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The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently on cloud nine after finally bringing home the 2025 NBA Championship. Although there have been plenty of doubters throughout the season, winning the championship was a huge silencer.
The Thunder basically started from scratch in forming this championship squad. But thanks to the brilliance of general manager Sam Presti, the patience and investment were all worth it in the end. Here is a look at the best Thunder roster moves that led them to the 2025 NBA championship, ranked.
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10. Signing Kenrich Williams to a contract extension
Although his production in the stat sheet isn't mind-boggling, Kenrich Williams was a strong veteran presence for the Thunder. Don't forget Williams is the lone holdover from the era when the franchise was still moving on from the departure of 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook. Nonetheless, Kenny Hustle did provide solid defense and was a reliable sparkplug off the bench when called upon during the 2024-25 season.
9. Drafting Jaylin Williams in the 2022 NBA Draft
Although second-round draft picks are often overlooked, Oklahoma managed to snag Vietnamese-American big man Jaylin Williams in the 2022 Draft, by picking him with the 34th pick. Williams isn't going to dominate the game like premiere big men do. However, standing at 6-foot-8, he is a sizable big man whenever the Thunder needed a warm body to boost their frontcourt.
Although undersized, Williams certainly answered the call by providing some much-needed hustle and points. Whenever the team needed productivity from its bench, he never shied away from the bright lights. And whenever he's on the bench, Williams injects a positive atmosphere in the bench that keeps the team's chemistry at an all-time high.
8. Drafting Aaron Wiggins in the 2021 NBA Draft
The 2021 NBA Draft was one of the rare fumbles under Presti. From drafting a controversial Josh Giddey to trading away 16th pick Alperen Sengun, a silver lining from that night was selecting Aaron Wiggins with the 55th pick in the second round. Wiggins emerged as a solid contributor off the bench. He averaged a career-high 12.0 points per game during the 2024-25 season as the backup to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
7. Calling up Branden Carlson from the NBA G-League
Chet Holmgren was injured for much of the 2024-25 season. It also didn't help when Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams also went down with injuries. In Presti fashion, the Thunder called up Branden Carlson from the Oklahoma City Blue, the team's NBA G-League affiliate.
The 7-foot big man easily filled in the frontcourt gap, including a 26-point performance against the New Orleans Pelicans en route to a 115-100 victory. With Carlson, the teams got a temporary replacement big man that helped them collect more wins.
6. Cason Wallace-Dereck Lively II swap during the 2023 NBA Draft
At the 2023 NBA Draft, the Thunder made an eyebrow-raising move when they traded their 12th pick in Dereck Lively II to the Dallas Mavericks for 10th pick Cason Wallace and Davis Bertans. Doubts started to rise after Lively played an instrumental role in helping the Mavericks make an appearance at the 2024 NBA Finals.
However, critics soon realized that Wallace was a gem as well. The 6-foot-4 guard was a pest defensively against premiere starting guards. While his numbers aren't mind-boggling, Wallace was a driving factor in holding down the likes of Ja Morant, Jamal Murray, Anthony Edwards, and Tyrese Haliburton.
5. Taking a chance on an undrafted Luguentz Dort
At a time when Chris Paul was the most decorated player in the Thunder's roster, OKC was still a competitive squad in the West. A lot of that had to do with the breakout of Luguentz Dort. Despite going undrafted at the 2019 NBA Draft, Dort successfully developed into an elite 3-and-D player for Oklahoma. His ability to lock down opposing wings at a high level became an important asset leading to the team's title run this year.
4. Signing free-agent Isaiah Hartenstein
After trading away Sengun, the Thunder knew they needed a missing piece in their frontcourt which haunted them at the 2024 NBA Playoffs. As a result, in the offseason, the team successfully got the services of German big man Isaiah Hartenstein. Hartenstein would be what the doctor ordered in terms of size and skill at the frontcourt. In addition to this, his value to the team grew higher when he played perfect music alongside a returning Holmgren to form an effective twin-tower combination.
3. Trading for Alex Caruso
Apart from the acquisition of Hartenstein, the team also knew a seasoned veteran with playoff experience would boost the team, given the disappointing stint of Gordon Hayward. As a result, the Thunder gunned for Alex Caruso in exchange for lottery pick Josh Giddey, who was facing controversy. In the end, a reunion between Caruso and Daigneault was the missing ingredient that the team needed.
It's worth noting that the duo already worked together at the NBA G-League. Caruso fit like a glove under the Thunder's system. He was the ultimate sparkplug throughout the postseason, providing the much needed dirty work and hustle plays to mount a momentum.
2. Drafting Chet Holmgren at the 2022 NBA Draft
Historically, the franchise has had some success drafting with the second overall pick, the highest in Thunder history. From Gary Payton to Kevin Durant, Oklahoma hit the mark as well with Chet Holmgren's selection in 2022.
Holmgren was hyped as a versatile big man who excelled at doing a little of everything on both ends of the floor. Although injuries proved to be obstacles, Holmgren proved to be as great as advertised by blocking shots and putting points on the board. He averaged 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.9 rejections per game in the 2025 NBA playoffs.
1. Trading away Paul George
Parting ways with a franchise cornerstone is usually a bad thing. But in the Thunder's case, they managed to make Paul George's exit a tremendous blessing. With PG wanting to team up with Kawhi Leonard in Los Angeles, the Clippers surrendered a major package that included 2025 NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a 2022 first-round draft pick that would be used to select Jalen Williams to acquire PG.
Both Williams and SGA became the pillars of this very championship team. The Thunder ultimately fleeced the Clippers given how the latter is still looking for its first banner.
