The Thunder’s dynasty potential can break the NBA’s parity era

Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City Thunder on July 4, Russell Westbrook published a photo of a plate of cupcakes the next day, and the future of Oklahoma City Thunder was suspended. Sam Presti had drafted three future MVP NBAs to start his mandate at OKC, and now two of them had left. The Thunder had appeared in the NBA final and four appearances in the conference final with the best young basketball nucleus, but they could not break. With unfinlable, now wearing a Golden State Warriors jersey, it seemed unlikely to do it.

The Thunder gave the ball to Russell Westbrook the following year, and it posted the highest rate of use in the history of the NBA at 41.65%. This has become the first player since the first player since Oscar Robertson to make an average of a triple-double, which was enough to win a narrative MVP. The Thunder has still won only 47 games and was smoked in the first round by the Houston Rockets. Presti must have become daring if he wanted another chance to win, and he delivered.

The day of the NBA free agency opened its doors, the Thunder has swung a shocking agreement for the disgruntled star of the Pacers Paul George, sending Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis in Indiana to obtain it. Later that summer, the Thunder took another big swing and exchanged against Carmelo Anthony, pushing a small market deep in the luxury tax. Anthony fought, the adjustment between George and Westbrook was a work in progress, and thunder was again eliminated in the first round.

George turned into a MVP finisher among the first 3 the following year, seeming almost as great as during. It was still not enough to get out OKC from the first round while Damian Lillard made a sign of Bye-bye with an eliminatory session for the ages.

Three years, three consecutive outings of the first round. Westbrook was setting up incredible figures, but did he have a positive impact on victory? George was a superstar to his peak who has just signed a contract extension, but where was she directed? The Thunder was good, but they also felt stuck, and watch during winning consecutive finals with the Warriors probably did not help. A lesser GM may have dug his heels by looking for movements around the margins to bring the thunder closer. Presti was presented with another route which would require a few years of thinness but which had the potential to give its franchise all that she dreamed.

Kawhi Leonard signed with the Los Angeles clippers in the middle of the night during the 2019 free agency, but his commitment was pending in Los Angeles, Paul George. The Thunder asked for everything the mowers had in the room in return. Oklahoma City received five future first round choices (including four unprotected), an exchange of choice and the promising recruit of the Clippers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, in the agreement. Westbrook was exchanged a few weeks later, in his longtime rival Houston, in exchange for Chris Paul.

The Thunder actually made the playoffs the following season while Cavid pushed the league into the bubble. The CP3 finished 7th in the MVP vote and seemed to have a few good years. Presti never hesitated to his plan and realized that all of this was worthless if his team had no championship ceiling. Paul was exchanged in Phoenix at the end of the season, and quickly brought them to the NBA final. The Thunder was cool to lose for two years.

Quinking five years and the craziest dreams of Presti took place in unison. Gilgeous-Alexander has become another Ligue MVP almost out of nowhere. The Clippers trade provided a choice of draft which turned into another star when the Thunder selected Jalen Williams of Santa Clara with the choice n ° 12 in 2022. All this losing after the CP3 trade? This made the Thunder obtained the choice n ° 2 in 2022, which led to the writing of Chet Holmgren.

The Thunder are now the NBA champions, realizing a dream that started with during, Westbrook and James Harden all these years ago. This championship is the culmination of the work of the life of Presti which makes daring decisions on the stars while nailing the margins. One of the smallest markets of American Pro Sports has an NBA championship. The most frightening thing for the rest of the NBA is that it just looks like at first.

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images

The history of the NBA was defined by the dynasties. There were George Mikan’s Lakers in the 1950s, Bill Ruston’s Celtics in the 1960s, the reign of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the 80s giving way to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the 90s. The 00 had Shaq and Kobe Lakers followed by Tim Duncan San Antonio, Championships won by LeBron James with Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Lakers. The Golden State Warriors also won four championships there.

But since during the Achilles during the 2019 NBA finals, the NBA dynasty has been dead. During the seven years that followed, there have been seven new champions. The Raptors obtained one with Kawhi, the Lakers won in the bubble with LeBron, Giannis and Nikola Jokic obtained one in Milwaukee and Denver, Steph Curry won his fourth, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown finally obtained their first.

