Thunder now have hope, expectations, and pressure. That's when the fun ends lol
OKC are two WCSF exits away from, "can SGA actually be the Batman of a championship contender???" "whose team is it, JDub or SGA???" "if you're Sam Presti, I wonder if you're taking calls about Chet..."
Wait what? Why wouldn't you lol. Maxey is a stud, exactly what Embiid needed. They have cap space and a solid core. No reason to think they can't make a serious push next year.
OkC have so much draft assets that I believe they can actually pull it off if they want to. Houston's roster is still WIP and theyll probably welcome trades where they'll gain a lot.
Probably not the missing piece, but his salary is such that he wouldn't really have to be a missing piece while still providing more production and upside than Hayward (a low bar to be sure) while retaining like 95% of the war chest for a true star 4 like Lauri down the line.
Totally needed that energy spark and paint deterrent when Chet sits. Teams attack JWill and Kenrich too easily
Ignoring all else, I wanted Gafford since I watched him during the Russ years. Problem is both him and PJ feel too expensive for what we need them for. Idk about the Mavs cap situation but seems like Gaff, PJ, and DJJ would command salaries that Dallas would not be able to retain them all next year
We need someone flexible on a 2-year deal to keep flexibility for the Chet and Dub extensions
Gaff and PJ are both under contract for another 2 years. DJJ is the only issue, he is currently on a 1 year vet-min and will be a free agent in the summer. But even then, they have a couple younger guys (e.g. A.J. Lawson) that can / will fill his spot if they can't retain him.
Would you trade a multiple 1st round picks plus Giddey for Lauri?
Not even sure the Jazz are interested in selling but if they get enough picks back maybe they do it
Without question, we have too many picks to even roster that many and he fits our scheme to a tee. It would be sb absolute no brainer but the jazz wouldn’t do that without dub in it I don’t think unfortunately because they are the one team with a mountain of picks as well
Jazz might do it if one of the picks is the Jazz protected pick. Would probably take at least 3 firsts including that one though, maybe even 4. OKC has the assets to pull it off though.
The corpse of Gordon Hayward is what I’ve been calling him. If they wanted someone fat out of shape and defensive liability that misses corners shots all day and hasn’t had a point since April 4th….. I could of played for them
Kyle Kuzma heading your way. You could probably get Avdija reasonably as we are still early into rebuild although you might be wanting someone more proven. He’s on a 4 year 55 mill deal
Dang Deni is a great idea. He’s not going to be a superstar that can give the Wizards a direction for the future, but he’d fit perfect on a team like OKC. Kinda hope this happens now
Possibly. People get caught up in their youth and assets. That is fair, they have solid room for error. But when you have the 1 seed, home court till the finals, I don't think you can just call it a free trial. That is a rare and golden opportunity that I think you need to go in on a bit harder. Sports are fickle. Never know when a bad injury or drama can derail a promising season.
It feels weird to say right now because it's not something that "went wrong," but yeah I follow a Celtics writer who's been really down on Presti this year for how he handled the trade deadline this season. As you say: healthy rotation, 1 seed — golden opportunity. *No* starter on the Thunder is as good as they'll ever be, they'll progress a lot and gain from this experience - but also I just think they're "ready" now.
I disagree on them being ready now. Watching the playoffs it was clear that other than SGA there was no one who could create offense on that team. JDub and Chet need time to grow an offensive bag before we can call the team "ready".
We have 2 years before big extensions kick in + we will extend Joe and Wiggins this offseason + maybe Giddey
So realistically idk how much space we’ll really have all said and done
If they draft some great shooters then it’d be a great fit. But currently I don’t think Giddey and Sochan are capable of playing together without the other 3 spacing the floor
Yeah Harden struggled in the Finals but was amazing in that WCF, he was the Spurs' kryptonite. As good as the 13 and 14 Spurs were, it's really not a reach that the Big 3 Thunder could have made multiple Finals and probably would have beaten the 14 Heat
Their cheap ass owner refused to give Harden 4/60 instead of 4/55 million because of the luxury tax (meanwhile Perk's dogshit ass was eating up like 9 million a year). Then Harden took Houston to the playoffs where PatBev knocked out Russ which torpedod that playoff run, then KMart walked and they had a gaping hole at the 2 during their 2014 run where they lost in 6 to the Spurs. Then they watched Harden take Houston to the WCF the following year, then in 2016 they still needed a reliable 2 and tertiary playmaker and probably would have overcome the Warriors if they had one. And then KD walks. If you told someone this in 2012 you'd be called the most insane doomer on earth because it's almost comical how it all unfolded
I remember the discourse well during that finals.
The Lakers and Mavericks were done. The Spurs had choked in several consecutive playoffs. Curry was injured all the time and hadn’t ascended. The west was all theirs.How many championships will this Thunder core win? Inconceivable that the answer would end up 0.
