Analysts Suggesting OKC Trade Chet Holmgren Get Flamed by Draymond Green

After the Oklahoma City Thunder ended their hopes of repeating as NBA Champions at the Conference Finals stage, most of the blame fell on Chet Holmgren.

The 24-year-old stepped up to be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s No. 2 guy with Jalen Williams out with injuries. But that was mostly in the first two rounds of the 2026 playoffs.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Gonzaga alum was reduced to a shell of his otherwise impressive self. Holmgren averaged 17.1 points per game in the regular season, and stepped it up to 18.6 points in the eight games before the Finals.

But against rival Victor Wembanyama, that number dwindled to just 12.5 points in the seven games they battled against the San Antonio Spurs.

That, and particularly his four-point no-show in the deciding Game 7, led many analysts to ask the Thunder to trade the forward/center for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

I thought all of that talk is ridiculous and premature. It’s the exact way that franchises set themselves back and never grow. It’s the exact reason that so many franchises don’t have ultimate success. Because most franchises actually panic and do what everyone’s saying they should do, which is, ‘Oh, man, we got to trade Chet right now.’

Draymond Green said on his namesake show

The four-time champion reiterated that if trading a player after one bad series is always the solution, why do teams that have done that never taste success?

Draymond Green says he understands the criticizing of Chet Holmgren, but acting like he’s a bum and should be traded is ridiculous:

“It’s the exact way that franchises set themselves back and never grow. It’s the exact reason that so many franchises don’t have the ultimate… pic.twitter.com/01tfiaIErH

— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) June 3, 2026

The 36-year-old essentially slammed the legacy media for creating the narrative that Chet Holmgren should be traded, as the lanky big man has otherwise been good for the Thunder.

Draymond Green lists Chet Holmgren’s accolades to silence critics

After he talked about how franchises that make knee-jerk reactions never succeed, Draymond Green then went on to list how Chet Holmgren has been for the Oklahoma City Thunder this past season.

Chet was just second in defensive player of the year voting, All-Defense first team, All-NBA third team, All-Star. He have a bad playoff series, and everybody like, ‘Time to trade him.’

Draymond Green said

The Saginaw native asked those criticizing the former second-overall pick to explain how a team can build a future if they were to trade players who struggled in a few games.

He asked why critics did not ask the Thunder center to get into the gym and work on his game. If Victor Wembanyama had snatched his chain, Holmgren should be motivated to develop his skills and physical attributes to return the favor next year.

Instead, all of this trade talk is just not going to help the Thunder, says Green. The latter believes that there is no player available on the market who can match Holmgren’s production. Moreover, the team’s chemistry will be in tatters.

Draymond Green asks Chet Holmgren to work on his game

Once he silenced those who wanted to trade Chet Holmgren, Draymond Green then moved on to what the center/forward should do this upcoming offseason.

Chet, get back in the lab, get better. Be motivated this summer. You wouldn’t get to where you at if you weren’t that guy. Then take your shot. But never go down without swinging again.

Draymond Green said

The Golden State Warriors star made it clear that when the time comes, Holmgren should be ready to swing at his rivals. For that to happen, he needs to get in the gym and improve his game and his physicality.

Green did admit that the Thunder will make some roster changes since they are approaching the treacherous 2nd Apron. But in no way does he believe that they will get rid of Chet Holmgren due to his contract or his performances.

Also Read:

• Spurs Fans Cheer ‘Air Corgi’ After Predicting Victor Wembanyama’s Team Will Win NBA Finals in 7 Games
• Hall of Famer Labels Victor Wembanyama ‘Face of the League’: “Best Player on Both Ends”