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So many athletes try to give off the feeling that they’re unaffected by the moment, by the results and by what’s in front of them. Maybe it’s to be cool? Maybe it’s to stay grounded and unbothered in tough situations? Regardless, I greatly appreciate how Victor Wembanyama has decided to let everybody know that outwardly caring is a good thing. It’s fun to experience things again.
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Finals countdown
Knicks, Spurs set to duel
Sometimes, the superstar is just too good to be denied, no matter how little experience they may have at the NBA level. That’s what happened with Wembanyama and his San Antonio Spurs when they went into Oklahoma City on Saturday to face the Thunder in Game 7. I’ll remind you that a few years ago, when this newsletter was in its infancy, we made a dedicated effort to highlight something about Wemby every Wednesday — or Wembsday, as we were calling it.
He wasn’t in the league yet, but after watching about five minutes of him play in a French League game as I tuned in to fully hate and pick him apart, I was sold on his future greatness. It wasn’t a matter of if; it was simply a matter of when. Even as sure as I’ve been that Wembanyama was going to rule the NBA someday, I never thought it would be this quick.
Wembanyama’s final Game 7 line wasn’t anything too outrageous. He had 22 points (7-of-15 shooting), seven rebounds, two assists and a block in 42 minutes. He never had more than six points in a quarter. And yet, he dominated the night. On the most important possession of the season for the Thunder — down six with less than 40 seconds to go — both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cason Wallace bailed out of attacking Wemby in the paint. Their season was on the line, and they decided the U-turn was the way to go.
Chet Holmgren was benched with 1:23 left (more about him below), also a product of Wemby’s presence. And the Thunder didn’t know how to approach the lanky giant. Stephon Castle’s 16 points, six boards and six assists, along with Julian Champagnie’s 20 points (six made 3-pointers) and Dylan Harper’s 12 points off the bench were enough help to the Spurs complete their season-long torture of the Thunder by the Spurs’ hands.
Now they head into the NBA Finals for a rematch of the 1999 series against the New York Knicks. The Knicks are coming off a week-plus resting period for the second time this postseason. The Spurs have gone through the West gauntlet, eaten a ridiculous 35-point Game 7 effort from reigning back-to-back MVP Gilgeous-Alexander and unseated the defending champs to give Adam Silver a brand new champion for the eighth straight postseason.
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The Knicks want to bring their first title to Madison Square Garden since 1973. They also probably need to do it now, because Wembanyama is here to dominate this league for the foreseeable future. We’ll preview this series tomorrow and Wednesday, when Game 1 tips off in San Antonio. Before we do, who do you think will win the NBA Finals?
Read our megapreview of the series here.
The last 24
🦄 Big changes. John Hollinger has a fascinating look at how NBA big men have evolved. Once post players, now they’re all shooters.
🏆 It’s back. Remember when the NBA stopped putting the trophy on the finals court? They have it again.
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💯 He’s back? Kyrie Irving tore his ACL 15 months ago and is nearly 100 percent. Also, he has thoughts on the Knicks being in the finals.
🏀 Trade rumors! There have been some Giannis-for-Evan Mobley trade rumors. The Cavs sound unlikely to pursue such a move.
🏀 New president. The 76ers have hired Daryl Morey’s replacement. It’s Mike Gansey from Cleveland.
🏀 New coach. Sean Sweeney is the Spurs’ top assistant coach. He’s about to be the Magic’s new coach.
Stream the NBA on Fubo (try it for free!) and catch out-of-market games on League Pass.
Thread beasts
Do Wolves now have NBA’s best uniforms?
I’ll fully admit that I’m in the bag for the old-school Minnesota Timberwolves look. The one from the 1990s. No, not the black uniforms with the green trees from the Kevin Garnett-Stephon Marbury-Tom Gugiliotta-Doug West-Shane Heal squad. I’m going back even farther than that. We’re talking Pooh Richardson, Isaiah Rider and Donyell Marshall howling at the moon. I love that electric blue with the bright green and the white colorway. I even have a Starter jacket version of those colors from Minnesota.
Well, it appears the Wolves might be doing a remix of those, and not for some alternate jersey. We’re talking about the full-time uniforms — and the black jerseys with green trees are being remixed into the third jersey. These pics have been leaked online, with some places saying they initially came from the team website.
