This summer, the OKC Thunder have been doing everything in their power to set themselves up for a repeat title run in 2025-26.
Meanwhile, the rest of the NBA, particularly those in the Western Conference, is doing everything they can to prevent such a happening.
The latest league-wide bombshell is yet another example of the latter.
Wednesday afternoon, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania broke the news that three-time All-Star Bradley Beal had come to a contract buyout agreement with the Phoenix Suns and will join the LA Clippers on a two-year, $11 million deal.
With this, we've now seen two proven All-Star players (Brook Lopez signed earlier this month) join forces with former MVP James Harden and two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard out in Los Angeles as the ball club looks to gear up for a championship push of their own this coming campaign.
Even before the addition of Beal, the Clippers were already viewed as a serious problem for the Thunder moving forward.
Now, with his arrival, coupled with the fact that they still have a veteran minimum available to bring aboard yet another established, highly-effective contributor, they're only strengthening their case for being the biggest threat to Oklahoma City's pursuit of a second straight Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Sadly, they're not alone on this front.
Thunder have several threats to repeat bid in Western Conference alone
The Clippers may be the latest team to have made waves with their offseason decision-making, but they are far from the only ones who have created splashes.
Even before free agency kicked off, the Dallas Mavericks were labeled as the "number one threat" to the Thunder with their selection of Cooper Flagg with the top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Last year's second-seed in the Western Conference standings, the Houston Rockets, also saw themselves making pre-free agency improvements themselves what with their blockbuster acquisition of Kevin Durant in late June.
Most notably, the Denver Nuggets, who Lu Dort publicly admitted to being the only team that "had us shaking" last season, undoubtedly proved themselves to be one of the biggest winners of the summer, what with their slew of top-flight talent upgrades in the likes of Cameron Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas.
Now, the same Clippers squad that brought this aforementioned Denver team to a nail-biting seven games during this past postseason added one of the biggest names available this summer in Bradley Beal to their roster.
Frankly, what's perhaps most frightening about all of these listed moves is that they're linked to just a handful of teams in Oklahoma City's conference that should prove to be a serious challenge to square off against next year.
Not mentioned above are the Luka Doncic and LeBron James-led Lakers, Stephen Curry and the Warriors, the Western Conference Champion runner-up Timberwolves, and the presumed-to-be ascending Spurs with Victor Wembanyama back to his healthy form.
The road to a repeat is one of the hardest to navigate in all of sports, and the Thunder are already seeing why even with next year's tip-off still three months away.