As the NBA`s latest collective bargaining agreement, particularly its widely discussed tax aprons, continues to reshape how teams build rosters capable of competing for championships, a clear common factor has emerged in these 2025 NBA Finals: depth.
Depth is proving decisive.
In Oklahoma City`s dominant Game 2 victory over the Pacers on Sunday, which leveled the series at one game apiece, Aaron Wiggins made a significant impact coming off the bench. He hit five 3-pointers and finished with 18 points in just 21 minutes, achieving a game-high plus-24 rating.
On most other NBA teams, Wiggins, at 26 years old, would be considered a core young talent. Standing 6-foot-6, he`s a capable shooter, defender, and secondary creator – a prototype for today`s valuable two-way wing. Yet, the Thunder have secured him on a five-year, $47 million contract that decreases in value annually.
- 2025-26: $9.7M
- 2026-27: $8.8M
- 2027-28: $7.9M
- 2028-29: $7.9M (team option)
These descending contracts are extremely advantageous as teams navigate the constraints of staying below the tax lines. However, even without this added benefit, having a player of Wiggins` caliber locked in for five years at $47 million is excellent value. Assuming he remains with OKC through 2028 (trading a player on such a favorable contract becomes less likely as OKC`s payroll grows) and avoids major injury, the Thunder are highly likely to exercise that team option. Considering the rising salary caps, paying Wiggins less than $8 million is, in NBA terms, a minor expense.
Again, on nearly any other team, Wiggins would be a staple – either a starter or a guaranteed first player off the bench every night. In Oklahoma City, he`s typically the eighth man in the rotation. He`s played fewer than 10 minutes four times already in these playoffs, including nine minutes in Game 1 of the Finals. Then, in Game 2, he stepped up and made a crucial difference.
Having this level of talent not just on your bench, but deep within your bench, is a significant luxury. It`s also a necessary financial strategy for the Thunder, who will eventually need to accommodate two more maximum or near-maximum salaries when Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren become eligible for extensions.
This explains why the Thunder are holding onto the vast collection of future draft picks they`ve acquired. The most viable way to build meaningful depth on a modern roster is to create as many avenues as possible for acquiring players on inexpensive contracts. This allows teams to both financially offset the cost of their highest-paid stars and provide them with crucial on-court support, as the era of contending solely with a “Big Three” and little else is largely over. Just look at the Phoenix Suns, who had Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal but couldn`t even make the Play-In Tournament.
Durant and Booker could arguably be the two best players on the Indiana Pacers roster. Yet, the Pacers are here, mirroring the Thunder`s commitment to depth, just three wins away from a championship with a legitimate 10-man rotation. Their bench includes impactful players like T.J. McConnell, 2023 first-round pick Ben Sheppard, stretch big Thomas Bryant, and two lottery picks in Bennedict Mathurin (who has scored 20+ points three times this postseason) and Obi Toppin (who hit five 3-pointers in Indiana`s Game 1 win).
Depth is a winning formula in these playoffs. It was likely the primary reason the Pacers defeated the Knicks and the Thunder outlasted the Nuggets. While Indiana might play more players in this specific series, Oklahoma City`s depth extends a level deeper in terms of quality.
We`ve discussed Wiggins extensively without even mentioning Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. Both are unquestionably starting-caliber players in the league who are functioning as high-end support pieces on OKC`s incredibly deep roster. The Thunder`s acquisition of these two players last summer is a major factor in their current position in the Finals.
Caruso scored 20 points and made four 3-pointers in Game 2. Hartenstein is one of only two players in the league to log at least 400 minutes and offensive rebound over 10% of his team`s misses, according to Cleaning the Glass. Isaiah Joe is a world-class shooter who struggles to even get consistent playing time. Kenrich Williams and Jaylin Williams, both clear rotation-level talents elsewhere, play even less than Joe.
The NBA is a league of imitation. Teams competing for championships are closely studied for their blueprint. Not every team can trade for a superstar like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Tyrese Haliburton. Finding a player like Jalen Williams with a late-lottery pick involves both excellent scouting and some luck. Many teams could have acquired Pascal Siakam but opted against it, not viewing him as enough of a “needle mover” – a judgment that might be correct in a different context.
But building depth is complex. While its importance is clearer than ever, achieving it is challenging. It requires certain players to exceed expectations (“pop”), securing several key players on favorable contracts, and perhaps most difficult, having players as talented as Aaron Wiggins or Alex Caruso not just accept, but genuinely embrace roles smaller than their talent might suggest they deserve. For both the Thunder and the Pacers, but perhaps most impressively for Oklahoma City, these elements have aligned perfectly, and that is a major reason why both teams are just three wins away from hoisting the championship trophy.
Jasper Hawthorne