The Oklahoma City Thunder were projected to be one of the more exciting up-and-coming teams in the NBA this season. But the recent Chet Holmgren injury news is a major blow to the team. Holmgren is expected to miss the entire 2022-2023 season after suffering a Lisfranc injury in his foot. Due to the injury, the Thunder have applied for a Disabled Player Exception worth $4.95 million, per Shams Charania.

A Disabled Player Exception can be effective for teams that lose players to injury. It provides them with the ability to replace an injured player even if they have already exceeded the salary cap. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Thunder's Disabled Player Exception request will likely be granted by the league. This will give head coach Mark Daigneault and OKC a chance to replace Chet Holmgren.

Holmgren was selected by the Thunder with the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The Gonzaga product has the potential to become one of the better big men in the NBA down the road. He injured his foot during the CrawsOver event on a Lebron James drive to the basket. Holmgren attempted to stay in front of James which ultimately led to the injury.

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Teams will likely be more selective on allowing players to participate in non-NBA games moving forward. This injury may have never occurred had Chet Holmgren not participated. Nevertheless, the Thunder will move on and attempt to replace him this season. OKC is hopeful he can bounce back next year and reach his full potential.