It was the end of the road for the two-time MVP, hoping to land a consecutive Finals appearance and maybe a title. The OKC Thunder were defeated 111-103 in the “win-or-go-home” Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game-high 35 points, four rebounds, and nine assists; three of his teammates combined for only 14 points.

The series has been dominated by a trend: whenever Shai leads or ties Victor Wembanyama in scoring, the Thunder win. However, that wasn’t the case here, as he bested Wemby and still lost, and the other reason involved his supporting stars. Gilbert Arenas did not waste time on his show to call out the punishment Gilgeous-Alexander should deliver on them.

“Shai, when you get in that locker room, the Audemars, the APs, take them back. Yeah, they didn’t show up.”

Arenas said, referring to the Audemars Piguet watches, the luxury timepieces SGA famously gifted to teammates at the start of the season. He ran through the box score like a bill collector and even proposed a bonus clause while naming the exceptions to his proposed punishment.

“Hartenstein: seven. Chet: four. Dort: three. Wallace, keep yours. Caruso, keep yours. McCain, keep yours. Everybody else, get the s*** back. Wallace, you take Chet’s, you get two of them.”

SGA won his second MVP last season and became one of just 16 players to win multiple MVP titles and one of 14 guys to do so back-to-back. In a gesture worth an estimated $500,000 collectively, he spoiled his teammates with luxury goods and thanked them for their support.

“I just want to say thank you, guys, for everything. I wouldn’t be the player I am or person I am … without you guys,” Gilgeous-Alexander said before each player received his gifts. “Yeah, have fun. I love you guys.”

However, knowing the kind of attitude SGA has, he would rather reflect on the loss and delve into how he could’ve done more instead of blaming or even snatching gifts from his teammates.

“They were just the better team tonight. Start to finish, and then every time we tried to like cut into it and take control of the game, it felt like they had an answer,” he revealed in the post-game press conference.

In 33 minutes, Chet Holmgren finished with four points on 1-of-2 shooting, taking no shots at all in the second half, while missing two of his four free-throw attempts. Three of OKC’s starters, Holmgren, Hartenstein, and Dort, combined for 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting in a must-win game.

Arenas’ message to Holmgren carried more edge than the rest: “God damn it, you better hit two back-to-back threes right now or don’t show up no more. There’s no more training camp. You stay home. We’re going to figure out how to get rid of you.”

Holmgren averaged 10.7 points on 51% shooting in the series, including 27.3% from three, along with 1.1 blocks per game. Those are respectable numbers, but Game 7 made them feel hollow. It confirmed what the series had been showing all along: he has no answer for Wembanyama, and when he fades, the Thunder lack a reliable second option.

What Comes Next for SGA and a Thunder Roster That Just Hit Its Ceiling?

The offseason conversation in Oklahoma City began the moment the Game 7 buzzer sounded. NBA insider Brett Siegel suggested the Thunder could package Holmgren with their draft picks to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee, a dramatic idea that shows how quickly the narrative around Holmgren shifted in a single night, from All-NBA asset to potential liability.

Oklahoma City still holds the league’s deepest stockpile of draft capital, with 12 future first-round picks and 15 second-rounders. The real question for Sam Presti is timing. He can push those chips in now or continue building patiently. The financial picture adds another layer of complexity, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Jalen Williams set to earn over $123 million combined next season, alongside pending decisions on Isaiah Hartenstein’s $28.5 million team option and Luguentz Dort’s $18.2 million guaranteed salary.

Presti has the flexibility to move Holmgren and picks to reshape the roster around Gilgeous-Alexander, and the noise around that possibility only grew louder after Saturday. Still, Gilgeous-Alexander made his stance clear after the loss. He called Presti the best general manager in NBA history and emphasized that he stays out of roster decisions entirely.

The watches were a gesture of belief, Shai saying, before the season started, that this group was ready. Julian Champagnie hit six threes and scored 20 points off the San Antonio bench in Game 7. Luke Kornet had a chasedown block in the final minutes that killed the last Thunder run. Wembanyama finished with 22 points and seven rebounds. The group SGA believed in did not hold up their end. Arenas said he should take the watches back. Presti’s offseason will decide what gets built in their place.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​