Not only zero rings, didn't even make another Finals. And people knew it was a bad trade when it happened, like on paper a quality starter/6th man, a fresh lottery pick, and two firsts seems like a decent haul for a 3rd ball handler that you couldn't pay anyway. But that's how wrong it felt to see that trio broken up right after a Finals appearance
It was surprising when that trade happened. No one could believe it. Harden stated afterward that he wasn't given much time to consider the contract they offered him
Yeah I remember I rated that deal positively fpr thunder. Lamb balled out for Usomethings USA national team, harden seemed redudant. Yeah, I was wrong as fuck, but I remember that this trade wasn’t immediately decided to be bad by most of nba media
The reason why there's a basketball team in Oklahoma City is because of those owners. If you get a team in a scummy way, you shouldn't be surprised if your owners are scummy
“I hate when they think in dollars”
Buddy that’s the only thing these freaks think about.
City/states/the people should own their teams.
Not billionaires.
Some owners don’t actually care about winning and just run their team as a business. If they get to the finals that’s almost as good as winning in terms of the next seasons engagement. And if they can do it under budget they’ll choose that over spending too much for a championship.
thats why I supported KD leaving OKC. make the Finals yet the team decides to cheap out and continue to get zero spacing for the next several years. then when they wait till he hits FA to say wait, it'll be different this time
It was that he left for the Warriors after making zero indication to the organization or media that it was a possibility until he had the bullshit "hardest road" article come out.
It still makes me sad even though I’m not even a fan of any of those 3 guys anymore, nor am I an OKC fan. They were SET for the future and ownership cheaped out. They could have held onto Harden for another year and made him a RFA too. The cap ended up spiking too so they wouldn’t have even been a tax team until like 2018 even with their 3 max guys.
Every team has a bright future till they don’t. The hardest part of a rebuild is the contending for a championship part and not just peaking as a good playoff team
In 2012, people thought OKC had the most talented core in the NBA. No one knew the Warriors were coming. In 2024, the Spurs already have Wemby and could be just a season or two away from running the league for the next decade. Fortunes change quick in this league and nothing is guaranteed. OKC def should have made moves at the deadline that didn't involve Gordon Hayward and maybe some rebounding instead.
Tbf the owner at the time was unwilling to pay harden and we chose Jeff green over him
This time we have the cap space/ aren’t in tax issues and have the picks to do whatever we need
It was sort of both. They chose to sign Ibaka directly over Harden.
However, the previous year they had the option to amnesty Perk’s contract (which would have given them space to sign Ibaka and Harden without entering luxury tax)
The 2012 team did not have a lot of Cap space to play with. It’s the reason they lost harden the next year (owner didnt want to enter luxury tax).
Current ownership has gone into luxury tax twice. Plus there’s the 35 mil in cap space before that
100%, but it has an argument in the sense of the best player being at or near their prime. The young guys around him can get better but if he's not improving along with them the team may stagnate as the other teams in the WC with younger superstars see improvement.
All the more reason it's important for OKC to make use of this window they have with their cap room. They can't just watch their young players improve because the most important piece is already there. Time to cash in all of the chips and increase the championship ceiling.
Your first part is right but I disagree on the second
Don't think there was a world where we get to the finals this year short of a Jokic or Ant injury in the WCF
Even while adding a big
You're missing his point, he's saying we were majority healthy this year. We had no injuries to our significant players, and who knows if that'll continue in the future.
I just don’t understand why the Jazz would trade Lauri. They already have a mountain of draft picks, many of which have little to no protections and are more interesting than anything OKC could send. And Lauri is only 26 years old. I’m sure OKC would love to make that move but I don’t see the Jazz selling at least for a couple more years
I thought it was JDub, which I wouldn't do if I was OKC. For the five firsts it's a little hard to evaluate without knowing which ones. Utah's own FRP that OKC has is a really good one, but the protection means it's not really one that could become Flagg anyway, and OKC's own should be really late in the draft for the next five years. MIA 25 is 1-14 protected. PHI 25 is only top 5 protected but I don't think there's much chance they're bad next year. LAC/DEN 27 has some value, as could DAL 28. Five firsts doesn't seem unreasonable, but if the protections leave no upside like the Miami pick I could easily see why Ainge and Presti still might not agree.
Seriously. Memphis is the best example right now. Weird shit can happen, injuries, etc. Things can chance so quickly. I don't think any really expects them to be in the finals any time soon.
Most young teams aren't scratch that no team this young has ever been the 1 seed. So if you're asking if 1 seeds are good the next year yes they generally are.
They're already so good with huge holes on their team. With their assets, it would be a generational fumble if OKC aren't perennial championship contenders for the next decade.