Add the thunder to the mixture now. According to figures, this OKC team is one of the best in the history of the NBA, although it is the second youngest team to have reached the NBA final. Oklahoma City won 68 games during the regular season, tied in fifth row in the history of the NBA. He finished the year with the second best net note behind the powerful Bulls of 72-10 Chicago from 1996. The Thunder championship was not always pretty: he needed to survive two series of seven games, and he benefited from a horribly unhappy calendar to the opponents in Aaron Gordon and Tyrese Haliburton.

There are no style points for the championships, only banners hanging forever. The Thunder has finally obtained one, and now they are ready to capture more.

Gilgeous-Alexander is 26 years old and firmly at its peak. He is the best goalkeeper in the league, and he has done things that have not been seen since MJ. His game is built for the playoffs with a small rim finish, a Knockdown half-plage shot and this 7-foot wingspan which is useful defensive. Like the Naufrative Griffice or not, SGA is about to be a big one of all time.

It is difficult to think of better co-stars than Williams and Holmgren. Williams is 24 years old and already has a 40 -point NBA final on his CV. It has an elite length (7’2 wingspan) and force combination for a pro wing, and it has a soft shooting with a range to start. He is one of the best NBA wing defenders, and on average more than 20 points per game on the score efficiency higher than the average for the next 10 years. It is really good.

Holmgren was on the way to the NBA season before breaking the pelvis. His score did not seem as well when he returned, but his protection of the rim proved as large as ever. He overthrew 38% of his three in regular season, giving OKC a rare look of five outings that does not sacrifice the shots blocking. Holmgren is 23 years old, he came from 18 points and five blocks in a victory for match 7, and if he can remain healthy, he will be an elite player for the coming years. Do not focus too much on his offensive difficulties in these finals; It is one of the best basketball construction blocks.

Presti has nailed each movement around the margins. He signed Lu sleeps as a free agent not drafted. He struck gold by tearing the bulls for Alex Caruso and signing Isaiah Hartenstein far from the Knicks. He found Aaron Wiggins with one of the last choices in the second round, and he signed Isaiah Joe on the street. Cason Wallace could be a star from another team; On this one, it is a defensive cap overqualified with a punch. Presti has used his G-League team to develop several key contributors over the years, and this includes his now a winner of the Mark Daignault championship.

The Thunder has built this list while still having 11 first-round choices at their disposal until 2030. Perhaps they will use these choices to reconstruct their depth while Holmgren and Williams start the Max contracts. Maybe they will exchange them for another superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo one day. Maybe small trades and smarter choices are on the horizon. By the way, the Thunder also has a choice of lottery in the subject of Nikola joining the rotation last year, and we classified it as the first global perspective of the NBA 2024 draft.

Thunder has a real embarrassment of wealth. Their championship ceiling is no longer just theoretical. It is said that winning your first NBA ring is the most difficult. If it is true, the Thunder should only improve from here.

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It is so difficult to win an NBA championship. The Thunder knows that better than any franchise having seen a nucleus during-Westbrook move away. OKC was the best team from afar all year round this season, and they still needed an extremely lucky chance of winning the championship with the premature injuries of Gordon and Haliburton.

There are many reasons why the Thunder could fail in the years. They are about to become very expensive in the era of the second plane. Caruso, such a key article on this title race, is 31 years old and risks his body on each possession. Would anyone be shocked if he fell quickly? The role that players may have greater roles for more money on other teams. These future recovery choices could get closer to Ousmane Dieng that Jalen Williams.

No one should give thunder rings until they win them. There is no doubt that they will start next season like the favorites to repeat. The East conference is exhausted with Jayson Tatum, Haliburton and Damian Lillard who all miss the entire season with Achilles injuries suffered during these qualifying series. The largest western challenger (Denver) does not have much room for maneuver to improve. Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs will probably be their most difficult test in the future, but they are still years of competition for the championships. The Rockets could be great with during, but let’s see them winning an eliminatory series first.

The Thunder have a championship ring and they have a team that will compete for the championships until the future. If a team can break the era of the parity of the NBA, it’s OKC. Anyway, OKC validated has always been on Sunday evening. Their future is not guaranteed, but it looks damn good.