Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s father, Vaughn, does not see the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player parting ways with the Oklahoma City Thunder down the road.
Gilgeous-Alexander will always be linked to the Toronto Raptors simply because he’s Canadian, but Oklahoma City is his true NBA home in Vaughn’s eyes.
However, Vaughn’s belief is not absolute.
“Shai is perfect where he is in OKC, and I don’t think he will ever leave unless politics or something happens,” Vaughn said in a recent episode of the No Flukes podcast on YouTube. “I don’t know how the NBA works, but when it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
The Thunder have let go of some players in the offseason, most notably Lu Dort, whom they traded to the Atlanta Hawks just last week.
But the one supremely untouchable Thunder asset is undoubtedly Gilgeous-Alexander, who is at the very core of the Oklahoma City machine that is set up by its front office to be a serious NBA title contender for years to come.
Still, if a franchise icon like Giannis Antetokounmpo can be traded, it’s fair to assume there is at least a slim chance the same could happen with SGA and the Thunder, which is essentially Vaughn’s point.
Oklahoma City Thunder fans don’t have to entertain such a thought. The former Kentucky Wildcats star signed a four-year, $271.66 million extension with the team in 2025, which keeps him under contract through at least the end of the 2030-31 season. (He has a player option for the 2031-32 campaign.)