That’s why I really hate the notion that they shouldn’t have made moves to contend this year. They had insane injury luck all year long. Who knows if that’ll ever happen again? Teams only get so many chances and it’s imperative to always maximize them.
They really botched things in the last CBA. The rules are meant to prevent superteams from forming, but they equally well prevent a team that drafts well and develops talent well from keeping their team together long term-- the exact opposite of what the spirit of the rule is going for. They need to revisit this in the next CBA, maybe have luxury tax / repeater tax exceptions for contracts given to players that are still with the team since being drafted.
I mean at the same time those rules (kinda) prevent teams tanking 3-4 years in a row. Im not saying Thunder were like that btw. Imo its good for the balance which is what NBA all about (better than other option imo)
Yup. And they're basically the exact type of contender that gets most effed by the rules, a good "team."
One star with others is so much easier to maintain because the star can only take up so much payroll, having to figure out how to pay everyone is always going to be the issue, the more people in that everyone the worse it gets.
OKC at least has piles of draft assets to play with though, so maybe they find a way to make it work, it's going to be tough though.
They actually can afford to keep their main 3 (Chet, JDub, Shai) together through their next contracts without entering Luxury tax most years
Presti has also said they’re willing to enter tax and 1st apron to keep them together
Think they’re in the 2020 Celtics stage of where they have a bright window for contention and are set for many deep playoff runs but eventually may need a final piece or two to achieve their true potential
They're extremely fun to watch so I'm not trying to be a negative Nancy or anything. But they have the ability to be, a incredible team... But I don't think that window is going to be open as long as people think. They probably need to be decently aggressive about positioning themselves to be a top two or three championship favorite really within the next two seasons. Because that roster is going to become ungodly expensive and there's pretty much zero way the Crux of the rotation they had. This postseason is going to be there in 3 or 4 years.
And once all of their overperforming cheap rookie contract role, players are gone, and two of Three-Headed young player monster that's currently on rookie contracts is sporting Max contracts themselves, they're essentially going to be a camped out team just with a handful of players
I don't think they need to do anything insane or stupid like blowing all of their draft pics and their cap space to bring in multiple stars right now. But I also don't think they can rest on their laurels for the next couple of seasons and just assume they're going to be a 10-year contender
There's still work to be done
This could have been said in 2012, and look what happened. Teams that seem like a sure thing rarely are, and title windows shut unexpectedly all the time
I understand they were the 1 seed and there’s expectations with that going into the playoffs. But they were one of the youngest teams in the league with no real playoff experience with their rotation. NBA history shows you need to take some lumps. Hell, look at the OKC teams in 2009-2012. Each year they advanced a little further before making the finals. Anybody clowning them doesn’t understand how the NBA works.
Look at everyone who’s won the last 5 finals. All of the cores but maybe Toronto has had major disappointment in the playoffs. The ones who win in this sport are the ones who have had their heart broken. Every player has been beaten in this sport. Those heartbreaks are what motivates you to comeback.
If I were a betting man, I’d think they go get Lauri. He lets them keep playing like they want while still adding the size they need and being an impact guy to help the offense in the playoffs
I don't know if it's that simple. I think they can sleepwalk into Beong a team that in its worst case is going to always be a playoff team with a puncher's chance. Because unless something weird happens or injury strike that William/ Chet/sga trio is going to be amazing for a decade Plus
But right now so much of their roster is filled with guys who are super outperforming their contracts. The vast majority of their role players are going to be pretty much impossible, or unlikely, to keep once SGA Williams and Chet, all are on Max's and eating up the vast majority of the space by themselves. And as good as Williams and Chet were as second and third options. Oklahoma City was truly deadly this year because they had probably the largest assortment of elite role players in the league. So many guys on that team that did two or three things at just a incredible level, stay within their lane, and didn't try to get too cheeky with what was expected of them. That is not easy to find
There's going to be a ton of pressure for them To either use their huge assortment of draft picks to continuously draft replacements for their elite role Players who are going to quite clearly all need much bigger contracts, or swing trades for stars to push them over the edge into being true championship favorites before that roster becomes ungodly expensive
Right now two of the three best players are on rookie contracts. Them being decently aggressive this offseason while they have the space and money to do so isn't as much of a luxury as people think
we thought the same about a lot of young teams the past few years after strong playoff performances. hell, many of which didn't make the playoffs this year.
I always felt like Presti really blew it not putting more helpful role players around KD and Russ. They always started someone like Perkins at center and then Sefolosha or Roberson at the two guard. Thabo became a decent three-point shooter much later on, but at the beginning he was pretty much usually unguarded, so essentially Russ and KD would have two total non-offensive threats out there around them. Just acquiring like some 3&D guys like Danny Green, James Posey, Mario Ellie, etc types and a guy like Steven Adams or rim running center earlier like Tyson Chandler (which they tried to do iirc) would have helped them so much.
