The OKC Thunder have done a magnificent job of turning over their roster since Paul George and Russell Westbrook requested trades last offseason.
Last summer (2019, not 2020), the whole basketball world waited on Kawhi Leonard’s free agency decision. When he decided to go to the LA Clippers, pending Paul George’s trade there from the OKC Thunder, the very fabric of the NBA was rent asunder.
The immediate aftermath was incredible. The Clippers absolutely had to do the deal, and Thunder general manager Sam Presti squeezed them for every drop of value. The Clippers sent Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a massive haul of draft picks including unprotected 2022, 2024 and 2026 first-round picks, as well as the Miami Heat’s unprotected 2021 first-round pick and their protected 2023 picks, and the Thunder have the option to swap picks with the Clippers in 2023 and 2025.
That set into motion even more machinations. Without George, Russell Westbrook saw the writing on the wall and requested a trade as well. Shortly thereafter the Thunder traded Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for another stunning return including Chris Paul and two top-four protected first-round picks in 2024 and 2026, and two pick swaps in 2021 and 2025.
These two players alone provided the OKC Thunder with an unbelievable haul of assets, and Presti has continued to scoop in every draft pick available anywhere in the NBA since then.
As things stand right now, the Thunder have only a handful of players returning from the season that just ended only a couple of months ago (their last playoff game was Sept. 2nd), and they’ve turned over all their biggest name players. Chris Paul is gone to the Phoenix Suns. Steven Adams is off to the New Orleans Pelicans. Danilo Gallinari now plays for the Atlanta Hawks. Dennis Schroder has been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Where the OKC Thunder currently stand
While in Sam Presti’s world, things can change at any time, it currently looks like this is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s team, at least until it’s not. Who else will be on this team when the 2020-21 season begins in less than a month is anybody’s guess.
The Thunder roster isn’t constructed to beat anybody, but it does present the opportunity to continue to accumulate assets and draft picks. At a certain point, though, it’s going to be time to start cashing in these chips. OKC has more than a dozen first-round picks over the next five years, and there’s no way any team is going to roster all those players.
The next couple of draft classes promise to be fantastic groups, and the Thunder have positioned themselves to have what seems like an unlimited number of lottery tickets (literally in some cases) and opportunities to even improve their standing with valuable picks.
Considering where the Thunder stand, with a less-than-NBA level roster and nearly infinite draft picks, the interesting question is a two-parter: What direction does Sam Presti plan to go in with these assets, and when does he intend to press the button to start turning them into productive players rather than sheer accumulation mode?
It’s a good problem to have, if it’s even a problem. But while the Thunder are preparing to be pretty bad on the floor next season, they’re also positioning themselves to be major power players in player movement around the NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers had their process, but the OKC Thunder have taken advantage of their own misfortune with Paul George and Russell Westbrook to revolutionize the rebuilding approach.