05-31-2026, 10:23 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-31-2026, 10:24 AM by HoosierDaddyKid.)
Still, Gilgeous-Alexander referenced the reality that Presti isn’t one to stand still. He analyzes. He innovates. He corrects. If he learned anything from the legendary Gregg Popovich and famed Spurs executive R.C. Buford during his early years with the Spurs that led to his Thunder rise, it was that. League sources have long maintained that Oklahoma City would not take part in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes that will dominate the summertime conversation, but this sort of stunning finish is enough to re-spark that conversation. Nothing should be off the table when the end goal wasn’t reached.
“The whole league now is trying to beat (OKC). That means they’re building their teams that way,” Kerr said. “San Antonio, they got young talent, they got Wemby, and they have really good and strong defensive guards. It was like, ‘Oh, s—.’ All of a sudden, they got a rival. I don’t know who the next young team who’s going to be doing that is, but you better believe when all these teams are building their rosters, they got the Thunder in mind, because they know for the next six, eight years, the Thunder are going to be at the top of the heap.” Now the Thunder will move with the Spurs — who boast a core trio aged 22 and younger — in mind. OKC’s summer comes with decisions. Holmgren and Jalen Williams’ extensions activate next season. With the second apron looming — the Thunder currently projected to be about $39 million above that mark next season — they hold team options on Isaiah Hartenstein ($28.5 million) and Lu Dort ($18.2 million).
“The whole league now is trying to beat (OKC). That means they’re building their teams that way,” Kerr said. “San Antonio, they got young talent, they got Wemby, and they have really good and strong defensive guards. It was like, ‘Oh, s—.’ All of a sudden, they got a rival. I don’t know who the next young team who’s going to be doing that is, but you better believe when all these teams are building their rosters, they got the Thunder in mind, because they know for the next six, eight years, the Thunder are going to be at the top of the heap.” Now the Thunder will move with the Spurs — who boast a core trio aged 22 and younger — in mind. OKC’s summer comes with decisions. Holmgren and Jalen Williams’ extensions activate next season. With the second apron looming — the Thunder currently projected to be about $39 million above that mark next season — they hold team options on Isaiah Hartenstein ($28.5 million) and Lu Dort ($18.2 million).