Thunder in Position to Make Shocking Move Warriors Know All Too Well

Over the last two years, the Thunder have been the most dominant team in the NBA since the Warriors of the mid-to-late 2010s.

They won 68 games in the 2024-25 regular season before winning their franchise's first title, and they won 64 regular-season games this season before being ousted by the Spurs in Game 7 of the West finals due to injuries, fatigue and a great opponent.

The Thunder would be justified mostly running it back, but they have the assets to make a move that could have a similar leaguewide impact to when the Warriors signed Kevin Durant in 2016.

That would be trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Thunder in Nearly Identical Position Warriors Were in

The similarities are eerie.

The Thunder have the reiging two-time MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Stephen Curry was coming off winning back-to-back MVPs.

The Thunder won a title (helped by some injuries) before being expected to go back-to-back and getting the No. 1 seed, only for some injuries (Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell) to bite them. The Warriors won the 2014-15 title (helped by some injuries), won 73 regular-season games in 2015-16 but lost in the Finals to the Cavaliers. LeBron and Co. deserve all the credit for that thrilling 3-1 comeback, but Curry was playing through a significant MCL injury and Andrew Bogut missed Games 6 and 7 with a knee injury.

That's when the Warriors infamously got Durant to agree to sign with them. They won the next two titles, including a 16-1 playoff run in 2017 that put them in the conversation for greatest team of all time.

The most significant difference is the Thunder won't have cap space to sign a star (or a massive cap spike that helps them get cap space). If they want one, they'll need to trade for him.

The Thunder have so much draft capital that they won't have any issue acquiring Antetokounmpo. And for money-matching purposes, they'd likely include Jalen Williams or Chet Holmgren, either being the kind of young talent the Bucks would love to build around.

If the Thunder want Antetokounmpo, they'll end up getting him. They could blow the Warriors' best offer—or any offer—out of the water.

Would a Giannis-Shai Duo Be as Dominant as Steph-KD?

There's no doubt that Antetokounmpo joining SGA would be terrifying. But would they mesh like Curry and Durant did?

Both Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander do their best work inside the arc. Perhaps teams with athleticism and size could do just enough to slow them down.

But if the Thunder surrounded them with high-end three-and-D wings, they would be 2017 Warriors-level dominant.

At the moment, the Thunder don't have the ideal amount of shooting to surround Giannis and SGA.

But general manager Sam Presti would undoubtedly find the right pieces.

Now, of course the Steph-and-KD Warriors were supported by future Hall of Famers Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, so the Thunder may never reach the heights of that 2016-17 Warriors team.

But if they get anywhere close, they'll create their own dynasty.

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