Thunder fans will remember the date. It was April 23, 2019, and Damian Lillard and the Portland Trailblazers had just eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games. The Russell Westbrook and Paul George era was officially over. In the offseason, Paul George was traded to the Clippers, and Russell Westbrook was traded to the Rockets. The rebuild was officially on.
In the Paul George trade, the Thunder received several first-round picks and a young player named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In the 2019 draft, they selected Lu Dort. In subsequent drafts, the Thunder would select Aaron Wiggins, Josh Giddey, Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holgrem. In the 2023 draft, the Thunder would make a trade with the Dallas Mavericks for Cason Wallace. Last offseason, the Thunder traded Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso. Every single one of these decisions would prove to be incredibly correct.
Despite a strong regular season in the 2023-24 campaign, the Thunder failed to make the Western Conference Finals. With such a young team, an early exit in the postseason isn’t criminal. Still, the doubters used this as a reason to continue falling short. Fast-forward to this regular season, when they won 68 games, leading the entire league. The young roster wasn’t on the rise; they had officially arrived.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took home the MVP award. Jalen Williams made the All-NBA Defensive Second Team and the All-NBA Third Team. Lu Dort made the All-NBA defensive first team. Not only was this young team making its impact on the league, but it was also entering the playoffs hungry and ready to prove the doubters wrong.
The Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. In the semifinals, they faced Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets. This would prove to be their toughest test, as the series went seven games, but ultimately, they prevailed. They took care of business in the conference finals against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves, beating them in five games. For the first time since 2012, the Oklahoma City Thunder reached the NBA Finals: no Russell Westbrook, no Kevin Durant, no problem. The rebuild has officially been completed; all they have to do is bring the championship home.
When it’s time to end an era and start over, many NBA teams struggle to reach the league’s top again. With extremely wise draft choices and timely moves, the Thunder front office ensured they wouldn’t suffer that fate. It took a few years for everything to come together, but now this team has potential dynasty written all over them. Winning the championship this season would be the start of that.
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