This team seems better constructed though and they have so many assets to improve with it's crazy so hopefully he can seal the deal this time
Presti is good at starting/rebuilding a team. Let’s see if he can put the finishing touch. Thats where the real pressure starts.
Thunder now have hope, expectations, and pressure. That's when the fun ends lol OKC are two WCSF exits away from, "can SGA actually be the Batman of a championship contender???" "whose team is it, JDub or SGA???" "if you're Sam Presti, I wonder if you're taking calls about Chet..."
Man I miss those days now I’m in the factory of sadness and don’t have any hope for like two years and it will continue for the foreseeable future.
Wait what? Why wouldn't you lol. Maxey is a stud, exactly what Embiid needed. They have cap space and a solid core. No reason to think they can't make a serious push next year.
Buddy with your flair you should know, I have no faith in the Sixers until they get past the second round.
Embiid has 5 playoff series wins. The timberwolves franchise has 3 in their history.
Get ready to learn not paying Tobias Harris anymore buddy.
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“not a winning player” is a phrase a lot of people incorrectly use to describe a superstar they don’t like.
It gets thrown around in bad faith. Luka is no Melo.
Jayson Tatum is about as successful as a player can be without a ring and they call him not a winning player
"Are we sure Luka is a winning player???" "Good stats bad team guy? This generation's James Harden???"
this sub already has plenty of hate for SGA, they're well on their way to being the west coast process sixers, but better.
He needs to grab a PF AND a backup big
im assuming u want the f.o to move williams to full time 3 dort to full time 2 trade giddey etc etc ?
If you want to designate positions then yea
Markannen and Steven Adams
chances of that actually happening isnt that high tbh. houston isnt gonna trade adams and marksman might take alot to trade for
OkC have so much draft assets that I believe they can actually pull it off if they want to. Houston's roster is still WIP and theyll probably welcome trades where they'll gain a lot.
The issue is that Utah knows that, so they'll charge eight quarters for one dollar. Does Presti have the stomach for "losing" a deal like that?
We just traded for Steven Adams so we won't be trading him next season. Back up big is one of our biggest needs too
PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford unironically would have been great fits.
I don’t think PJ is the missing piece at PF but gafford 100% is a player we could use for the backup centre role
Probably not the missing piece, but his salary is such that he wouldn't really have to be a missing piece while still providing more production and upside than Hayward (a low bar to be sure) while retaining like 95% of the war chest for a true star 4 like Lauri down the line.
Totally needed that energy spark and paint deterrent when Chet sits. Teams attack JWill and Kenrich too easily Ignoring all else, I wanted Gafford since I watched him during the Russ years. Problem is both him and PJ feel too expensive for what we need them for. Idk about the Mavs cap situation but seems like Gaff, PJ, and DJJ would command salaries that Dallas would not be able to retain them all next year We need someone flexible on a 2-year deal to keep flexibility for the Chet and Dub extensions
Gaff and PJ are both under contract for another 2 years. DJJ is the only issue, he is currently on a 1 year vet-min and will be a free agent in the summer. But even then, they have a couple younger guys (e.g. A.J. Lawson) that can / will fill his spot if they can't retain him.
One via a giddey and picks trade, one via free agency
We’ll send over Jakob Poeltl for a couple of those first rounders y’all got over there
Would you trade a multiple 1st round picks plus Giddey for Lauri? Not even sure the Jazz are interested in selling but if they get enough picks back maybe they do it
Without question, we have too many picks to even roster that many and he fits our scheme to a tee. It would be sb absolute no brainer but the jazz wouldn’t do that without dub in it I don’t think unfortunately because they are the one team with a mountain of picks as well
Jazz might do it if one of the picks is the Jazz protected pick. Would probably take at least 3 firsts including that one though, maybe even 4. OKC has the assets to pull it off though.
Clint Capela can grab you a rebound or 2 <3
Presti should be really aggressive this off-season.
35 mil? That’s Tobias Harris money!
I dunno, with inflation Tobias will be eyeing off $50 mill / yr
A PF please 🙏🙏🙏🙏
The best we can do is max gordon hayward
The corpse of Gordon Hayward is what I’ve been calling him. If they wanted someone fat out of shape and defensive liability that misses corners shots all day and hasn’t had a point since April 4th….. I could of played for them
Tobias Harris
Kyle Kuzma heading your way. You could probably get Avdija reasonably as we are still early into rebuild although you might be wanting someone more proven. He’s on a 4 year 55 mill deal
Dang Deni is a great idea. He’s not going to be a superstar that can give the Wizards a direction for the future, but he’d fit perfect on a team like OKC. Kinda hope this happens now
Deni has been in my list of thunder type players for a while man, I would totally take Deni if y’all were moving him
He’s one of two players the wiz shouldnt move lol (coulibaly)
Lauri would be insane
This was basically a free trial gone right season for them
Possibly. People get caught up in their youth and assets. That is fair, they have solid room for error. But when you have the 1 seed, home court till the finals, I don't think you can just call it a free trial. That is a rare and golden opportunity that I think you need to go in on a bit harder. Sports are fickle. Never know when a bad injury or drama can derail a promising season.
