Chet Holmgren laments the departure of Dort, Joe, and Wiggins from OKC: "It's like losing a family member"
The Oklahoma City Thunder star has reviewed the team's moment in the middle of summer
Chet Holmgren acknowledged that this summer has been particularly tough for the Oklahoma City Thunder locker room. The center, who will enter his fourth season in the NBA, stated that the departures of Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe have dealt a harsh blow to a group that won the championship in 2025 and had built great chemistry on and off the court.
Holmgren made these remarks during a charity event of the USA Basketball Foundation in Southern California, where he admitted that, though he understands the functioning of the NBA, bidding farewell to three such important teammates is never easy.
"That's how the business of this sport works. No team keeps all 17 players together forever. But that doesn’t make it hurt any less to see teammates leave. At the same time, I'm very excited for Dort and Wiggins and the opportunity they will have in Atlanta. I'm happy for any great achievement they accomplish there."
Oklahoma invests in the future
During this transfer market, Executive Vice President Sam Presti decided to trade Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe in operations aimed at reducing the team's salary cap. Dort and Wiggins will now play for the Atlanta Hawks, while Joe will continue his career with the Detroit Pistons.
In exchange, the Thunder received a total of seven future second-round Draft picks, a move that allowed the team to maintain salary cap space to re-sign center Isaiah Hartenstein, who signed a new three-year contract worth $75 million.
Despite the departure of three key pieces from the rotation, Holmgren made it clear that he fully trusts the franchise's management.
"I have complete confidence in our team and the decisions they make. I trust they know what they're doing to do it right. My job is to be in the gym all summer and make sure to improve my game."
Learning from defeat to compete again
After winning the championship in 2025 by beating the Indiana Pacers in the Finals, Oklahoma City couldn't defend the title last season. The Thunder fell in the Western Conference Finals to the San Antonio Spurs led by Victor Wembanyama, who won in a deciding seventh game also marked by injuries to Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell.
Holmgren, who was selected for his first All-Star appearance after averaging 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game, admitted that his performance in that series fell below expectations. In the seventh and final game, he finished with only four points and four rebounds.
However, the American center believes that the elimination provides a very similar lesson to the one they experienced even during the championship year.
"We learned the same lesson as in 2025 when we won the title. It was a reminder of how hard it is to achieve it and all that is needed. There are no guarantees. You can work your hardest and still come up short. In the end, you have to accept that effort doesn’t guarantee the result. We came close this year, but that doesn't change the process."
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Holmgren himself as long-term project cornerstones, Oklahoma City will still be one of the top contenders for the championship in the 2026-27 season, although the locker room will have to face a new stage without three players who were crucial during the title conquest.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Chet Holmgren lamenta la salida Dort, Joe y Wiggins de OKC: "Es como perder a un miembro de la familia"
