The Oklahoma City Thunder have returned to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012, boasting a league-leading 68-14 regular season record and entering as strong betting favorites against the Indiana Pacers. This success marks a significant turnaround from recent seasons when the team struggled to achieve even 30 wins.
Since relocating from Seattle in 2008, the Thunder franchise has a history of success, missing the playoffs only five times and advancing past the first round on seven occasions, featuring several legendary players. The current successful era is widely considered to have begun following the conclusion of the 2018-19 season.
As the NBA Finals approach, starting June 5, let`s examine the strategic steps and key moments that led to the formation of this Thunder squad.
1. The Crucial Summer of 2019
The summer of 2019 is often seen as the foundational event for this iteration of the Thunder. Following several years of early playoff exits, OKC initiated a new era by trading Paul George and Russell Westbrook. The return for George was particularly valuable, yielding a collection of future first-round draft picks from the Clippers (with the final one due in 2026) and acquiring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, then a 20-year-old who had shown potential averaging 13 points in his rookie playoff appearance.
The magnitude of SGA`s future success was unpredictable at the time, especially considering the Clippers were acquiring a third-place MVP finisher to pair with Kawhi Leonard for immediate championship aspirations. Yet, six years on, Gilgeous-Alexander is the league MVP, and the Thunder have reached the NBA Finals ahead of the Clippers.
The George trade also secured four unprotected first-round picks (2021 from Miami, 2022, 2024, and 2026 from the Clippers). While the Westbrook trade to Houston wasn`t as lucrative, it brought back Chris Paul along with two first-round picks and two pick swaps. This marked a highly successful organizational reset, envied by many rebuilding franchises, providing substantial future assets, a seasoned veteran mentor in Paul, and a promising young talent in Gilgeous-Alexander to build around.
During this period, the Thunder also signed undrafted forward Luguentz Dort to a two-way contract, a move that would later prove significant.
2. Draft Successes in 2022
The Thunder experienced brief success immediately after the 2019 trades, as Chris Paul provided mentorship for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who significantly improved in his second year, leading the team to the playoffs. However, they traded Paul the following season to fully commit to a rebuild, which also led to parting ways with head coach Billy Donovan after five years. Mark Daigneault, an assistant under Donovan, was promoted to head coach.
The start of the rebuild faced challenges; Gilgeous-Alexander`s torn plantar fascia limited him to just 35 games in the 2020-21 season. Consequently, OKC finished 22-50, securing the No. 6 pick in the 2021 draft, which they used to select Josh Giddey. The subsequent season saw Gilgeous-Alexander return to a starting lineup with an average age of just 21.
The summer of 2022 brought the next significant wave of talent. After winning only 24 games, OKC secured the No. 2 overall pick and drafted Chet Holmgren. The Paul George trade continued to pay dividends, as the 12th pick in the 2022 draft (acquired from the Clippers) was used to select Jalen Williams, who has since earned All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive honors this season.
The Thunder had a remarkable 2022 draft, also adding Jaylin Williams in the second round, further strengthening their promising young core. However, the 2022-23 season began with a setback as Holmgren suffered a summer league injury that sidelined him for his entire rookie year, limiting the team`s immediate potential. Despite this, the season wasn`t without positives: Jalen Williams finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, and the Thunder secured a Play-In tournament spot with a 40-42 record, though they ultimately missed the playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander continued his ascent, finishing fifth in MVP voting and earning his first All-Star and All-NBA selections.
That same summer, OKC further enhanced its young roster by acquiring Cason Wallace in a draft night trade with the Mavericks (who received Dereck Lively II). Wallace quickly made an impact, earning All-Rookie honors and developing into one of the team`s primary on-ball defenders this season. At this stage, the core pieces were largely in place: Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Holmgren, Dort, and Aaron Wiggins (a second-round pick obtained from the Warriors via a Kelly Oubre Jr. trade that is often overlooked). These players would form the backbone of the team`s rotation.
3. Key Veteran Acquisitions in 2024
Heading into the 2023-24 season, expectations for the Thunder were elevated, but few foresaw them finishing atop the Western Conference with an impressive 57-25 record. Chet Holmgren made his long-awaited debut and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander placed second in MVP voting. The rapid development of these young stars significantly accelerated the team`s projected timeline.
Despite their regular season success, the Thunder were not yet a complete team, and certain weaknesses were exposed in their second-round playoff series against a Mavericks team that effectively exploited them.
Following their playoff exit, OKC quickly moved to address identified needs. A key transaction was trading Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso in June, a move now widely considered among the best of the summer. Giddey had been a defensive target against the Mavericks and a limiting factor offensively, simplifying defenses for opponents. Caruso, a career 37% three-point shooter and two-time All-Defensive team selection, immediately elevated the team`s defense. Notably, the Thunder acquired Caruso without sacrificing any of their extensive draft assets, a point highlighting a poor return for the Bulls.
The team didn`t stop there, further bolstering the frontcourt with the signing of Isaiah Hartenstein, addressing needs for size and strength. Coming off a career-best season with the Knicks, Hartenstein offered an ideal rim-protecting presence to complement Holmgren. Recognizing how Dallas` size had troubled them, the Thunder signed Hartenstein to mitigate this issue moving forward.
With the additions of Caruso and Hartenstein, the Thunder not only addressed their weaknesses but saw improvement across the board. They achieved a league-leading 68 wins this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP, Jalen Williams became an All-Star, and both Dort and Williams earned All-Defensive honors. For large portions of the regular season, the Thunder appeared to coast, notably dominating Eastern Conference opponents with a 29-1 record. They concluded the season boasting the fifth-best offense in NBA history.
This brings us to the present, with the Thunder having navigated the postseason and now standing on the verge of securing the franchise`s first championship (distinct from the Seattle SuperSonics history). While Oklahoma City may currently seem like an unstoppable force, their journey here involved years of patient planning and precise strategic decisions. This success is not attributed to luck, but rather to exceptional asset management, elite scouting and talent evaluation, and a front office led by Sam Presti consistently executing the correct roster adjustments.
The dedication to a long-term strategy is now yielding significant rewards. Perhaps most daunting for the rest of the league is that, regardless of the outcome of this season, the Thunder still possess a wealth of draft capital acquired through previous trades, positioning them to continue improving for years to come.
Jasper Hawthorne