What Would be a Disappointment for OKC Thunder in 2026?

Now that it has an NBA championship, what's the next step for the Oklahoma City Thunder?

Jun 24, 2025; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder players lift bottles during the 2025 NBA Oklahoma City Thunder championship parade. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder finally reached the pinnacle. An NBA Finals victory is the ultimate prize a franchise can win, and it did it for the very first time since its inception in 2008.

Usually, getting to the mountaintop means you'll inevitably fall right back down sooner rather than later. However, the Thunder is potentially a different story, given its youthful roster and immense talent from MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the end of the bench. The 2024-25 season could've been just the start.

So, what's next for Oklahoma City? Now there's a definite expectation for it to compete for championships, but what is now a failure? Is it championship or bust?

There are a lot of questions to be answered for the Thunder's next campaign. It'll likely be held to a new standard than the past because of its victory and retention of its roster in the offseason, and will certainly be the favorite to come out of the Western Conference. With the East being as depleted as it is, that probably puts it as the ultimate favorite.

Anything less than another championship might seem like a disappointment to Oklahoma City. But how much of a disappointment could it be? While it'll be the favorite, winning back-to-back championships is a rare accomplishment for teams to make happen. Sometimes, they have to take a back seat before getting back to the top.

With the trajectory that the Thunder is on now, it could already be championship or bust. A Western Conference Finals loss to the right team might not bring about too many overreactions, but it's not going to be the spot that it wants its season to end at in the slightest.

An NBA Finals loss might be the baseline for Oklahoma City in 2026. The same destination as a year before, just not the team that captures the prize. Though if put in the position, it isn't going to want to settle for just that.

The Thunder wants ring No. 2.