Seattle and Vegas are confirmed to be the expansion team cities, timing is the only thing that isn't publicly available. The current CBA ends in 23-24, and the current TV deal ends in 24-25. Most likely we will see an expansion either alongside the new TV deal in 24-25 or a year later in 25-26. This is kind of unfortunate for the Thunder given how they are rebuilding now and it would suck to lose project players/ role players in an expansion draft.

not confirmed .... but strong rumors ..

if seattle really had "great" fans they would have made sure the team got a new arena ...

Seattle had at least as many great fans as OKC has, likely more. But living amongst a much larger general population, they were outnumbered and outvoted by a large number of neighbors who were completely apathetic. And "served" by politicians who pandered to that.

Seattle had at least as many great fans as OKC has, likely more. But living amongst a much larger general population, they were outnumbered and outvoted by a large number of neighbors who were completely apathetic. And "served" by politicians who pandered to that.

i don't disagree .... but the point is sports are not very important to that city in general even if they have double the fans that the OKC metro does that is a pretty big negative for them considering they have 3 times as many people ..

i don't disagree .... but the point is sports are not very important to that city in general even if they have double the fans that the OKC metro does that is a pretty big negative for them considering they have 3 times as many people ..

Yeah, what a terrible sports city where no one cares… except the city supports SEVEN(!) pro sports teams: the National Football League (NFL)'s Seattle Seahawks, Major League Baseball (MLB)'s Seattle Mariners, National Hockey League (NHL)'s Seattle Kraken, Major League Soccer (MLS)'s Seattle Sounders FC, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)'s Seattle Storm, the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)'s OL Reign and Major League Rugby (MLR)’s Seattle Seawolves.

pressure the elected officials to build a new building ... there was no seattle support to build a new basketball arena ...

the residents of seattle overwhelmingly voted against a taxpayer funded new stadium in 2006 which set in motion the relocation of the team

"Voters in Seattle last week voted overwhelmingly to bar the city from spending money on arenas or stadiums unless the deal makes a profit for Seattle. The vote is a rebuff to the local pro basketball franchise, the Seattle SuperSonics, which is asking for an arena upgrade paid for by taxpayers."

the residents of seattle overwhelmingly voted against a taxpayer funded new stadium in 2006 which set in motion the relocation of the team

"Voters in Seattle last week voted overwhelmingly to bar the city from spending money on arenas or stadiums unless the deal makes a profit for Seattle. The vote is a rebuff to the local pro basketball franchise, the Seattle SuperSonics, which is asking for an arena upgrade paid for by taxpayers."Exactly. And my question would be: Has that attitude changed?

There is a lot more to why the taxpayers said "oh hell no"
https://crosscut.com/mossback/2021/12/cheers-and-catcalls-complex-histories-seattle-sports-stadiums

There is a lot more to why the taxpayers said "oh hell no"
https://crosscut.com/mossback/2021/12/cheers-and-catcalls-complex-histories-seattle-sports-stadiums

none of that had anything to do with the vote in 2006, the Sodo stadium rejection was in 2016 the sonics were long gone

none of that had anything to do with the vote in 2006, the Sodo stadium rejection was in 2016 the sonics were long gone

Didn't you post earlier SODO was rejected in 2006?
Be it as it may Schultz wanted publicly paid for improvements.
Now the Kracken are playing in a privately owned facility thar they will share with the future Sonics.

Didn't you post earlier SODO was rejected in 2006?
Be it as it may Schultz wanted publicly paid for improvements.
Now the Kracken are playing in a privately owned facility thar they will share with the future Sonics.

No, key arena renovation which failed then building a new stadium in Renton which the voters said nope and that was 2006

SoDo was 2016

Schulz is a greedy bastard and Seattle should be able to land an expansion NBA team with new Climate Pledge Arena and I say new because the only thing that is the same is the outside shell it is massive on the inside.

Seattle's Ready...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s2Dz2eDf-g
Seattle invested $1.5 billion in Climate Pledge Arena

pressure the elected officials to build a new building ... there was no seattle support to build a new basketball arena ...

Well there you have it, Seattle doesn’t have great fans because they didn’t force the politicians to build a new arena. I mean really, what does this prove? That things in society exist outside of a vacuum where everyone has the same opinions and motivations? The whole fiasco in Seattle was a mess and it could be said that the city as a collective messed around and found out that they aren’t above losing their team to a much smaller market and the perfect storm (not a WNBA pun) with lots of moving pieces over the years prior culminated in an opportunity for Oklahoma City to get the team, but to conclude that that means Seattle didn’t have great fans or that the Sonics weren’t a staple in the city is a stretch.

