INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JUNE 19: The Oklahoma City Thunder look on from the bench during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game Six of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Getty Images
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been two years ahead of schedule for the past three seasons and counting.
Two years ago, they vaulted from a .500 team to the best record in the Western Conference. Last year, they won a franchise-record 68 regular-season games and outlasted the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals to win their first-ever championship. And this year, they’re off to a 15-1 start with the best net rating in the league by far, even though star forward Jalen Williams has yet to play a single minute due to a wrist injury.
Plenty can (and will!) change between now and June, but the Thunder have already emerged as the clear favorites for this year’s championship. If they do successfully defend their crown, they’d become the NBA’s first back-to-back champion since Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
But unlike those Warriors, who broke apart after only three seasons together, the Thunder could very well continue their ascent over the coming years.
More Help Is On The Way
The Thunder began building their championship foundation when they traded Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019. Not only did they land reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in return for George, but they also received four fully unprotected first-round picks—one of which they used to select Williams—along with one protected first-rounder and two first-round pick swaps.
That deal is already a landslide in favor of OKC. It might only get better, too.
Thanks to that trade, the Clippers owe their fully unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Thunder, and the Thunder have the right to swap 2027 first-round picks with them as well. The Clippers have stumbled out to a concerning 4-10 start this season, and star forward Kawhi Leonard is already sidelined with a sprained right ankle along with a “significant” right foot sprain, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.
That isn’t the only additional pick that the Thunder could receive this year. They’re also owed a top-four-protected 2026 first-round pick from the Philadelphia 76ers and a top-eight-protected 2026 first-round pick from the Utah Jazz.
The Sixers are off to a surprisingly potent start and play in the downtrodden East, which reduces the likelihood of that pick falling in the mid-to-high lottery. Meanwhile, if the Jazz fall out of the playoff race, they figure to do everything in their power (aka, tank like mad) to ensure that pick doesn’t convey to OKC. Still, the Clippers’ pick alone might be a premium asset that the Thunder could use to add young, cost-controlled reinforcements to their supporting cast.
The Thunder already have two young lottery tickets in their back pocket, too. Jumbo playmaker Nikola Topić, whom they selected with the No. 12 overall pick in 2024, is currently being treated for testicular cancer, although Thunder general manager Sam Presti told reporters doctors are “extremely positive” about his long-term outlook, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. Georgetown center Thomas Sorber, the No. 15 overall pick in the 2025 draft, tore his ACL during an offseason workout and is set to miss the full season.
Between Topić, Sorber and whomever the Thunder land in the 2026 draft, the NBA’s rich are poised to get even richer within the next 12 months.
The Thunder Have Nailed The Margins
Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Chet Holmgren are the foundation of the Thunder, but they aren’t the only reason why the franchise is well ahead of schedule. They’ve hit on a number of moves on the margins as well, which has them poised to continue their dominance even once Williams and Holmgren’s new contracts kick in next season.
Although Josh Giddey is taking off in a featured role in Chicago, Alex Caruso proved to be a picture-perfect fit in OKC last season. The Thunder boasted the league’s most stifling defense last year, and they’ve been even better in the early going this year. That might wind up being a win-win trade, but the Thunder already parlayed their side of the deal into a championship.
The bigger story this season is Ajay Mitchell, whom they selected with the No. 38 overall pick in the 2024 draft. Mitchell didn’t make much noise as a rookie last season, but in Williams’ absence this year, he’s averaging 16.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals in only 28.2 minutes per game. The Thunder declined their $3.0 million team option on him this past offseason to sign him to a three-year, $8.7 million contract with a $2.85 million team option in 2027-28. It’s safe to say they’ll likely be picking that up.
Finding cheap contributors such as Mitchell will become paramount for the Thunder after this season, as both Williams and Holmgren will be on max contracts starting next year. If the Thunder have to move on from either Isaiah Hartenstein ($28.5 million) or Lu Dort ($18.2 million) for financial reasons after this season, they’ll have to plug the gaps with draft picks and/or inexpensive replacements. Having players such as Mitchell and fellow second-round pick Aaron Wiggins signed to team-friendly deals should only help the OKC freight train keep rolling.
The Thunder will inevitably start shedding talent in the coming years, as there’s no way they can retain everyone and stay afloat financially. Cason Wallace will be eligible for an extension this coming offseason, so the Thunder may eventually need to decide between paying him or Caruso, whom they signed to a four-year, $81.1 million extension last December. Those are problems for a later day, though.
For now, the Thunder can focus on defending their title and aim to become the first back-to-back NBA champions since the late-2010s Warriors. While other teams won’t go down easily—the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets in particular loom large as Western Conference challengers—the Thunder have set themselves up to be a fixture in the title conversation at least for the next few seasons.
The NBA’s second-apron era was designed in part to shorten title windows and increase parity throughout the league, but the Thunder may be the outliers in that regard. Thanks to their slow and steady rebuild, they’re now uniquely poised to dominate the NBA.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
Follow Bryan on Bluesky.