How the Thunder and the Spurs are changing Celtics, NBA contention plans

With the Boston Celtics now in their offseason after losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs, retooling the roster is a given. But in the meantime, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are locked in a battle for the ages that is giving 28 other front offices pause when it comes to building a competitive contender.

And we can and should include Boston and Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens in that camp, meaning teams that want to compete for titles will need a roster able to counter the buzzsaw that is the Thunder AND the Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs behemoth arising out of the West. To get a better idea of how OKC and San Antonio might be looking at the future (and the series mentioned above, yikes), the hosts of "Havlicek Stole the Pod" sat down with Thunder Wire editor and OKC beat writer Clemente Almanza.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say about what the Celtics and the rest of the NBA need to consider when building contenders, just how worried we ought to be about Wemby, and more.

Outro: Whistle by Benjamin Banger - https://tiny.ee/Jk4U or BenJaminBanger.com

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