Seattle's Ready...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s2Dz2eDf-g
Seattle invested $1.5 billion in Climate Pledge Arena



Seattle did not invest 1.5B. The funding came from private investors. Hopefully this will be the trend going forward.

For the princely sum of $1.15 billion, all from private funding, OVG and its partners did the equivalent of holding the arena’s 44 million-pound roof up on stilts, blasting away at everything else beneath and building a new facility.
https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/kraken/after-1-15-billion-renovation-seattles-climate-pledge-arena-will-surprise-people-in-the-greatest-way/
.

No, key arena renovation which failed then building a new stadium in Renton which the voters said nope and that was 2006

SoDo was 2016

Schulz is a greedy bastard and Seattle should be able to land an expansion NBA team with new Climate Pledge Arena and I say new because the only thing that is the same is the outside shell it is massive on the inside.

I liked the SoDo arena and the idea of an “all-sports-district” with all the venues basically lined up together, especially as downtown Seattle is gradually expanding further and further into the Industrial District, I felt it could’ve helped establish a really neat area in the future, which that area is growing anyways but the idea of it all being there together was cool. To me, just renovating the Key Arena seemed kind of silly since that was on the list of rejected options to begin with that ultimately caused the Sonics to relocate, but it’s hard to deny that Climate Pledge has become one of the nicest arenas around with the renovation.

I liked the SoDo arena and the idea of an “all-sports-district” with all the venues basically lined up together, especially as downtown Seattle is gradually expanding further and further into the Industrial District, I felt it could’ve helped establish a really neat area in the future, which that area is growing anyways but the idea of it all being there together was cool. To me, just renovating the Key Arena seemed kind of silly since that was on the list of rejected options to begin with that ultimately caused the Sonics to relocate, but it’s hard to deny that Climate Pledge has become one of the nicest arenas around with the renovation.

the key arena is a historical landmark from the World's fair in 1962

Right, which the whole Seattle Center area that’s been built out some since the 1962 World’s Fair (Century 21 Expo) is a pretty neat area, especially the Chihuly Garden and Glass, which Dale Chihuly is another little shared piece between Oklahoma City and Seattle with his largest permanent exhibit at the OKC Museum of Art. Obviously the Space Needle is the most notable piece of the entire area, at least on a national/global scale, but Key Arena was a big part of the identity for the whole area, especially with it being tied to the Sonics for most of their history. The renovation and the NHL expansion (Kraken) has done a lot to bring it back to life, which I honestly didn’t ever expect but am really happy to see.

Really not sure why this became a Seattle thread, so my bad for adding to that. It’s just always fun to talk to others who have experience with Seattle, especially when it comes to the Sonics/Thunder.

8 years ago today...
17493

Seattle did not invest 1.5B. The funding came from private investors. Hopefully this will be the trend going forward.

For the princely sum of $1.15 billion, all from private funding, OVG and its partners did the equivalent of holding the arena’s 44 million-pound roof up on stilts, blasting away at everything else beneath and building a new facility.
https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/kraken/after-1-15-billion-renovation-seattles-climate-pledge-arena-will-surprise-people-in-the-greatest-way/
.

Seattle is an exception.

Doubt if this will be the trend going forward. Certainly not in small & medium size markets.

Interesting read: https://www.nba.com/news/2022-consensus-mock-draft?cid=nba%3Adynpage%3Aown%3Aemail%3Adaily%3Ali nk%3Aeg%3Anl%3Aeng%3At-crm%3AUS%3Aen%3A20220608:DAILY_NEWSLETTER_EXPLICIT _TEAM%3A

Interesting read: https://www.nba.com/news/2022-consensus-mock-draft?cid=nba%3Adynpage%3Aown%3Aemail%3Adaily%3Ali nk%3Aeg%3Anl%3Aeng%3At-crm%3AUS%3Aen%3A20220608:DAILY_NEWSLETTER_EXPLICIT _TEAM%3A

It's always interesting to see how consensus forms around these mock drafts even though we know the consensus is always wrong on a lot of players. On a recent episode of the Down to Dunk podcast, Andrew Schlect showed how players in the 7-10 range have been significantly worse than players in the 11-13 range. The Thunder, for example, are pretty independent in their draft evaluation. They've taken players—Russ and Giddey—above consensus. It'll be interesting to see how this draft unfolds. I suspect the Thunder are targeting Chet, but I also sometimes wonder if we won't look back and Paolo Banchero and Jaden Ivey end up the two best players in this draft...

It's always interesting to see how consensus forms around these mock drafts even though we know the consensus is always wrong on a lot of players. On a recent episode of the Down to Dunk podcast, Andrew Schlect showed how players in the 7-10 range have been significantly worse than players in the 11-13 range. The Thunder, for example, are pretty independent in their draft evaluation. They've taken players—Russ and Giddey—above consensus. It'll be interesting to see how this draft unfolds. I suspect the Thunder are targeting Chet, but I also sometimes wonder if we won't look back and Paolo Banchero and Jaden Ivey end up the two best players in this draft...