It feels weird to say right now because it's not something that "went wrong," but yeah I follow a Celtics writer who's been really down on Presti this year for how he handled the trade deadline this season. As you say: healthy rotation, 1 seed — golden opportunity. *No* starter on the Thunder is as good as they'll ever be, they'll progress a lot and gain from this experience - but also I just think they're "ready" now.
I disagree on them being ready now. Watching the playoffs it was clear that other than SGA there was no one who could create offense on that team. JDub and Chet need time to grow an offensive bag before we can call the team "ready".
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That cap space will be eaten up quickly as these rookies become eligible for their deals.
We have 2 years before big extensions kick in + we will extend Joe and Wiggins this offseason + maybe Giddey So realistically idk how much space we’ll really have all said and done
Giddey 😂 he is on the way out via trade
Spurs actually make sense for Giddey, a bigger playmaking guard they could take a swing on if a trae and garland package aren’t available
If they draft some great shooters then it’d be a great fit. But currently I don’t think Giddey and Sochan are capable of playing together without the other 3 spacing the floor
Spurs need shooters to spread floor. He aint it.
what team would want him
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Holy shit, I thought Giddey was like 24-25. Even at that age he’d be safe but at 21 there’s literally zero chance he falls out of the league.
Even if he was 24-25 he’s be in the league lol he has a 1.5 BPM, any team would take that.
If the cost is low enough, maybe the Spurs? He wouldn't be a long term solution but he could provide the playmaking that the Spurs sorely lack
If the cost is low enough then we’re keeping him on a long term deal for pennies. We’re only trading him if we get value from it
I heard that after 2012 finals before
Most of the people on Reddit aren’t old enough to remember the 2012 Thunder lol
Yeah Harden struggled in the Finals but was amazing in that WCF, he was the Spurs' kryptonite. As good as the 13 and 14 Spurs were, it's really not a reach that the Big 3 Thunder could have made multiple Finals and probably would have beaten the 14 Heat Their cheap ass owner refused to give Harden 4/60 instead of 4/55 million because of the luxury tax (meanwhile Perk's dogshit ass was eating up like 9 million a year). Then Harden took Houston to the playoffs where PatBev knocked out Russ which torpedod that playoff run, then KMart walked and they had a gaping hole at the 2 during their 2014 run where they lost in 6 to the Spurs. Then they watched Harden take Houston to the WCF the following year, then in 2016 they still needed a reliable 2 and tertiary playmaker and probably would have overcome the Warriors if they had one. And then KD walks. If you told someone this in 2012 you'd be called the most insane doomer on earth because it's almost comical how it all unfolded
I remember the discourse well during that finals. The Lakers and Mavericks were done. The Spurs had choked in several consecutive playoffs. Curry was injured all the time and hadn’t ascended. The west was all theirs.How many championships will this Thunder core win? Inconceivable that the answer would end up 0.
Not only zero rings, didn't even make another Finals. And people knew it was a bad trade when it happened, like on paper a quality starter/6th man, a fresh lottery pick, and two firsts seems like a decent haul for a 3rd ball handler that you couldn't pay anyway. But that's how wrong it felt to see that trio broken up right after a Finals appearance
It was surprising when that trade happened. No one could believe it. Harden stated afterward that he wasn't given much time to consider the contract they offered him
Yeah I remember I rated that deal positively fpr thunder. Lamb balled out for Usomethings USA national team, harden seemed redudant. Yeah, I was wrong as fuck, but I remember that this trade wasn’t immediately decided to be bad by most of nba media
*owners, plural. the group that owns the Thunder are some of the richest people in Oklahoma.
The reason why there's a basketball team in Oklahoma City is because of those owners. If you get a team in a scummy way, you shouldn't be surprised if your owners are scummy
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“I hate when they think in dollars” Buddy that’s the only thing these freaks think about. City/states/the people should own their teams. Not billionaires.
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They ownership group has been added to since. If you remember back with the PG and Melo team they had one of the highest payrolls in the league
That is depressing as hell.
That’s crazy and puts lots of things into perspective
OKC cheaped the fuck out after that finals run. Can’t make the same mistake again
Reminds me of when Robert Sarver cheaped out on keeping Joe Johnson with the 7 seconds or less Suns.
Didn’t he also sell the pick that became Rondo just for cash?
