Winning several championships has become nearly impossible in the new age of NBA parity. No team has done it since the Warriors in 2018.
The Thunder might be changing that trend. They aren’t your average champion — their 12.9 regular season point-differential was the best in NBA history, and their defense was also one of the best in the modern era.
What should be even scarier for the league is that as good as they were, this is not their final form. They are going to get even better over the next several seasons. This could be the beginning of one of the premier dynasties that the league has seen.
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Thunder dynasty is just beginning
The Thunder can easily retain their young core
The Thunder are in great financial shape. All of their rotation players are under contract for next season. Because Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are still on their cheap rookie deals, the team should still remain under the luxury tax line unless they choose to make another small free agent addition with their $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception.
Two years from now, the team will start to get expensive. Williams and Holmgren will be in line for new deals. But the Thunder can still keep all of their players even beyond that point, as long as their ownership group is willing to pay into the tax.
MORE: Inside Jalen Williams’ legendary rise at the 2022 NBA Draft combine
The Thunder received a lot of criticism for letting James Harden go years ago, but they have been willing to spend on good teams. They’ve paid over $100 million into the tax over the history of their franchise, which makes them above-average among NBA teams.
Based on that history, the core trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Holmgren should stay together for the foreseeable future.
The only rotation players the Thunder are even at moderate risk of losing down the line are Isaiah Hartenstein, Lu Dort, and Kenrich Williams. And none of their contracts are up until the summer of 2027.
The Thunder’s players are going to get even better
The Thunder were the 7th-youngest team in the league this year, with an average age of 24.8. They are the 2nd-youngest championship team in the history of the league.
The Thunder’s core is going to get better. SGA is only 26 years old, Jalen Williams is 24, and Holmgren is 23. Their trio is reminiscent of the 2015 Warriors, who won with Steph Curry at 26 and Klay Thompson and Draymond Green at 24.
Putting aside the youth of their big three, Oklahoma City has six other players who are still on their rookie deals. That includes the No. 12 pick of the 2024 draft, Nikola Topic, who didn’t even play this year due to an ACL injury. And they will have picks No. 15, 24, and 44 in the upcoming draft to continue to add talent. All of their important players with the exception of 31-year-olds Alex Caruso and Kenrich Williams are at the stage of their aging curves where they should get better.
MORE: Alex Caruso’s journey from ‘nice camp player’ to NBA stopper
The Thunder’s trade possibilities are endless
What makes the Thunder’s situation so unique among championship teams is that usually, a contender needs to make a massive trade to get over the hump, clearing out all of their draft picks in the process. The Thunder are in the opposite situation. They still have a massive trove of picks from their rebuilding days.
Oklahoma City has all of its own picks available to trade going forward. They also have three pick swaps, up to five protected first-round picks, and 18 second-round picks available to move. That is a crazy stash that no previous champion has ever had to work with.
If Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes available, the Thunder have the pieces to go and get him. The same goes for Ja Morant, Trae Young, or any other superstar that they want. If they make a smaller move and the Celtics choose to shop quality starters like Jrue Holiday or Derrick White, Oklahoma City can top almost any other offer.
The Thunder haven’t pulled the trigger on any of these moves yet because their roster is already so good that it’s hard to find areas to upgrade. They truly have an embarrassment of riches.
Many of the other contenders in the league are scrambling to catch up to the widening gulf that the Thunder are creating. The Celtics are taking a step back next season. The Nuggets are a financial mess with few avenues to get better. The Pacers could be missing Tyrese Haliburton for a while if his injury is as serious as is feared.
The Magic have improved with their recent acquisition of Desmond Bane, and they might very well make it to the Finals. Does anyone think that any of these teams, or the Knicks, Cavs, Rockets, will beat Oklahoma City?
The Thunder have to go into 2026 as heavy favorites to repeat their title. The same should be true for 2027. This train has a chance to keep chugging along for the rest of the 2020’s.
