The Oklahoma City Thunder have had a busy offseason so far after their second round playoff exit to the Dallas Mavericks, first swinging a trade 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 moves may be as splashy as other acquisitions made around the league this offseason, the Thunder have added immense depth and talent to a roster that already complemented Gilgeous-Alexander quite well a season ago.
All of these moves have led some to project the Thunder as a legitimate title contender in the Western Conference, and recently, Zach Lowe of ESPN took to his very own The Lowe Post podcast to describe why the Thunder are in great position for not only the present, but also the future.
” No team in the history of basketball has been so well positioned for the present and the future at the same time. This moment right now for the Oklahoma City Thunder is the best position any NBA team has ever been in in the modern era,” said Lowe, via NBA on ESPN on YouTube. “Just in terms of like obviously the 90s Bulls had the best team, we knew they're going to win every year. Just in terms of like theoretical, both like real possibilities, in the present and theoretical possibilities in paths in the future. Like it's just astounding what they've accomplished.”
Indeed, the Thunder not only have an elite and versatile (and very young) roster in the present but also have a treasure trove of future draft picks that can either be used or swung for another big time trade at general manager Sam Presti's discretion.
Are the Thunder championship contenders?
On paper, the only roster in the NBA that is definitely better than the Thunder's at this juncture would be 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 just a little bit better at the current moment.
While other teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, and more have made moves in this offseason, the Thunder have shored up the few weaknesses on their roster, including rebounding with Hartenstein and have also gotten rid of the awkward fit that was Josh Giddey and replaced him with a premier defender in Alex Caruso.
The only question now for the Thunder is whether some of their young core members outside of Gilgeous-Alexander are truly ready to lead a team on a title run. There were several points during the Mavericks series when the moment looked a little too big for players like Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, but such is to be expected for players in their second and first years in the NBA, respectively.
In any case, the Thunder are certainly well positioned to not only continue to put up dominant regular seasons but also to simultaneously build for the future while doing so, which isn't something any other team can say.
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