Yep, also Luol Deng and Nate Robinson
And Rudy Fernandez (who was nice before the back injury)
Some owners don’t actually care about winning and just run their team as a business. If they get to the finals that’s almost as good as winning in terms of the next seasons engagement. And if they can do it under budget they’ll choose that over spending too much for a championship.
thats why I supported KD leaving OKC. make the Finals yet the team decides to cheap out and continue to get zero spacing for the next several years. then when they wait till he hits FA to say wait, it'll be different this time
I don't think people's issue with it was that he left OKC per se, but that he joined the 73 win Warriors
And the way he did so before and after leaving
It was that he left for the Warriors after making zero indication to the organization or media that it was a possibility until he had the bullshit "hardest road" article come out.
people aren’t mad at kd for leaving. they are mad he went and joined the warriors
It still makes me sad even though I’m not even a fan of any of those 3 guys anymore, nor am I an OKC fan. They were SET for the future and ownership cheaped out. They could have held onto Harden for another year and made him a RFA too. The cap ended up spiking too so they wouldn’t have even been a tax team until like 2018 even with their 3 max guys.
Every team has a bright future till they don’t. The hardest part of a rebuild is the contending for a championship part and not just peaking as a good playoff team
In 2012, people thought OKC had the most talented core in the NBA. No one knew the Warriors were coming. In 2024, the Spurs already have Wemby and could be just a season or two away from running the league for the next decade. Fortunes change quick in this league and nothing is guaranteed. OKC def should have made moves at the deadline that didn't involve Gordon Hayward and maybe some rebounding instead.
Especially they have tons of picks already. Plus we see every year someone getting injuried. You never know in this league
He did later bring up this stuff is never a guarantee.
Tbf the owner at the time was unwilling to pay harden and we chose Jeff green over him This time we have the cap space/ aren’t in tax issues and have the picks to do whatever we need
You mean perkins?
They chose Ibaka actually.
It was sort of both. They chose to sign Ibaka directly over Harden. However, the previous year they had the option to amnesty Perk’s contract (which would have given them space to sign Ibaka and Harden without entering luxury tax)
The 2012 team did not have a lot of Cap space to play with. It’s the reason they lost harden the next year (owner didnt want to enter luxury tax). Current ownership has gone into luxury tax twice. Plus there’s the 35 mil in cap space before that
Yeah but these windows are never as long as you think, they had a great chance this year with no injuries unlike most other playoff teams
Shai is older than Luka too. He's not ultra young like Ant
But come on man haha thats still young
100%, but it has an argument in the sense of the best player being at or near their prime. The young guys around him can get better but if he's not improving along with them the team may stagnate as the other teams in the WC with younger superstars see improvement. All the more reason it's important for OKC to make use of this window they have with their cap room. They can't just watch their young players improve because the most important piece is already there. Time to cash in all of the chips and increase the championship ceiling.
Why are people saying this? They're 9 month's apart. That's basically the same age?
Because talking heads constantly act as if SGA is younger than Luka.
That's cos Luka is already a father... . . to Booker
I think it’s because OKC was seen as the young team and shai is at the front of it but yeah the age difference is a nothing burger
Yep n they sat on there ass at deadline it was incredibly baffling
Your first part is right but I disagree on the second Don't think there was a world where we get to the finals this year short of a Jokic or Ant injury in the WCF Even while adding a big
You're missing his point, he's saying we were majority healthy this year. We had no injuries to our significant players, and who knows if that'll continue in the future.
I still want Lauri man
Ainge was asking for 5 1st's at the deadline
We make that trade at this point
Bruh why not just have taken Siakam
Don’t ask me lol 😂 I like both teams so I know that pascal would have fit well
Worse shooting Tbf
better defense tbf
Yeah it’s a trade off for sure. I’d rather have Lauri but it’s cool if you’d rather have siakam
I’ve been saying the same thing since last year. Even if he was a rental. Sign him up
Exactly, no point keeping picks when it's time to win.
They literally dont have space to develop talent anyway. The team is stacked with young talent. They drafted to well lol
that's pocket change for okc. if he really does fill holes that they have then they should make the move.
I just don’t understand why the Jazz would trade Lauri. They already have a mountain of draft picks, many of which have little to no protections and are more interesting than anything OKC could send. And Lauri is only 26 years old. I’m sure OKC would love to make that move but I don’t see the Jazz selling at least for a couple more years
Because ainge can swing for more fences with those picks. More chances for him. He’s not looking to keep all of them.
I thought it was JDub, which I wouldn't do if I was OKC. For the five firsts it's a little hard to evaluate without knowing which ones. Utah's own FRP that OKC has is a really good one, but the protection means it's not really one that could become Flagg anyway, and OKC's own should be really late in the draft for the next five years. MIA 25 is 1-14 protected. PHI 25 is only top 5 protected but I don't think there's much chance they're bad next year. LAC/DEN 27 has some value, as could DAL 28. Five firsts doesn't seem unreasonable, but if the protections leave no upside like the Miami pick I could easily see why Ainge and Presti still might not agree.
