The Thunder are in one of the more enviable positions in all professional sports.
Led by 26-year-old MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City is four wins away from a championship with the second-youngest roster to make the Finals in league history. As its situation would indicate, the franchise has made some very wise moves over the years, and luck has had a small hand in the equation, too.
Team president Sam Presti is revered for the different iterations of the Thunder he has built, with this one potentially having the greatest chance to win the game’s ultimate prize. The team is largely homegrown, too, with the roster composition being a product of the treasure trove of draft picks Presti has picked up over the years.
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OKC has hit on almost all of its acquisitions, and head coach Mark Daigneault can trust each active member of the roster to make a positive impact. Here is how that roster came to be.
How the Thunder were built
The Thunder came up short of a championship, losing in the second round in 2024, but they used a transformational offseason to address their biggest needs. They’ve brought things full circle, rounding out a roster built through moves that first began with the 2019 acquisition of Gilgeous-Alexander, technically the franchise’s longest-tenured player.
Here’s a look at some of the most notable moves, beginning with the assembly of the starting unit.
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Isaiah Hartenstein’s signing completes the lineup
Date: July 6, 2024
One of the biggest bonuses of OKC’s youth is the number of players on rookie-scale deals. This flexibility allowed the Thunder to enter the 2024 offseason with enough cap space to make a big splash.
OKC signed Hartenstein to a three-year, $87 million deal with a third-year team option. He addressed a massive need for more size in the frontcourt and has been a perfect fit with his scoring, rebounding, and playmaking from the center position.
Hitting two home runs in the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery
Date: June 23, 2022
After an abysmal 2021-22 season, the Thunder entered the draft with two lottery picks (more on that momentarily).
With the second overall pick, Oklahoma City took Chet Holmgren, a one-and-done from Gonzaga who was one year removed from being the nation’s top high-school recruit. A few fortunate bounces also resulted in the Clippers’ pick coming in the lottery, and they used the 12th overall pick to take a lesser-known prospect in Santa Clara’s Jalen Williams.
Three years in, Holmgren has established himself as an elite rim-protecting big, while Williams is an All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive Team selection at 24.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes the Paul George trade work
Date: July 10, 2019
Nothing the Thunder have accomplished would be possible without the blockbuster trade that sent George to L.A.
With the franchise entering a rebuild in the 2019 offseason, George made it clear he wanted to be a Clipper. OKC had the upper hand in negotiations and was able to acquire a young prospect with upside and a boatload of draft compensation for George.
Unbeknownst to anyone, that young prospect had MVP upside, and the draft compensation is the gift that continues to give. Among those picks, the 2022 first-round pick was used to draft Williams.
Thunder acquire: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 first-round pick, 2023 first-round pick (did not convey), 2024 first-round pick, 2025 first-round pick, 2026 first-round draft pick
Clippers acquire: Paul George
Luguentz Dort, an undrafted hidden gem
Date: July 6, 2019
Dort has one of the most interesting journeys among players in the NBA, let alone members of the Thunder.
After one season at Arizona State, Dort entered the 2019 NBA Draft but did not hear his name called. He signed a two-way contract with OKC and quickly built a reputation as a staunch defender, earning time in the Thunder’s closing lineups despite not being on a standard deal.
Ahead of the NBA restart in Orlando, Dort’s two-way deal was converted to a standard NBA contract and he continued to improve, eventually earning a five-year, $87.5 million deal in 2022. Once undrafted, Dort’s reputation on the defensive end was rewarded with an All-Defensive First Team nod in 2025.
The Alex Caruso-Josh Giddey swap
Date: June 21, 2024
After coming up short in the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals, OKC knew it needed to improve in the margins. One of the solutions was replacing a former lottery pick in Giddey with a defensive utility man in Caruso, who has familiarity with Daigneault from their time with OKC’s G League affiliate.
Months after returning to the Thunder organization, Caruso signed a four-year, $81 million contract extension. While it’s in a reserve role, Caruso does a lot to make this Thunder team hum, especially on the defensive end.
Thunder acquire: Alex Caruso
Bulls acquire: Josh Giddey
Draft-day deal brings in Cason Wallace in 2023
Date: July 6, 2023
The Thunder barely missed the playoffs in 2023 and were set to select 12th overall. Instead, they used that pick to trade up, taking on the expiring contract of Davis Bertans so that they could get their intended target, 10th overall pick Cason Wallace.
OKC’s financial flexibility allowed it to absorb a contract and get a top-10 pick. Wallace was a Second Team All-Rookie Team selection and walked into an ideal role as a ball-hawking guard capable of knocking down open 3s and leading the offense in spots.
Thunder acquire: Cason Wallace, Davis Bertans
Mavericks acquire: Dereck Lively II
Various offseason moves round out the rotation
OKC’s ability to go 10-11 players deep is also a credit to moves like trading for Kenrich Williams in 2020, using a late-second-round pick to select Aaron Wiggins in 2021, drafting Jaylin “Jay Will” Williams in the second round, and signing sharpshooter Isaiah Joe in 2022.
Those moves don’t even take into account the future players waiting in the wings, such as 2024 second-round pick Ajay Mitchell and 2024 lottery pick Nikola Topic, who is sitting out the 2024-25 season to rehab a torn ACL.
It should not be overlooked that Topic was regarded by many as a top-five prospect before the injury. The Thunder are in a great position for the 2025 Finals and beyond.
Thunder roster for 2025 NBA Finals
| Player | Age | Acquired via | Date |
| Branden Carlson* | 25 | Free agency | 11/16/24 |
| Alex Caruso | 31 | Trade with Bulls | 06/21/24 |
| Ousmane Dieng | 22 | Acquired draft rights from Knicks | 06/23/22 |
| Luguentz Dort | 26 | Undrafted free agency | 07/06/19 |
| Alex Ducas* | 24 | Undrafted free agency | 07/15/24 |
| Adam Flagler* | 25 | Undrafted free agency | 10/19/23 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 26 | Trade with Clippers | 07/10/19 |
| Isaiah Hartenstein | 27 | Free agency | 07/06/24 |
| Chet Holmgren | 23 | 2022 NBA Draft (2nd pick) | 06/23/22 |
| Isaiah Joe | 25 | Free agency | 10/16/22 |
| Dillon Jones | 23 | Acquired draft rights from Knicks | 06/27/24 |
| Ajay Mitchell | 22 | Acquired draft rights from Knicks | 06/27/24 |
| Nikola Topic | 19 | 2024 NBA Draft (12th pick) | 06/27/24 |
| Cason Wallace | 21 | Acquired draft rights from Mavs | 07/06/23 |
| Aaron Wiggins | 26 | 2021 NBA Draft (55th pick) | 07/29/21 |
| Jalen Williams | 24 | 2022 NBA Draft (12th pick) | 06/23/22 |
| Jaylin Williams | 22 | 2022 NBA Draft (34th pick) | 06/23/22 |
| Kenrich Williams | 30 | Trade with Pelicans | 11/23/20 |
*Denotes Two-Way contract
