What Do Thunder Fans Want?

We're asking you what you want. The Thunder is at a crossroads and so are their fans, so what moves do you want Sam Presti to make in the next few years?

What do Thunder fans want? It's a question that has been debated on sports talk radio ever since the James Harden trade. 

At that moment, some felt Sam Presti gave up Oklahoma City's best shot to win a championship, while others saw it as a necessary move to keep the payroll under control. What the heck? Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka were still on the roster. 

The Thunder haven't won a championship, but you can't say they're cheap. Clay Benett has been willing to go into the luxury tax to hang on to stars like Westbrook, Paul George, while bringing in Carmelo Anthony. 

While those moves never yielded anything more than a first-round exit from the playoffs, at least they were giving you hope. But is hope good enough? 

Oklahoma is a results state. With most Thunder fans having grown up on OU football, anything less than the ultimate prize is considered a failure. 

The Thunder are anything but a failure, but that hasn't stopped the criticism. While the Sooners are a behemoth big-money college football program, the Thunder are a small-market NBA franchise that will never operate like the Lakers or the Knicks (thank God!) 

So, where does that leave fans? If you go based on social media posts, most of them want to see Chris Paul hang around even if it's not the Thunder's best interest.  

There is a feeling amongst some that as constructed now, Oklahoma City is a contender. In truth, what the Thunder are is a team of missing pieces that would help the Bucks, Lakers, Clippers, and Celtics get over the hump. 

You're good enough to win a bunch of games in the regular season, but probably not make it any farther than the Westen Conference semifinals. 

Saying that doesn't diminish what was accomplished this season, nor does it mean there aren't players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander that couldn't become superstars, but, if you want to get back to where you were in 2012, the bandaid has to come off.  

That means parting with Chirs Paul, and Danilo Gallinari, and maybe even Steven Adams and Dennis Schroder.  Saying goodbye isn't easy, but sometimes it's for the best. 

Of course, you don't have to get rid of everybody. There is room for some of those, as mentioned above, to stay around and help expedite the rebuilding process. 

What should have us feeling confident is even though the results may not have been what you wanted as little as three years ago, Presti and Bennett will do whatever it takes to put a winner on the floor. 

They understand what this fanbase expects. But what you have to ask yourself is hanging on to the now, wroth giving up the future? 

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With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.