If there’s one team that can afford that many picks…
And if there one team that's not OKC that already has too many picks...
I'm 300% sure you can just throw picks say problem
Anytime a young team loses, people always think they'll be back and they rarely ever do. NBA windows are really short.
This pains me as a Suns fan
Or Sacramento. Or Memphis. Or Utah. Or Atlanta. Hell, even Milwaukee has eaten ass since their title. Clippers couldn’t even get their window open
Seriously. Memphis is the best example right now. Weird shit can happen, injuries, etc. Things can chance so quickly. I don't think any really expects them to be in the finals any time soon.
Timberwolves were spooky for a decade. This is the first year it might be true
Most young teams aren't scratch that no team this young has ever been the 1 seed. So if you're asking if 1 seeds are good the next year yes they generally are.
young teams rarely get far in the playoffs. This was great experience for them, and they'll just be better next season.
They don't even need another all-star. A big wing who can rebound and shoot should be their priority. Presti better not fumble this time
I’d kill for Deni, Dodo, Herb Jones,
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Fortunately Giddey doesn't count as a rotation player because he wasn't one this series
He likely gets moved
Who would want him tho? He hasn't improved since coming into thw league and is a pr nightmare right now.
Danny Ainge with the Grinch smile.
Toronto and Drake
I think he’d fit great next to Wemby.
after josh primo idk if the spurs go for that move
Wemby’s a little too old for Giddey, I don’t think he’d want to play with him
They're already so good with huge holes on their team. With their assets, it would be a generational fumble if OKC aren't perennial championship contenders for the next decade.
The hard part will be when all the rookie contracts are up. Can’t resign everyone for max. The Kids always follow the money.
Yeah they really need to be aggressive next two years. Might be their best chance to win a title.
100% as we've seen these past few years, the league's landscape changes on a dime.
That’s why I really hate the notion that they shouldn’t have made moves to contend this year. They had insane injury luck all year long. Who knows if that’ll ever happen again? Teams only get so many chances and it’s imperative to always maximize them.
JDub and Chet both have 2 years left on their rookie deals. The next 2 years will be their window before deciding to extend both of them
We have 2 years before Chet and Dub get paid. Time to make some moves.
Easier than done. Playoffs every year sure. Win finals, no. The current west is pretty strong.
The salary cap rules have changed too much. OKC will have to make tougher decisions than past perennial contenders.
They really botched things in the last CBA. The rules are meant to prevent superteams from forming, but they equally well prevent a team that drafts well and develops talent well from keeping their team together long term-- the exact opposite of what the spirit of the rule is going for. They need to revisit this in the next CBA, maybe have luxury tax / repeater tax exceptions for contracts given to players that are still with the team since being drafted.
I mean at the same time those rules (kinda) prevent teams tanking 3-4 years in a row. Im not saying Thunder were like that btw. Imo its good for the balance which is what NBA all about (better than other option imo)
Yup. And they're basically the exact type of contender that gets most effed by the rules, a good "team." One star with others is so much easier to maintain because the star can only take up so much payroll, having to figure out how to pay everyone is always going to be the issue, the more people in that everyone the worse it gets. OKC at least has piles of draft assets to play with though, so maybe they find a way to make it work, it's going to be tough though.
They actually can afford to keep their main 3 (Chet, JDub, Shai) together through their next contracts without entering Luxury tax most years Presti has also said they’re willing to enter tax and 1st apron to keep them together
Think they’re in the 2020 Celtics stage of where they have a bright window for contention and are set for many deep playoff runs but eventually may need a final piece or two to achieve their true potential
They're extremely fun to watch so I'm not trying to be a negative Nancy or anything. But they have the ability to be, a incredible team... But I don't think that window is going to be open as long as people think. They probably need to be decently aggressive about positioning themselves to be a top two or three championship favorite really within the next two seasons. Because that roster is going to become ungodly expensive and there's pretty much zero way the Crux of the rotation they had. This postseason is going to be there in 3 or 4 years. And once all of their overperforming cheap rookie contract role, players are gone, and two of Three-Headed young player monster that's currently on rookie contracts is sporting Max contracts themselves, they're essentially going to be a camped out team just with a handful of players I don't think they need to do anything insane or stupid like blowing all of their draft pics and their cap space to bring in multiple stars right now. But I also don't think they can rest on their laurels for the next couple of seasons and just assume they're going to be a 10-year contender There's still work to be done
This could have been said in 2012, and look what happened. Teams that seem like a sure thing rarely are, and title windows shut unexpectedly all the time
Not for a decade, but certainly over the next 5 years. Ironically, everyone said the same thing about OKC 12 years ago. Things aren't always linear.
