NBA GM Says Thunder Might Be 'Best-Positioned Team in Pro Sports' Now and in Future

One NBA general manager believes that the Oklahoma City Thunder "might be the best-positioned team in pro sports as of right now and moving forward into the future," per comments made by ESPN's Shams Charania on NBA Countdown prior to the start of Game 1 of the NBA Finals between host OKC and the Indiana Pacers.

"Executives all around the NBA are watching these NBA Finals and these two teams specifically as a blueprint of roster building," Charania began.

"And what does that mean? That means two-way players, that means players with characteristics of competitiveness, youth, two-way ability and that's a departure from the star-heavy, three-point reliant teams that we may have seen in past years and it's a possible solution to really modern day building when we think about the second apron and the salary cap and the restraints that we've seen and listen, Indiana will be a competitive team for years to come, but these Oklahoma City Thunder have all of the characteristics as one NBA GM told me this week, 'Oklahoma City might be the best-positioned team in pro sports as of right now and moving forward into the future.'

"They've got a treasure chest of draft picks to keep this team competitive for years to come. This might be something we're going to be witnessing as the new normal for the NBA in Oklahoma City."

Oklahoma City entered the season with the youngest average age in the league (24.148 years old, per NBA.com). The Thunder proceeded to go 68-14 in the regular season before winning the franchise's first Western Conference title since 2012.

So Oklahoma City is obviously set up for the future given its roster age. It also helps to have an incredible amount of talent led by the NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He's eligible to sign a five-year, $380 million contract extension entering the 2026 offseason after winning MVP. One can guess OKC would want to do so, making SGA the face of the franchise for the rest of the decade.

The Thunder also have great talent otherwise in All-NBA Third Teamer Jalen Williams (24 years old), promising 23-year-old big man Chet Holmgren (16.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG and 2.0 BPG in the playoffs) and 21-year-old defensive menace Cason Wallace (1.8 SPG), among others. Overall, only two players on the roster (Kenrich Williams, Alex Caruso) entered this season above the age of 26.

And then there's the team's treasure trove of draft picks collected by general manager Sam Presti. Per Clemente Almanza of OKC Thunder Wire, focusing on the first round, OKC has two in 2025 (15th and 24th), one in 2026 and potentially two in 2027 and 2029 (its own plus a top-five protected pick from the Denver Nuggets each year). The Thunder also have first-round pick swaps with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2027 and Dallas Mavericks in 2028.

So needless to say, OKC is set for the present and future, to the point where it wouldn't be surprised if this team becomes the next great dynasty.

But for now, the Thunder enter the Finals with a best-of-seven matchup against the Pacers, who are looking for the franchise's first NBA title.