Prediction: Thunder Will Win a Championship In Next Five Years, Part I
A little more than four years ago, Oklahoma City’s championship window closed after both Paul George, and then Russell Westbrook, requested to be traded. That July, Thunder GM Sam Presti negotiated a return of assets so hefty that it would kick off one of the most controversial and brilliant rebuilds the NBA has ever seen.
Now, it’s 2023, and the Thunder are entering their fifth season since the end of the Westbrook era. And thanks to some incredibly smart asset management and forward-thinking roster engineering, Presti has Oklahoma City set up for the future beautifully.
By now, you probably already know that the Thunder own so many draft picks that it’s sort of become a joke. “Presti owns half of the league’s draft picks.” Not quite, but they do own 35 picks over the next seven years. Fifteen of those are first-round picks.
The amassment of so much draft capital is a key — maybe, the key — ingredient to Oklahoma City winning a championship, eventually. Especially since the new collective bargaining agreement incentivizes franchises to build through the draft, rather than luring big name free agents in — something a team operating in a smaller market, like the Thunder, have always had trouble with.
But having all of those picks equates to even bigger advantages the Thunder will have over other franchises: flexibility, room for error, and a capability to reload talent when needed.
While Oklahoma City’s future already looks incredibly bright due to a profusion of young talent on the roster, they also hold enough cards to not only go “all-in” at the moment of their choice, but if they play their hand wisely, could build a team so deep and so talented, they could set themselves up for a Spurs-like or Warriors-like dynasty and still have the capability to reload through the draft or trade market. Essentially, as long as Presti is at the helm, it’s not a matter of if the Thunder builds a dynasty, but when — barring an incredibly unfortunate set of circumstances, of course.
So buckle up and enjoy the journey. It starts now. Last season was just a prelude to what is coming in 2023-24. And don’t be surprised if the Oklahoma City Thunder win a championship sometime in the next five years.
Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