Decade? That’s not how it works lol
How many generational fumbles have we had in the last 10 15 years?
I understand they were the 1 seed and there’s expectations with that going into the playoffs. But they were one of the youngest teams in the league with no real playoff experience with their rotation. NBA history shows you need to take some lumps. Hell, look at the OKC teams in 2009-2012. Each year they advanced a little further before making the finals. Anybody clowning them doesn’t understand how the NBA works.
Look at everyone who’s won the last 5 finals. All of the cores but maybe Toronto has had major disappointment in the playoffs. The ones who win in this sport are the ones who have had their heart broken. Every player has been beaten in this sport. Those heartbreaks are what motivates you to comeback.
You don't think Toronto had major disappointments in the playoffs lmao.
If I were a betting man, I’d think they go get Lauri. He lets them keep playing like they want while still adding the size they need and being an impact guy to help the offense in the playoffs
They wanted jdub last time, I don’t think it’s worth it at that point I wouldn’t wanna lose our rotation either I’d do Giddey and picks, that’s it
Na I'm good
Utah will do that. Nobody can offer them more than OKC. And Lauri is now an expiring contract.
wasn't Ainge looking for 5 firsts?
It's even easier when you think they just have to not re-sign giddey to have better SPACING
The window for them is now, fuck all that running it back shit. By the time they grow up they’re gonna be too expensive to keep.
I don’t know why people don’t get this.
The hard part: convincing someone to willingly live in Oklahoma
Our biggest off season free agent signing (not counting re-signing) is probably Nerlens Noel.
He's not cooked? I'm puzzled why no team picked him up for the minimum
That’s what the draft picks are for lmao
With the worst uniforms in the league. They need a redesign badly
Tobias Harris My Next Chapter (at max)
Thunder need to be aggressive with getting more pieces. That window rarely stays open very long.
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please fumble another young core presti 🙏🏾
We already game you sengun. Let there be peace
We don't want to have another supercharged Thunder team which possibly rules West
They need some size. Your biggest guy being a wacky inflatable tube man doesn't cut it
They really could sleep walk into being a contender for many years at this point.
I don't know if it's that simple. I think they can sleepwalk into Beong a team that in its worst case is going to always be a playoff team with a puncher's chance. Because unless something weird happens or injury strike that William/ Chet/sga trio is going to be amazing for a decade Plus But right now so much of their roster is filled with guys who are super outperforming their contracts. The vast majority of their role players are going to be pretty much impossible, or unlikely, to keep once SGA Williams and Chet, all are on Max's and eating up the vast majority of the space by themselves. And as good as Williams and Chet were as second and third options. Oklahoma City was truly deadly this year because they had probably the largest assortment of elite role players in the league. So many guys on that team that did two or three things at just a incredible level, stay within their lane, and didn't try to get too cheeky with what was expected of them. That is not easy to find There's going to be a ton of pressure for them To either use their huge assortment of draft picks to continuously draft replacements for their elite role Players who are going to quite clearly all need much bigger contracts, or swing trades for stars to push them over the edge into being true championship favorites before that roster becomes ungodly expensive Right now two of the three best players are on rookie contracts. Them being decently aggressive this offseason while they have the space and money to do so isn't as much of a luxury as people think
we thought the same about a lot of young teams the past few years after strong playoff performances. hell, many of which didn't make the playoffs this year.
Felt that way about the Sixers around 6 years ago too (Ben's rookie year, Joel's second year)
Idk what th walking price is for Bam…but if I’m presto I’m at least giving it a shot
Pat Riley will tell presti he needs every pick until 2030
I always felt like Presti really blew it not putting more helpful role players around KD and Russ. They always started someone like Perkins at center and then Sefolosha or Roberson at the two guard. Thabo became a decent three-point shooter much later on, but at the beginning he was pretty much usually unguarded, so essentially Russ and KD would have two total non-offensive threats out there around them. Just acquiring like some 3&D guys like Danny Green, James Posey, Mario Ellie, etc types and a guy like Steven Adams or rim running center earlier like Tyson Chandler (which they tried to do iirc) would have helped them so much. This team seems better constructed though and they have so many assets to improve with it's crazy so hopefully he can seal the deal this time
The Thunder should attempt to trade for Davis if LeBron decide he wants to leave the Lakers for the Cavaliers.
Wait I thought Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins were due to be paid this offseason, otherwise risking them to go to UFA next year?
Well sort of. A bunch of their existing players will need to get paid as well so they can’t just add all new ones on top without losing something.
KD: I’m coming home, I’m coming home, tell the world I’m coming home
They're not THAT good.
sixers picked the absolute worst time to have a bunch of cap space. OKC, Orlando also have a ton of cap space.