Considering their roster boasts an average age of roughly 24 and is seemingly heading toward their second consecutive top-seeded finish in the Western Conference standings, it should come as no surprise that many view the OKC Thunder as having the makings of the game's next great dynasty.
With guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and, when healthy, Chet Holmgren leading the charge and being backed by a strong collection of ballers that regularly sees 10 to 12-men rotations, Oklahoma City seems positioned to win a title not just in 2024-25 but for the next several seasons to come.
However, it's important to remember that aside from SGA and a select few other key contributors, a large portion of Mark Daigneault's talent pool is still attached to their rookie-scale contracts.
While on the surface this may be seen as encouraging for their long-term prospects, once their top-billed talents become extension-eligible over the next year or two things may start to get a bit more complex from the financial side of the business.
At the moment, the Thunder sport the seventh-lowest payroll in the entire league at $161.6 million, making them the only team ranking within the top eight in title odds to dip below $171 million.
Without a doubt, this status is something that will not be able to be sustained as this Thunder roster continues to grow alongside one another.
Already right on the horizon following the conclusion of this year's campaign, all three of J-Dub, Chet, and SGA will be able to negotiate new deals to remain with the club for years to come, with the former two potentially being in line for somewhere between $180-$200 million while the latter could sign for as much as $296 million.
Over time, these figures will only continue to add up, and, considering the dreaded luxury tax kicks in at $170,814,000, it will only become harder and harder for Sam Presti and company to build around the club's core trio. Because of this, former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas seems a bit unenthusiastic about the idea of the Thunder staying together as currently constructed long-term.
Gilbert Arenas predicts OKC Thunder will 'fall' due to finances
On a recent episode of Gil's Arena, Arenas dropped a rather daunting take on the future of this Thunder team, predicting that they will "fall because they can't afford their team because their team is too good too young."
"The fact that they're all playing well, they have to be paid. Somebody has to pay them and OKC can't afford all of them," Arenas said.
Amid his tirade, Arenas drew parallels between this iteration of the Thunder and the one back in the early 2010s that, ultimately, priced themselves out of the opportunity to retain their star trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden.
"This is what happened to OKC the first time... You got KD's max, right. Westbrook maxing. And then Ibaka's like 'Well I've got to get paid first.' They give him the money, they can't afford James Harden," Arenas said.
Though it's easy to see similarities between this OKC situation and the one Arenas referred to, perhaps one of the biggest differences is that they may have enough draft capital to help cut costs over the next several seasons while simultaneously continuing to surround their core with top-billed talents.
Over the next seven drafts the Thunder could find themselves with anywhere between nine and 15 first round picks and then an additional 21 and 27 second rounders on top of that.
While on the one hand, this many selections should be written off as being impossible to utilize all on themself, it's also evident that they will have the ability to take full advantage of several of these selections (particularly their first-rounders) should they be forced to cut ties with some of their supporting cast in an effort to keep this trio together.
One of the most cost-efficient ways to add fresh new talents to a roster is by bringing aboard rookie-scale players. The Thunder already have enough capital to go down this road should they choose to do so, and, recently, the folks at Bleacher Report proposed a trade scenario where they could snag even more value in this department.
At the end of the day, the main priority for Oklahoma City's front office should be to keep their young core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams intact for the long-haul.
Though Arenas may not be sold on the team's ability to do so, with their treasure trove of draft capital at their disposal and the immense brainpower of Sam Presti on their side, the Thunder seem to be in much better shape than they were back in 2012.