Thunder center Chet Holmgren (left) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) talk during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center
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The Oklahoma City Thunder already felt the financial consequences of maintaining an expensive championship roster this offseason, and general manager Sam Presti is not making any guarantees that ownership will continue spending whatever it takes to keep the team's core together.
Oklahoma City committed massive contracts to its stars following its 2025 NBA championship. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed a four-year, $285 million supermax extension, while Jalen Williams agreed to a five-year rookie max extension worth up to $287 million and Chet Holmgren landed a five-year extension that could reach $250 million.
The Thunder also retained Isaiah Hartenstein this summer on a new three-year, $75 million contract through the 2028-29 season.
Those commitments have created questions about how far Thunder ownership will go financially to maintain the roster. Presti addressed the subject Wednesday, according to Clemente Almanza of OKC Thunder Wire.
“What I would say is that certainly our anticipation is that's our expectation. But I have also done this long enough to know that things certainly can change. So I don't want to sit here and be definitive about that,” Presti said.
Oklahoma City already made several difficult financial decisions this offseason.
The Thunder traded Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks for two future second-round picks before sending Isaiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons for two second-rounders. Oklahoma City later traded Lu Dort to Atlanta in a three-team deal that netted three additional second-round selections. The Dort trade helped the Thunder move below the NBA's second apron.
The three players were important pieces of the depth that helped Oklahoma City capture the 2025 championship.
Sam Presti identifies finances as Thunder's ‘ghost in the machine'
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) high fives guard Jalen Williams (8) after scoring against the Phoenix Suns during the second half at Paycom Center
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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Presti, however, emphasized that the league's apron system does not affect every franchise in the same manner.
“When people talk about the aprons, everybody is talking about it from a very small point of view because it affects everybody differently based on your starting point and the timeline of your team,” Presti said.
For Oklahoma City, Presti indicated the larger concern ultimately comes down to how much ownership is willing to spend.
“For us, the ghost in the machine is the finances. Not necessarily the aprons,” Presti said.
Presti also questioned the original purpose of the apron system, which imposes additional roster-building restrictions on teams with payrolls above certain thresholds.
“What were they intended to do? That's the baseline question. What were they intended to do? They were, as I understand it, put in place to even the playing field amongst teams that have an outsized financial advantage in comparison to the majority of the league,” Presti said.
The Thunder remain built around Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren, but their escalating salaries will make maintaining Oklahoma City's depth increasingly expensive. The departures of Wiggins, Joe and Dort provided the first major example of that challenge.
Presti's comments suggest the Thunder expect ownership to support the financial demands of their championship window. However, he stopped short of promising that Oklahoma City will always be willing to absorb the costs required to keep the roster intact.