The OKC Thunder arguably have the best player in the sport in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander serving as their franchise cornerstone, but the 2025 NBA Championship wasn't won because of one man.
Instead, it came as a result of their outstanding roster depth.
Even outside of the rising star duo of Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, coach Mark Daigneault had roughly 10 other players at his disposal who could be called upon at a moment's notice and contribute on the court in a positive manner.
From offensive spark plugs like Aaron Wiggins and defensive juggernauts such as Luguentz Dort to their jack-of-all-trades big man Jaylin Williams, Oklahoma City clearly was equipped with an overabundance of talent during their title run.
After locking up both Jay Will and Ajay Mitchell to multi-year contract extensions this past weekend, the Thunder are officially opting to run it back with essentially the same, enviably deep core that led them to last year's Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Now, while it's certainly undeniable that seeing the reigning champions with all 15 of their roster spots filled out (assuming Thomas Sorber signs his rookie contract) while still roughly $2 million shy of even hitting the luxury tax is impressive, at least from an offseason excitement standpoint, such a luxury ironically leaves them at a bit of a disadvantage compared to the rest of the league.
OKC Thunder forced to stand pat during NBA free agency
OKC's inability to make even the slightest of splashes this summer was made painfully obvious during the first day of NBA free agency this past Monday.
While the Thunder stood pat with their completely full roster, direct conference rivals and title threats scattered across the league made a slew of additions that, at least for now, seem to have significantly improved their teams.
On just day one, Oklahoma City fans were forced to watch while teams like the Houston Rockets added new crucial depth pieces such as Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela, the New York Knicks addressed their biggest weakness in bench scoring with the signing of Jordan Clarkson, and the Los Angeles Clippers brought on much-desired frontcourt floor spacing in Brook Lopez.
Perhaps the most painful move to witness on the day came via the trade route, as the Denver Nuggets not only added a coveted brand of player to their championship-tested roster by such means but acquired someone Thunder fans have dreamed about seeing in orange, blue, and yellow threads for years now in Cameron Johnson.
Of course, one could easily argue that this team shouldn't be interested in making any noteworthy moves even if they had the room or flexibility to do so. After all, they aren't just the reigning champs but are also in the conversation for being one of the most dominant ball clubs of all time.
However, as the old saying goes, if you're not moving forward, you're falling behind, and, while Oklahoma City may be looking to keep things consistent with their own talent pool, other promising and incredibly hungry squads are doing their part to move past last season and set themselves up for a brighter 2025-26.
As constructed, the hope is that the Thunder can still keep up.