Jeff Teague believes one of Oklahoma City’s Thunderstars is not safe from trade even after re-signing for a recent big buck.
After winning the 2025 NBA Championship, the Oklahoma City Thunder Front Office was able to work for the offseason.
The Thunder’s first big move was to select Thomas Solver in the 2025 NBA Draft. Young rookies will be added to an already stacked rotation.
Shortly after that, Thunder expanded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a massive $273 million contract. However, he was not the only OKC star who received payments.
Next, OKC expanded Chet Holmgren to a five-year, $250 million contract. And finally, they completed Trifecta by expanding Jalen Williams to a $240 million deal.
Thunder is set to dominate the NBA world as their core trio is trapped for the remaining decade. However, Jeff Teague doesn’t think one of these three players is safe from being traded later.
Former NBA champion Jeff Teague spoke on his Club 520 podcast about the Oklahoma City Thunder re-signing all three young stars.
He believes Thunder GM Sam Presty doesn’t want to make the same mistakes as James Harden. However, Teague also believes that Chet Holmgren is still a tradable asset despite the extension.
“They learned from their mistakes with James Harden. We got these young boys. We’re not going to ruin this.”
“I think Chet, “I chose him on the second pick, I know his skill set, I know he can do really good things.”
“He’s a tradeable piece. People always trade for that. All of their contracts don’t kick in for a minute. They can go to the championship again and then they get creepy.
“Caluso and everyone from there. Hartenstein becomes a free agent.”
Thunder is committed to nearly $750 million in salaries to the core trio of Shai Gegeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, which is not sustainable in the long run.
Yes, the salary cap increases by 10% each year under the current CBA. But even considering that growth, combined payroll and pay cap rules will challenge you to build a team.
Ultimately, the Thunder must sacrifice either Williams or Holmgren to maintain the unscathed star duo as the basis for the team with Shy Gilgauss Alexander.
Which player between the two will go? It’s too early to answer that question. But if you’re Sam Presty, you’re paying attention to Thunderstar’s progress.
Hope Thunder will be a competitive team for two more seasons in this trio. But then they need to move one of them and keep the star, shy, happy.