Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti had plenty to be thankful for at Thanksgiving dinner this year, following his team's first NBA championship, and its dominant 18-1 regular-season record. It's the best start in franchise history, and while All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is tying Michael Jordan for feats the NBA hasn't seen in nearly 40 years, the Thunder is favored to go back-to-back in 2026.
If that happens, the Thunder will be on the cusp of becoming the NBA's next dynasty. However, none of this happened overnight. Despite spending most of the 2024-25 regular season atop the Western Conference standings, many were hesitant to call Oklahoma City the NBA's favorite to win a title, even ahead of Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers. Now, it's harder to list reasons the Thunder won't win it all again than to predict they'll fail.
Its league-leading defense is thriving as the youngest team in the NBA has gone from the “they're way too young” narrative to the NBA's biggest threat of the future, evolving into the league's first quintessential juggernaut since the Golden State Warriors. In retrospect, fans have to respect how this promising and dominant team came together, as its architect — Presti — gave league GMs a masterclass in building a championship roster and a potential dynasty.
Here are four of Presti's most significant moves that built the champion Thunder squad we see today.
4. Thunder sign Isaiah Hartenstein to three-year, $87 million deal
Watching the Thunder sign free-agent center Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $87 million contract looked like an overpay to some; to GM Sam Presti, it was a necessity to finalize his championship roster. In doing so, Presti cemented a towering 7-foot defensive tandem, placing Hartenstein alongside Chet Holmgren. This pairing never stood a chance to reach its full potential through 20 regular-season games and last season's championship run.
This season, the Thunder is enjoying the fruits of its labor on another level, especially Hartenstein's production, which has blossomed into the best defensive rating in the NBA (99.3). Eighteen games into the most impressive start of his career, he thrives on both ends of the floor, averaging 12.1 points on 67.6% efficiency (third in the NBA), 10.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 steals.
Hartenstein's production will only get better as the season progresses. He's adapted seamlessly to the Thunder's culture, as Presti expected from the skilled NBA journeyman with an underdog approach. I-Hart's a big part of Oklahoma City's championship window.
3. Carmelo Anthony trade to Hawks for Dennis Schroder
When the addition of Carmelo Anthony to complement Russell Westbrook failed, Thunder GM Sam Presti pulled the trigger on a three-team move, including a caveat that would have a lasting ripple effect, helping Oklahoma City win its first title. As part of the deal, Anthony was traded to the Hawks for Dennis Schroder along with a future first-round pick, which was lottery-protected.
The deal was a way for the Thunder to shed Anthony's salary, while Presti kept his fingerprints on a future first, which materialized into the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The Thunder selected Chet Holmgren and wasn't done building for the future. That night, Presti selected two-thirds of Oklahoma City's championship core, drafting future All-Star Jalen Williams at No. 12.
Coming off his third season with the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander was headed into his first All-Star campaign and on the cusp of stardom in 2022. Now, he's leading a potential Thunder dynasty.
2. Paul George trade to Clippers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Thunder GM Sam Presti's magnum opus trade is undoubtedly his blockbuster move with the Los Angeles Clippers, centered on acquiring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a stack of future first-round picks for Paul George. Gilgeous-Alexander, a second-year guard, at the time, would blossom into a budding superstar. The 2025 MVP, scoring champion, and Finals MVP led the Thunder to its first championship in franchise history.
Oklahoma City used one of its five first-round and two first-round swaps from the Clippers to draft Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams with the 12th overall pick in 2022. Williams is an ideal second option to Gilgeous-Alexander. He's an elite All-Defensive Team defender who can score at a high level. Amid his first season, Jalen proved himself throughout the Thunder's championship run.
Williams scored a career-high 40 points in a 120-109 victory in Game 5 of the Finals. He led his team to a critical 3-2 lead in the championship best-of-7 series against the Indiana Pacers before Oklahoma City clinched a title in Game 7. He did it in only his third year, and with a torn ligament in his right wrist throughout the postseason. However, he'll only get better. And the Thunder also has the Clippers' rights to the first-round pick swap for the 2027 draft.
1. Thunder ink SGA, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren to max deals
Coming off his first championship run, Thunder GM Sam Presti wasted no time inking his core — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren — to max extensions. It was the only move he could make to cement the Thunder's position in the upper echelon of the Western Conference, with a championship window ahead of Presti's core players' prime years.
Holmgren, who shares the same draft class as Williams, missed his entire rookie season due to a foot injury, which makes you wonder whether Chet is headed toward a season similar to Jalen's 2024-25 campaign. So far, Holmgren could be on pace to earn his first All-Star selection — averaging 17.9 points on 54.5% shooting, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game.
Williams will make his season debut against the Phoenix Suns on Friday, which will make the Thunder's 18-1 record even more memorable. Oklahoma City's supporting cast includes multifaceted players from Isaiah Hartenstein and Cason Wallace, who bring two-way abilities, to Ajay Mitchell, who's making an early bid for Most Improved Player.
