The Oklahoma City Thunder are supposed to come back to earth at some point. They havenât. The reigning champions opened the 2025â26 season looking even stronger, racing into December at 21-1 without All-Star forward Jalen Williams for the first quarter of the year. That alone should worry the NBA. But the bigger reality surrounding Oklahoma City is far more unsettling for everyone else.
This franchise isnât just good right now. It is structurally positioned to dominate the league for years.
Why it matters: no contender in recent memory has paired this level of present-day success with this much future draft capital and developmental efficiency.
A Championship Core That Keeps Getting Better
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is performing like a player determined to stack MVP trophies, carrying over his Finals MVP pace without hesitation. Chet Holmgren looks every bit like the leagueâs Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner. The Thunder sit top-5 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, the golden formula for repeat champions.
And they reached this point while missing their second-best player for an entire quarter of the season.
Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Williams give Oklahoma City three young cornerstones already operating at an elite level. But the scary part is the surrounding infrastructure. The role players are cheap, productive, and consistently overdeveloped relative to draft status.
Aaron Wiggins was the 55th pick.
Isaiah Joe was let go by Philadelphia and has become one of the leagueâs most efficient shooters.
Ajay Mitchell arrived as the 38th pick and already looks like a Most Improved candidate.
Cason Wallace, drafted 10th two years ago, is one of the most cost-effective defensive guards in the NBA.
Four core rotation pieces. Zero bloated contracts. All on the right timeline.
When a team produces this much value at this level of efficiency, the window doesnât just open. It widens.
The Doomsday Scenario: Three Lottery Picks Incoming
On ESPNâs Hoop Collective, Brian Windhorst laid out what might be the most alarming scenario for the rest of the league. As of now, Oklahoma City is projected to receive:
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The 5th pick from the LA Clippers
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The 9th pick from the Utah Jazz
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The 14th pick from the Philadelphia 76ers
Three lottery picks. None of them their own.
In a normal draft, that would be an asset haul. In the loaded 2026 class, it is franchise-altering. The headliners include Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke center Cameron Boozer, and BYU star Aj Dybantsa. Even players outside the top five project as long-term starters.
If Oklahoma City wants immediate star power, it could combine picks to leap into the top-5. Adding depth is an option as they could walk away with three cost-controlled rotation pieces. If it wants to swing bigger, it has the capital to pursue any disgruntled star in the league.
This isnât a theoretical future. It is an active pipeline.
The Dynasty Path Is Sitting Right in Front of Them
Oklahoma City already owns the West. Now it owns the draft board. The team is well positioned to add its most valuable pick since Holmgren without sacrificing a single asset from its current roster.
The Thunder are young, elite, and inexpensive in key areas. They have a top-tier developmental structure. And they have a war chest of picks that rivals every rebuilding team in the league while operating as the best team in basketball. That combination doesnât happen often. When it does, it usually defines a decade.
The harsh truth is simple: Sam Presti and the Thunder are nowhere near their ceiling. And the rest of the NBA may be witnessing the early stages of a dynasty built to last far longer than anyone expected.
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