Will OKC Thunder Have Only One Threat in West Next Season?

The Thunder and Spurs tipped off a potential rivalry in 2026, but is that the only matchup that can give the 2025 champs trouble?

May 26, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives against San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) during the third quarter in game five of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City is looking to have a successful offseason to get back to the top of the NBA next season, and it may only have one threat to watch for in the West.

It’s been nearly three weeks since the Thunder played their final game of the 2026 season, falling at home in Game 7 to the San Antonio Spurs. Finishing one win away from another trip to the NBA Finals, the Thunder can now focus on what moves they need to make as they try to prove themselves again in 2027.

While the East is quite unpredictable after the New York Knicks’ title run, the Western Conference might be a bit easier to understand. With the Thunder and Spurs winning 64 and 62 games, respectively, last season, those two are clearly the teams to beat going into the 2026-27 season.

Assuming no surprise team in the West makes a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo or any other superstar, the landscape of the conference should look quite similar going into next season. Of course, that begs the question of whether the Thunder’s only threat before the NBA Finals will again be the Spurs.

It’s clear that Victor Wembanyama’s squad won’t be going anywhere, so more conference finals matchups could be on the way in the near future. Considering the level that Oklahoma City plays at, it’s certainly difficult to imagine any other team in the conference giving the Thunder much trouble, especially a fully healthy Thunder team.

When looking at title odds for next season, the West teams that follow this season’s conference finalists are the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets. Considering everything that happened this postseason and looking at the rosters going into next season, it doesn’t seem likely that any of those teams could pose a real threat to the Thunder.

While some of those teams have stars who could try and carry their team through a series against the Thunder, it appears as if those teams already missed their opportunity to get through Oklahoma City. The Nuggets, Lakers and Timberwolves have already shown they were incapable of getting past a Thunder team that was younger and less experienced than the 2027 squad will be.

Perhaps a surprise team like the Utah Jazz will try their luck at spoiling the Thunder’s season, but as it stands now, the Spurs should be the only team in the way of Oklahoma City getting back to the Finals next season.