Final Thoughts
The Lakers, Mavericks, Spurs and Warriors have all shown that certain things must go right to build a championship. Three of these teams used the draft in some way to help bring in either stars or key role players that elevated their respective team. While the Thunder have generally done well in the draft, they have missed some important picks as well, (Perry Jones, Mitch McGary, Cameron Payne). Oklahoma City will need to get at least a role player out of their first round pick in the upcoming draft.
Drafting well means developing well and all these organizations have taken their talent and made the most out of their given rosters. The Thunder have multiple young players with a ton of potential like Steven Adams, Victor Oladipo, Alex Abrines, Jerami Grant and Domantas Sabonis. If Oklahoma City wants to get back into title contention, they will need these five players to take massive steps forward.
Most of these teams have been able to get some sort of discount on its players to help free up cap space. The Thunder have never really been able to convince any of its role players to take cuts in order to allow management to make more moves. Had Enes Kanter been able to agree with the Thunder on a deal instead of signing a massive offersheet by Portland, the Thunder may have been able to do more with its roster. With Roberson, Doug McDermott and Grant coming up on new deals, this would be a great opportunity to get a discount.
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- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, luck plays a major role in building champions. Through untimely injuries and unexpected salary cap jumps, the Thunder have had incredibly bad luck. Timing is another aspect of luck. The Lakers were able to beat an inexperienced Orlando Magic team that upset Boston in the Finals the first year. The second year, when the Celtics got back to the Finals, they were clearly a step older and slower.
As stated before, the Mavericks hit their stride at the perfect time, with a Miami Heat team one year away from meshing. The Warriors were in a similar spot when LeBron’s new Cleveland team struggled with injuries and team chemistry the entire season. When the Thunder hit their stride in 2012, they ran into an in-sync Heat team driven for revenge and ready for the moment. Last year, the Thunder couldn’t get by the defending champion and 73 win Warriors.
Right now, things don’t look great for the Thunder, or most of the NBA in that matter. The Warriors are dominating the rest of the league and don’t appear to be going anywhere any time soon. That being said, you never know what may end up happening. Teams fall apart quickly. LeBron’s Heat teams only lasted four years. The important thing is that if the opportunity arises, the Thunder are ready to take advantage and make any necessary moves back into title contention.