Agree Dan, Don't quite see this as a situation similar to Oden-Durant vs Smith Jr.-Holmgren.

This draft is going to be wide open where there may be 5 to 7 picks; you want know who was the best among the picks until two to three seasons following this draft.

https://okcthunderwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2022/06/1_11_Ousmane-Dieng_OKC_Lead.png?w=1000&h=600&crop=1
Ousmane Dieng Height/weight: 6-foot-10, 216 pounds - Position: Forward
Drafted: First round, No. 11 overall by N.Y. Knicks (proposed trade to OKC Thunder)

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/i_Y_zMeDHAZbfxy_sZjt9g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTM2NQ--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/9eFgENWldC4cVE_n7z7BeA--~B/aD02Mjg7dz0xMTAwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://media.zenfs.com/en/thunder_wire_usa_today_sports_articles_686/ee4bf82bebacebbb0b6cb7df0d0f4613
Jalen Williams Height/weight: 6-foot-6, 195 pounds - Position: Forward
Drafted: First round, No. 12

https://razorbackswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/103/2022/06/2_34_Jaylin-Williams_OKC_Lead.png?w=1000&h=600&crop=1
Jaylin Williams Height/weight: 6-foot-10, 240 pounds - Position: Forward
Drafted: Second round, No. 34

https://content.2kdb-cdn.com/2k21/players/jamychal_green_44252.jpg
JaMychal Green Height/weight: 6-foot-8, 227 pounds - Position: Forward-Center
Undrafted:

IMO Thunder will have a chance to develop a solid pool of reserves. If Holmgren makes progress much like Josh Giddey--Thunder will make the playoffs. His size will help on defense and will be a distraction on offense; it will open up Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Mann & Giddey's game.

Dort could also be used to anchor the 2nd team with Green, Deing and either one of the J. Williams could make the reserves competitive.

Excited to see how Coach Mark Daignault coordinates these pieces for maximum production.


https://www.stickershoppe.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/31338014_250x250.jpg

IMO Thunder will have a chance to develop a solid pool of reserves. If Holmgren makes progress much like Josh Giddey--Thunder will make the playoffs. His size will help on defense and will be a distraction on offense; it will open up Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Mann & Giddey's game.

Dort could also be used to anchor the 2nd team with Green, Deing and either one of the J. Williams could make the reserves competitive.

Excited to see how Coach Mark Daignault coordinates these pieces for maximum production.

Two quick points. First, Jamychal Green will not be with the Thunder next year or at the very least past the trade deadline. Aquiring him was totally about swapping a bad draft pick this year for a better one way in the future. Green is 32 yrs old and doesn't fit in to the Thunder timeline. Hopefully, Presti is able to extract some value from him.
Second, the Thunder are not making the playoffs this year, nor do they want to. Sam would like to get at least one more high lottery pick out of this rebuild. The '22-'23 Thunder will be concentrating on developing the young players they have drafted. Teams that give significant minutes to 2 sophs and 3 rookies don't make the playoffs. I do think this year will be the last bad year record wise and that being said, I am still looking forward to watching this team.

Understand the logic on Green. This team will have too much talent potential to tank. These guys will want to secure a spot on the Thunder roster; you can only tank so much. Now the competition to secure a position on this team or impress upon other NBA teams comes into play.

Understand the logic on Green. This team will have too much talent potential to tank. These guys will want to secure a spot on the Thunder roster; you can only tank so much. Now the competition to secure a position on this team or impress upon other NBA teams comes into play.

I'm not saying they are going to tank. I'm saying that teams with so many young players don't make the playoffs. They won't need to tank to be in the lottery next year.

I'm not saying they are going to tank. I'm saying that teams with so many young players don't make the playoffs. They won't need to tank to be in the lottery next year.If this is true. And I believe it is. This upcoming season will be, I believe, the 6th that the Thunder aren't good. At this point I have to wonder if we ever will be again. I'm truly asking because I don't follow deeply enough to know. How many NBA teams in the last 25 years have rebuilt into a true contender for the NBA title completely through the draft like Presti is determined to do. To my untrained eye I see Dallas and other teams that were on top when we were but drastically fell off when we did climbing back up much faster by using the draft, trades and free agency. Too many first round, amazing looking, draft picks in all the major sports never pan out and end up a waste of time and money. I want dearly to see us contend but I don't see us much closer now than when Westbrook and George left. We have a ton of "If they work out we'll be great prospects " and not enough known Championship possible players. And will SGA stick around to see if the questions turn out to be great choices.

