Following their second-round playoff exit to the Dallas Mavericks, the Oklahoma City Thunder have had a busy offseason, first trading for Alex Caruso of the Chicago Bulls and then signing former New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency to bolster their roster around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. While neither of these deals is as dramatic as others made across the league this offseason, the Thunder have added significant depth and quality to a squad that already complimented Gilgeous-Alexander nicely last season.
All of these moves have prompted some to envision the Thunder as a potential title candidate in the Western Conference. Recently, Zach Lowe of ESPN spoke to his very own The Lowe Post podcast to illustrate why the Thunder are in tremendous position for not only the present, but also the future.
“No team in basketball history has been better positioned for both the present and the future. The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently in the best position of any NBA club in the modern period, according to Lowe, as reported by NBA on ESPN on YouTube. “Obviously, the 1990s Bulls had the best squad, and we knew they’d win every year. Just in terms of theoretical possibilities, both real ones in the present and theoretical ones on future routes. “It’s amazing what they’ve accomplished.”
Indeed, the Thunder not only have an outstanding and flexible (and very young) squad right now, but they also have a wealth of future draft picks that can be used or swung for another big deal at the discretion of general manager Sam Presti.
Are the Thunder championship contenders?
On paper, the only roster in the NBA that is clearly superior to the Thunder’s at this point is the Boston Celtics, who are essentially built in the same way (versatile two-way players who can lock down on defense and shoot the three) but are simply slightly better at the moment.
While other teams, such as the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks, have made moves this offseason, the Thunder have shored up the few weaknesses on their roster, including rebounding with Hartenstein, and have also replaced Josh Giddey, who was an awkward fit, with a premier defender in Alex Caruso.
The main concern for the Thunder now is if any of its young core members other than Gilgeous-Alexander are genuinely prepared to lead a team to a championship. Several times during the Mavericks series, youngsters like Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren appeared to be in over their heads, but this is to be expected of players in their second and first years in the NBA, respectively.
In any event, the Thunder are clearly well positioned to not just continue to put up dominant regular seasons while also building for the future, which isn’t something any other team can boast.
