Mick Wayne |
Oklahoma City Thunder General Manager Sam Presti has done it again. Only a few years after the blockbuster deal that sent Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for not only a record-setting amount of first-round draft picks—but also a promising young talent in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a coveted vet in Danila Gallinaeri—the Oklahoma City Thunder have asserted themselves as one of the most promising young teams in the NBA. Currently sitting at 2nd in the Western Conference, only behind the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets, Thunder fans have already started comparing OKC’s new “Big 3” of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren to the likes of Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant. Hopefully, this time around, Presti and the Thunder can bring the city their well-deserved first NBA ring.
How far can the Thunder go this year? Despite their extremely hot start to the 2023-2024 campaign, many still believe the Thunder won’t see past the first round. This can mostly be credited to their abnormally young roster. With an average age of 24.12, OKC clocks in as the second youngest team in the league. The Thunder have already locked up SGA and Lu Dort to max contracts, each lasting 5 years, through the 2026-27 NBA season. With Chet, Williams, and Giddey all on rookie deals, fans are starting to speculate how OKC will handle their finances in the coming years as they try to compete. This leaves Presti with a few different scenarios to choose from.
If he sees the Thunder as a legit contender this year, he has the capital to trade for a superstar player using their war chest of draft picks, as well as the cap space to handle a bigger contract. Fans have been speculating specifically about a deal that may involve Lauri Markkanen for Josh Giddey and a select amount of first-round picks. Fans see Markkanen as a vital addition to the roster, as he would add size to help out Chet on boards, and also elite-level shooting, giving SGA even more space to operate in isolation. Who knows if the Jazz even see Markkanen as a trade piece, but NBA fans love to speculate regardless. If Presti does not see OKC as a finals contender this year, it will certainly be interesting to see how the lineup unfolds over the next few years as rookie deals fade away. If he does not pull the trigger on any trades this year, he likely sees the big three of Chet, SGA, and Jalen Williams as the future of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and their contracts as the most important part of OKC’s finances going forward.
Regardless of where the team finishes this year in the playoffs, it is clear that they have the most loaded young roster in the league, and as long as their big 3 are in OKC, success will follow.
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