The Oklahoma City Thunder failed in their bid to win back-to-back championships, dropping in seven games against the San Antonio Spurs.
Now as the Spurs sit on the precipice of elimination and some of the emotional dust has settled on the Thunder's defeat, we can take a look at the fuller scope of what it means. Of course it's disappointing. Could Oklahoma City have defeated the scorching-hot New York Knicks with a healthy Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell? We'll never truly know.
But as the Thunder head into an absolutely pivotal offseason, there's not much time to reflect upon these hypotheticals. With the extensions for Williams and Chet Holmgren kicking in and the 2026 NBA Draft rapidly approaching, Oklahoma City will need to re-shape their roster this offseason.
Thankfully, a simple re-tool should be enough for this team to enter 2026-27 as championship favorites yet again. One playoff defeat does not signify the end of their aspirations toward a dynasty.
The Thunder simply need to re-tool their roster this offseason, not make any drastic shifts
Of course, narratives around the NBA shift pretty quickly. The Thunder, in the span of a few short weeks, went from the unbeatable team that was ruining basketball as we know it to the vanquished villain. There were shouts for parting with Chet Holmgren, for Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuits, and for a massive swing for a top-four pick in this year's draft.
But the reality is much simpler (and less dramatic) than that.
Sure, Oklahoma City has its fair share of financial obstacles to overcome this offseason. Isaiah Hartenstein, Lugeuntz Dort, and Kenrich Williams all have team options. Their past two first-round picks have seen very little (in the case of Thomas Sorber, zero) playing time at the NBA level. Cason Wallace will be extension-eligible. Alex Caruso, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins all could be on the chopping block this offseason.
But the Thunder have optionality here. They could quickly create some breathing room by reworking Hartenstein's contract, letting Dort and Kenrich Williams walk in free agency, and trading one (or both) of Wiggins and Joe. If Wallace is able to quickly step into Dort's place in the starting five, this series of moves would result in very little material change to the Thunder's primary rotation. They would also receive an influx of talent from whatever draft selections they ultimately make this year.
They could also move Hartenstein in a sign-and-trade and bring back Dort and another center using the mid-level exception in free agency, although this might not be the preferred route given Hartenstein's effectiveness against Victor Wembanyama in the Western Conference Finals.
But as we've seen in the NBA Finals, the Spurs are not the all-dominant team many thought them to be when they came away with a victory over the Thunder. They still have vulnerabilities, and they're still an exceedingly young team. If Oklahoma City can retain much of their roster while cycling in new talent like Jared McCain and Nikola Topic, there's no reason to believe they can't find their dominant form again in 2026-27.
They didn't complete the mission of a repeat. But the Thunder, more than any other team in the NBA, are still well-poised for both short-term dominance and long-term stability. They hold a total of 27 draft picks between now and 2032. They have the twice-reigning MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and they have a host of young players who are still taking major strides forward.
(Yes, that includes Holmgren).
In the modern NBA, a dynasty is not impossible. But it does require a different approach, and it's one the Thunder must begin to undertake this offseason.
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