Considering just how young, productive, and cost-efficient their top-seeded roster currently is, the OKC Thunder are believed to have the makings of becoming the league's next great dynasty.
Add on the fact that they'll have anywhere between nine and 15 first-round picks through the next seven drafts, and the path toward establishing themselves as such a squad seems to be as straightforward as any other in recent history.
However, recent events could potentially lead to the creation of a few unexpected hurdles along the way.
On February 20, Spurs sophomore sensation Victor Wembanyama was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder and was subsequently shut down for the remainder of the season.
Since this devastating news was dropped, signs of optimism for both the All-Star and the franchise's futures have regularly surfaced, as ESPN's NBA insider Shams Charania revealed in a recent appearance on NBA Countdown that San Antonio doesn't "expect any long-term issues" to come about for their centerpiece.
Nevertheless, before the 21-year-old can even think about getting back onto the hardwood for any meaningful in-game action, the Spurs have to get through these final two months of the 2024-25 campaign.
More importantly, they'll need to figure out how to navigate this final stretch run of the season, and one popular proposition, in particular, could go on to have a potentially devastating effect on the Thunder.
Victor Wembanyama situation could directly impact Thunder long-term
Even before Wembanyama's shelving, the Spurs found themselves on the outside looking in on a Play-In Tournament berth, residing in the 12 seed with a record of 23-29 and had lost three of their last four matchups.
Now, following this crushing diagnosis, San Antonio has dropped two straight and projects to have one of the hardest post-All-Star Game schedules in the league.
Because of these factors, many are now of the belief that it could be in the ball club's best interest to consider shifting their mindset from pursuing a playoff push to tanking these final 27 games of the season for a shot at one of the top-billed talents slatted to be entering the NBA during the 2025 draft.
At 24-31, the Spurs currently hold the ninth-worst record in the league. This means they have about a 4.5 percent chance of landing the number one pick in this June's draft, which many expect to be Duke phenom Cooper Flagg.
However, even if they don't end up with the coveted top selection, San Antonio still has a roughly 20.0 percent chance of falling into the top four.
Considering this incoming class is viewed as one of the deepest in quite some time, even landing a top-eight pick could see the organization adding another potential stud.
This would only strengthen their already impressive roster that consists of two sub-28-year-old All-Stars in Wemby and De'Aaron Fox, six recent first-round selected talents, and four lottery-selected talents who have been added since the 2019 NBA Draft.
In time, such an assortment of young and promising ballers could prove to be a serious threat to any team looking to contend over the next several years. More specifically, however, they could be a true thorn in the side of a direct conference foe like the Thunder, who still have yet to prove they are ready to thrust themselves over the hump and win an NBA Championship.
It was already widely assumed that Oklahoma City could run into some serious problems once Victor Wembanyama entered his prime years.
Add a guy like Cooper Flagg or Ace Bailey into the mix, however, and the Spurs becoming a roadblock on the Thunder's dynasty quest starts to look all the more possible.