In a rather unexpected turn of events, the Oklahoma City Thunder have blown it up this offseason, trading away Paul George and beloved star Russell Westbrook for a massive haul of draft picks (and Chris Paul).
It's not like the Thunder could have improved if they didn't decide to trade their two stars, so this wasn't a terrible move by Oklahoma City.
Still, it's going to be really weird seeing OKC not even resembling a playoff contender next year, and it's going to be even stranger not seeing Westbrook donning the Thunder blue.
But it's the dawn of a new era in Oklahoma City, and honestly, it was time for a change.
So, here are the three biggest takeaways of the offseason for the Thunder.
3. They Knew There Was No Other Way Out
Let's face it: if the Thunder would have held on to George and Westbrook, they would have suffered the same fate they have met each of the last two years.
Oklahoma City had no cap space to sign free agents and no young talent or enticing draft picks to make any big trades.
Basically, the Thunder were stuck, and there was no way out other than moving both of their stars and starting over, and general manager Sam Presti knew that.
There is a reason why OKC has lost in the first round each of the past two seasons. The team just isn't very good and was not well-constructed, so Presti decided to hit the reset button, which was the best decision he could have made, even if it was painful.
2. They Failed
The Thunder had Kevin Durant and Westbrook on the same team for eight years. James Harden was there for three of those seasons. All of that, and all they could muster was one Finals appearance.
Now, to be fair to Oklahoma City, injuries certainly played a role here. Westbrook tore his meniscus during the 2013 playoffs. Durant missed most of the 2014-15 campaign due to a foot injury.
But we also can't ignore the fact that Presti regularly failed in putting together an adequate supporting cast around his two stars, and the return from the Harden trade before the 2012-13 season began was horrendous.
The Thunder needed shooting for years, and Presti was unable to get it. Not only that, but after Harden was dealt, Oklahoma City was unable to put a true third option alongside of Durant and Westbrook.
Now, how much of that was Presti and how much of that was Clay Bennett being unwilling to spend the money is certainly a discussion, but we can't deny that the Thunder were not constructed all that well.
1. They Have a Long Road Ahead
If the Thunder want to have any chance of contending for titles again, they are going to have to hit home runs on some of these draft picks, because no big-name free agents are going to want to sign in Oklahoma City.
The good news is that Presti's biggest strength lies in his drafting ability, from Durant to Westbrook to Harden to Serge Ibaka to Steven Adams. The man knows how to identify talent, and he'll have plenty of opportunities to do that in the coming years.
But it is going to be difficult.
Heck, even if Presti is able to land a few stars through the draft, are the Thunder going to be willing to pay for them? Or will they do what they did with Harden and trade him to avoid the luxury tax bill?
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