The OKC Thunder went on an extreme spending spree this summer, as they committed themselves to a potential total of $877.21 million in new, standard deals, with $822 million being tied up in the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren alone.
Instant reactions were quite polarizing, with some shaming the organization for coughing up such a lofty payday to a talented, albeit incredibly injury-prone Holmgren, while others expressed fear that financial hardships could eventually force the organization into disarray due to the new era of tax aprons.
However, as time has gone by, it appears these moves made by Sam Presti and company are now being viewed in a far more positive light.
In fact, just recently, it was revealed that the folks at ESPN are now tabbing all three of these Thunder stars as top-25 players heading into the 2025-26 campaign.
Thunder locked down three top-25 NBA players this offseason
In the publication's recent series where they ranked the top 100 players in the league ahead of the upcoming season, six of the names included currently find themselves rostered by the Thunder.
Leading the charge for the ball club up in the top quarter of talents are Holmgren, Williams, and Gilgeous-Alexander, who placed 24, 11, and second overall, respectively.
Frankly, their inclusion in such an area of this exercise should come as little shock to anyone who paid attention during the 2024-25 season.
Aside from the simple fact that they're the Big Three of the reigning champion's roster, with this trio active within the lineup together, Oklahoma City went on to win 75.0 percent of their regular season games and roughly 72.0 percent of their overall matchups when you include playoff action.
On top of this, they proved to be one of the most ferocious, two-way cores the association had to offer, as the team ranked in the 93 percentile in points per 100 possessions as well as opponents' points per 100 possessions, the 96 percentile in effective field goal percentage, and the 97 percentile in point differential with them on the floor, as per Cleaning the Glass.
What makes these impressive metrics and success rates all the more exciting is the fact that GM Sam Presti recently noted during Thursday's preseason press conference that he strongly believes "all of them are still improving."
Considering they were just locked down to new, long-term extensions with the franchise, their placement on the latest ESPN player rankings only strengthens the notion that the Thunder absolutely aced the 2025 offseason.