LADERA RANCH, Calif. -- Chet Holmgren said Saturday that the departures of three contributors to the Oklahoma City Thunder's 2025 championship team felt "like losing a family member."
Holmgren, an All-Star big man set to enter his fourth season with the Thunder, offered best wishes to Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe, who left Oklahoma City in separate offseason trades. Dort, a perimeter stopper and longtime starter, and Wiggins, a reserve wing, will join the Atlanta Hawks. Joe, a backup shooting specialist, was sent to the Detroit Pistons.
"That's how the business of this game goes," Holmgren said at a USA Basketball Foundation charity event in Southern California. "No team, all 17 guys, sticks together forever. But it doesn't make it hurt less when you see guys go. At the same time, I'm excited for [Dort and Wiggins] and the opportunity they're going to have in Atlanta. I'm happy for whatever major milestones they reach over there."
With two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star forward Jalen Williams and Holmgren all on lucrative long-term contracts, Thunder executive vice president Sam Presti traded Dort, Wiggins and Joe for a total of seven future second-round picks in cap-cutting moves. By shedding their salaries, Oklahoma City was able to retain center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency on a three-year, $75 million agreement, and it remains one of the betting favorites to win the 2027 title.
"I have complete trust in our team and the moves they make," Holmgren said. "I trust what they're doing is to get it right. It's my job to be in the gym all summer to get my stuff right."
After outlasting the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals to win the 2025 championship, the Thunder's title defense ended in the Western Conference finals. With Williams and Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell battling injuries, Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs eliminated the Thunder in seven games.
Holmgren, 24, averaged 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks to earn his first All-Star selection last season, but he struggled against the Spurs in the playoffs and finished with just four points and four rebounds in the Game 7 loss.
"We learned the same lesson [in 2026] as the year that we won it: It was almost more of a reminder of just how hard it is to accomplish, and how much goes into it," Holmgren said. "There is no guarantee. You can put in all the work and still come up short. At the end of the day, you have to be okay with putting in the work with no guaranteed outcome. We came up short this year. That doesn't change the process."