial as an organization to have the draft rights to certain players, we might draft those players irrespective if they're going to be on the team. It could take some time. It may not look clean.'