Holmgren, who’s been out since Nov. 10 after suffering a right iliac wing fracture in his pelvis, teased his return on social media. He sustained the hip injury after taking a hard fall on a block attempt in the first quarter of a 127-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Even though it was not a trade, the Oklahoma City Thunder made a big splash before the trade deadline. It was announced the morning of February 6 that Chet Holmgren would return and play the next game for the Thunder.

Holmgren — the No. 2 pick behind Orlando's Paolo Banchero in the 2022 draft — missed the entirety of what would have been his first season in 2022-23 with a foot injury. He played all 82 games last season and was second in the rookie of the year vote behind San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama.