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In the world of professional basketball, there's a fine line between loyalty and complacency, a line the Oklahoma City Thunder may be dangerously close to crossing after a conservative 2025 NBA free agency.
Following a season in which they won 68 regular-season games and steamrolled their way to an NBA title, OKC had every reason to feel confident. Their net rating was the best in NBA history; they boasted the league's deepest rotation; and their three young stars were locked in.
But while the Thunder maintained all the key pieces from their championship roster, one major issue remained unresolved: the lack of a strong, physical center.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren: core of a dynasty
Oklahoma City didn't sit entirely idle. They made monumental financial commitments to their franchise cornerstones:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning league MVP, agreed to a four-year supermax extension that could reach $285 million, keeping him under contract through the 2030-31 season. The final year includes a player option.
🚨BREAKING: Jalen Williams is signing a 5-year maximum rookie contract extension that could reach $287 million with the Thunder, per @ShamsCharania. pic.twitter.com/eEqxiscdx7
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 10, 2025
Jalen Williams, fresh off his All-NBA campaign and heroic playoff moments, inked a five-year rookie max extension that could climb to $287 million.
Despite a rollercoaster start to his NBA journey, including a lost rookie season and just 32 games in Year 3, Chet Holmgren has secured the bag in a big way💰
The Oklahoma City Thunder are all-in on their lanky star, signing him to a fully guaranteed five-year rookie max… pic.twitter.com/ykvdogv2wJ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 10, 2025
Chet Holmgren, who returned from a hip injury midseason and played a key role in their title run, secured a five-year max rookie extension worth $250 million.
With their core of SGA (26), Williams (24), and Holmgren (23) locked in, the Thunder have established themselves as a legitimate dynasty-in-the-making.
But even dynasties have vulnerabilities.
Lack of center depth: Thunder's risky bet in 2025 NBA free agency
Here's the truth that the Thunder's front office may be ignoring: Chet Holmgren is not a full-time interior enforcer. He's a modern big, mobile, versatile, elite at help-side rim protection. However, at just 208 pounds, he's still susceptible to being bullied in the post by bigger centers like Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, or even a healthy Jonas Valančiūnas in a physical playoff series.
In 2024–25, Holmgren missed three months due to a hip injury and played only 32 regular-season games. While his return for the playoffs was impressive, his durability remains a concern, especially for someone expected to anchor the paint defensively.
Yet, OKC failed to bring in a reliable, bruising big man to complement him.
The Thunder's Jaylin Williams gamble
Rather than seeking outside help, the Thunder doubled down on in-house solutions. They declined Jaylin Williams’ $2.1 million team option and re-signed him to a new three-year, $24 million deal.
Williams is a capable rotation piece, known for drawing charges and making hustle plays. But he's undersized (6’9”) and isn’t a true rim protector or post defender. Asking him to absorb the minutes Holmgren can’t, or worse, fill in as a starter if Holmgren gets injured, is a massive risk.
They also re-signed backup guard Ajay Mitchell to a new $9 million deal, but this did little to address the Thunder’s frontcourt gap.
No trade, no signing for the Thunder: A strange inaction
Outside of drafting Thomas Sorber and Brooks Barnhizer, players with a tantalizing skill set but no immediate need on the roster, OKC made no other moves. No veteran free-agent signing. No trade to bring in a rotational center. When nearly every contender added size or rim protection this offseason, OKC stayed completely still, almost defiantly.
How Thunder can fix this mistake before it’s too late
The Thunder have time. The 2025–26 season hasn’t started yet, and Sam Presti is nothing if not deliberate. Here’s how OKC can course-correct. The Thunder have maintained financial flexibility. They could offer a one-year balloon contract to a veteran free-agent big still on the market or eat a bad contract in a trade to gain size and future picks.
Meanwhile, they could wait and reassess by the All-Star break. If Holmgren’s durability holds up, great. If not, then targets like Nic Claxton (if Brooklyn fully rebuilds) could be realistic. Meanwhile, the 2026 NBA Draft and midseason buyout window could offer rotational bigs. But this is a patchwork solution, not a long-term fix.
The Thunder’s biggest mistake in 2025 free agency wasn’t what they did – it was what they didn’t do.
They didn't trade a player; they didn’t lose a key piece; they didn’t overspend. But they also didn’t protect themselves against the one flaw that could derail their championship repeat: a lack of interior size and rim protection behind a still-recovering Chet Holmgren.
In a Western Conference that still boasts elite bigs, this may prove to be a fatal blind spot. For now, the Thunder remain kings of the NBA, but to stay on the throne, they’ll need to plug this hole sooner rather than later.
