The Thunder have to make these 3 offseason moves to get past the Spurs

Despite being the best regular-season team in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder fell short to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. It's clear that the Thunder will need to make some changes in order to continue to compete with the Spurs moving forward.

Some will look at this series as forgivable for the Thunder, as they were without Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell for most of this matchup. They were the second- and third-best offensive weapons OKC had, but the problem remains that the Thunder are basically stuck with their current roster and can't just bank on the hope of being healthy next year. If they want proactively get better to beat San Antonio, they will need to make several moves to do so.

1. Get under the second apron, but keep Isaiah Hartenstein

For the Thunder to make any meaningful moves this offseason, they will have to get under the NBA salary cap's second apron to avoid the restrictions that come with it. According to Spotrac.com, the 2026-27 second apron is set at $222 million, and to put it in perspective, the Thunder are projected to have $250.5 million in salaries this upcoming season.

Luckily for the Thunder, of the 15 players they currently have under contract, six of them have team options this upcoming offseason. This includes Isaiah Hartenstein, whose team option is worth $28.5 million for next year. Shedding him would be the quickest way to get underneath the second apron, but it's not the right choice.

Hartenstein has been a very important member of the Thunder since signing there two offseasons ago. In his first two seasons with the club, he's averaged 10.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. It should also be noted that Hartenstein did have defensive success against Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.

With Hartenstein off the table, there are other ways to get below the second apron. The Thunder will have to decline the options on defensive stalwart Luguentz Dort ($18.2 team option) and beloved veteran Kenrich Williams ($7.2 team option). The Thunder could also trade wing Aaron Wiggins to get under the apron as. All three players were mentioned in Anthony Slater and Tim MacMahon's recent ESPN article about the Thunder's offseason and as potential players on the move.

"Aaron Wiggins, who have proved to be a quality role player but fell out of the rotation during these playoffs...Wiggins is due $9.2 million next season and $8.3 million in 2027-28 with an $8.3 million team option in 2028-29."

"Kenrich Williams, another quality role player who has been in and out of Oklahoma City's deep rotation, has a team option for $7.2 next season. Rival executives anticipate that the Thunder will decline that option, although Williams could return at a reduced salary."

Wiggins is a solid veteran who has contributed in the past, but he has a cap hit of $9.2 million next offseason. So trading him and declining the player options for the two other players would not only get them under the second apron, but there's also a chance they could get decent compensation for a player of Wiggins' caliber.

2. Trade Nikola Topić

Getting under the second apron would only be the first move. The Thunder need to replenish their roster with cheap, playable talent. Now, by all counts, that should be former lottery pick Nikola Topić. He's a 6-foot-6 point guard, and at just 20 years old, he still has a lot of untapped potential.

However, the problem is that Topić missed all of his rookie season due to injury and missed the majority of this past season due to cancer treatment as well. He hasn't been able to develop like most lottery picks, and when he has played, he's been limited despite showing promise. This past season, he averaged 5.2 points and 4.4 assists while shooting 40.0 percent from the 3-point line. Despite the promising stats, he's still a relatively raw prospect and probably won't be able to contribute in a meaningful way next season.

The other thing that the Thunder have to consider is that Topić has become a luxury thanks to the midseason acquisition of Jared McCain, who, along with Cason Wallace, has a lock on the backup guard spots. Trading Topić makes sense considering that the Thunder have a tradition of collecting first-round picks.

Teams that need an oversized point guard include the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, and Dallas Mavericks. All of which could make a legit bid for the former lottery pick.

3. Trade Chet Holmgren

Topić isn't the only player who needs to be traded; Chet Holmgren also should be on the move for the Thunder. This isn't due to Holmgren having a bad Western Conference Finals showing, although that doesn't help his case; it's because Holmgren is being paid like a star that he just isn't yet.

Holmgren is about to be start an extension worth $239.5 million over five years. Now one the surface, that deal seems fair for a player who has won an NBA Championship. He's also an NBA All-Star, All-NBA player, All-Defensive Team selection and made the All-Rookie Team.

However, despite being a pretty good defensive star, he hasn't been able to be an ideal third option on offense for the Thunder. This past season, he averaged 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks while shooting 36.2 from beyond the arc. It doesn't help that in the playoffs this past season, he only averaged 14.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks, while shooting 35.7 percent from deep. OKC needs a third star that raises their level of play in the postseason, not shrinks.

With that in mind, below is a potential trade that wouldn't just reload the Thunder but make them a favorite to win the title next season.

Yahoo Sports media members Kevin O'Connor and Tom Haberstroh mentioned the idea of trading Holmgren for a top pick in a recent podcast. While that's a good start, it's not enough to put the Thunder back on top.

Expanding a Holmgren potential trade to three teams allows OKC to nab a proven veteran star to their roster. The Thunder get the third overall pick, which will most likely be either Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson, who both have All-Star potential.

On top of that, they get a proven NBA champion and All-Star, Kyrie Irving. Trading for Irving makes sense at this point because they need a third scoring option who is reliable in the postseason, and according to Jake Fisher of Bleacher Report, Irving isn't a lock to be on the Dallas Mavericks next season.

Dallas isn't coming out of this fake trade empty-handed. They get a young point guard in Ja Morant, who needs a fresh start from the Memphis Grizzlies, and Morant fits the Cooper Flagg timeline much better than Irving does. It also doesn't hurt that they are landing the 16th pick from OKC as well.

Memphis fans shouldn't be thinking they got the short end of the stick in this potential deal. Despite underperforming in the postseason, Holmgren is still worth a top-10 draft pick, if not a top-5 pick in most drafts. They also only move back one pick from 16th to the 17th pick to get out of the Morant business. They also get the 12th and 30th picks in this draft, plus a top-5 protected 2027 pick. That's not a bad haul overall.

If the Oklahoma City Thunder make these moves, then there's a good chance they will be a contender yet again next season and allow them to get past the Spurs.

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