Especially with the blue ones, these are some of the cleanest uniforms I’ve ever seen. These are 10/10. They have modernized the old school look without messing it up. The Wolves have been struggling for years with their branding and uniforms. Occasionally, they’ll have some heat with the Prince alternates, but they’ve had a pretty mediocre look for the most part.
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They’ve solved that, and I’d say these are up there in the conversation for best uniforms in the NBA.
Bubble burst?
The Thunder have Chet and apron issues
On Dec. 13, the Thunder looked historically unbeatable. When they entered a Las Vegas showdown with the Spurs in the NBA Cup semifinals, all they knew was domination. They were 24-1 and their second-best player, Jalen Williams, hadn’t played yet. The Thunder were blowing every metric of domination out of the water more than a quarter of the way through the season. It looked like Adam Silver’s reign of parity was done.
Then Wemby (coming off a knee hyperextension) and the Spurs did the unthinkable. They beat the Thunder in a manner that set the stage for a future rivalry. You know … if the Spurs could find a way to get to OKC’s level consistently someday. They beat OKC three times in 12 days and went 4-1 against them on the season. And after the West finals, the Thunder suddenly have some unnerving questions to answer. Let’s start with the biggest and most obvious one.
Do the Thunder need to move on from Holmgren? Yes, this feels like a knee-jerk reaction to wonder if an All-NBA Third Team, All-Defense First Team, Defensive Player of the Year runner-up and 24-year-old big man needs to be jettisoned. But it’s also a possibility that needs to be considered in the modern NBA because of the salary implications.
We always knew the Thunder would have to make tough financial decisions down the road because of the luxury tax second apron and the restrictions/penalties it delivers to expensive teams. And the Thunder have enough draft capital to absorb some of these decisions in a way most teams couldn’t imagine. But the Holmgren issue popped up in this series, and it’s a serious one.
Holmgren is by no means a finished product, but he showed an unwillingness to attack and compete with Wembanyama in the West finals. He had one game (Game 5) in which he looked acceptable-to-good. In the rest of them, he simply didn’t have it in him to be aggressive. He took two shots in 33 minutes in Game 7. Got to the free-throw line four times. Had four rebounds, zero assists, two turnovers, two steals and two blocks. Starting next season, he makes $41 million, and that rises the next five seasons.
That’s where the issue lies for the Thunder. You can’t have Holmgren making nearly $240 million over the next five seasons and be unplayable against Wemby. Because just a reminder: Wemby is only going to get better and better. You can’t tie up that amount of money on a tight payroll sheet and have him be useless or afraid of going against Wemby.
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When do the Thunder have to make tough decisions? Now, I guess. Or start making them, at least. OKC is projected to be $41 million into the first apron and $25 million into the second apron in 2026-27. It can get some salary relief by declining team options on Lu Dort ($17.7 million) and Isaiah Hartenstein ($28.1 million). That would drop it under both aprons. However, you can’t just lose those two guys when Holmgren is unplayable against Wemby. You really need Hartenstein.
The acquisition of Jared McCain makes Dort more expendable. The Thunder could also decline the options on those guys and sign them for longer deals at much less money. But not to the point of getting out of the second apron. That would take a very generous discount from two guys who are nowhere near that point in their careers.
My guess would be Dort goes and Hartenstein gets his option declined to re-sign for less annually but maybe three years. They can also move Isaiah Joe or Aaron Wiggins in a deal if they decline the Dort options to get out of the first apron. They have one more year of Cason Wallace on his rookie deal before he gets paid. The Thunder have a little runway before they decide on their biggest earners.
Could this all be worth it with a healthy Jalen Williams? Absolutely! It’s not ridiculous to think the Thunder win the West and the whole thing if he’s healthy like he was in 2024-25. But that was before they would be in the first and second aprons. They essentially have until February’s trade deadline to make cuts to their salary situation, but they’ll have more leverage if they do it now. Williams would have helped tremendously, but I imagine you’re keeping him over Holmgren, all things being healthy and equal.
What’s their offseason situation? The Thunder don’t have any free agents, aside from signing two-way contracts with players. OKC has the 12th, 17th and 37th picks in the draft. So it can jettison some players from the full roster and replace them with very cheap options. The Thunder would still be battling the aprons by doing that, though.
Are they in trouble? No. They have the best front office. The best lead executive. And one of the best rosters in the league. But things are getting expensive starting next season, and it’s unlikely the Thunder stick with this beyond one year in the second apron.