Season Outlook

Everyone slept on the Oklahoma City Thunder last season and picked them to finish near the bottom of the Western Conference and while we do it again this season, the Thunder’s front office will probably agree. After dumping every big name and salary on their roster this offseason, the Thunder seem to be okay with the idea of finishing near the bottom of the league this year as they look to build their draft capital even more. 

With 18 first-round draft picks through the 2027 NBA Draft, who knows what the Thunder are planning, but being able to end up with a Top 5 pick of their own in next year’s draft seems to be the first-step in their master plan.

With 31 draft picks over the next 7 years and close to $80M in cap room next season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are in an unbelievable position as a franchise and in a position we have never seen in the NBA. They have plenty of options of how they want to build their team of the future and it may consist of some of the best prospects in the draft over the course of the next several years, as well as a couple of the biggest stars in today’s NBA. 

Given their draft stockpile, virtually no player in the NBA is untouchable when Sam Presti is on the phone and we can expect the Oklahoma City Thunder to be extremely aggressive in their pursuit of who they want to acquire. They have exactly what they need to be successful down the road, and it will start by “tanking” this season.