The first iteration of the Thunder were built through the draft.

The Thunder are tanking next season. We’re not winning playing all these young guys. But it should be really fun to watch still.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIHPGeDTwbk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2pB5KAYlUU

Excited to see what Chet can become. As I've done a bit more research I am increasingly excited by Jalen Williams (the 12th pick out of Santa Clara). He is a really crafty player with a good shot. I don't see it at all with Ousmane Dieng (much less giving up three 1sts) or Jalin Williams (he looks like a worse JRE to me?), but we'll see. I've been wrong plenty of other times. This next year should be fun seeing all these young guys develop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbl2ySOERSA

Excited to see what Chet can become. As I've done a bit more research I am increasingly excited by Jalen Williams (the 12th pick out of Santa Clara). He is a really crafty player with a good shot. I don't see it at all with Ousmane Dieng (much less giving up three 1sts) or Jalin Williams (he looks like a worse JRE to me?), but we'll see. I've been wrong plenty of other times. This next year should be fun seeing all these young guys develop.

I'm really excited to see what Jalen Williams will do. His buzz started to grow right before the draft, so it hadn't had a chance to fully gather steam and peak.

https://therookiewire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/06/1_2_HolmGren_OKC.png?w=1000&h=600&crop=1

2022 NBA Draft results: Picks 1-58: https://www.nba.com/news/2022-nba-draft-order

The Thunder are tanking next season. We’re not winning playing all these young guys. But it should be really fun to watch still.

I don't think it's out of the realm of possibilities that they are fighting for the play in tournament. I think that's a realistic goal

I don't think it's out of the realm of possibilities that they are fighting for the play in tournament. I think that's a realistic goal

Of the following teams in the West, who do you think they will finish ahead of? They would have to finish ahead of 3 of them?
Phoenix
GSW
Memphis
Dallas
Utah
Denver
San Antonio
Clippers
Lakers
Portland
Minnesota
NOLA

Of the following teams in the West, who do you think they will finish ahead of? They would have to finish ahead of 3 of them?
Phoenix
GSW
Memphis
Dallas
Utah
Denver
San Antonio
Clippers
Lakers
Portland
Minnesota
NOLA

100% finish ahead of San Antonio since they are going full tank this season. I'd also say good chance to finish ahead of NOLA, Utah, and Portland, depending on their moves in the offseason. There's a good chance Utah blows things up. While Portland has added Grant, they'll need a lot more to return to their former self. The real question to me is do we want to finish 8th/9th and make a play-in and more than likely go out in the first round or do we tank again to get another chance at high lottery pick? Presti's answer to that is they will determine if we are capable of winning games of consequence throughout the first half of the season and if it's clear we can't, then we tank.

100% finish ahead of San Antonio since they are going full tank this season. I'd also say good chance to finish ahead of NOLA, Utah, and Portland, depending on their moves in the offseason. There's a good chance Utah blows things up. While Portland has added Grant, they'll need a lot more to return to their former self. The real question to me is do we want to finish 8th/9th and make a play-in and more than likely go out in the first round or do we tank again to get another chance at high lottery pick? Presti's answer to that is they will determine if we are capable of winning games of consequence throughout the first half of the season and if it's clear we can't, then we tank.

Minnesota does a good job of screwing up a successful team. I think A-Rod will follow that path for a few years.

I don't think it's out of the realm of possibilities that they are fighting for the play in tournament. I think that's a realistic goal

I agree that it's possible if that was the goal of the organization, but that would mean not giving major minutes to projects like Ousmane Dieng. Rookies rarely contribute to winning and the Thunder will likely be playing four rookies and four 2nd year players. I think the Thunder will prioritize development over wins and that'll keep them out of play-in contention. As long as we keep SGA then I think this may be the last season where development is the primary priority. Still, I think this season will be really fun with all these young guys.

The proof may be in the pudding. Presti traded 3 protected first round picks (Knicks) for next years draft for this years #11 pick. The Thunder is loaded with first round picks through 2027. If we can compete then probably no tank. It will be interesting to say the least.

To all who think the Thunder will be competitive please give me an example of a team that made the playoffs while giving major minutes to 3 rookies and two sophs. This year will be about developing players and team chemistry. Hopefully '23-'24 will be about competing for the playoffs.

Presti has all but said that next year will be another tank. There's no reason to make the playoffs if they don't expect to go all the way. We'll see another year of the same, with hopefully another haul in the lottery.

Competitive for what? No way will we be competitive in playoffs, but I think there's a chance we could make it to the play-in, given the dynamics of the league this year. Several teams will pivot to tanking and some are going to underperform (a la the Clippers last year due to injury and the Lakers due to team makeup and injury). Strategically, playing for the playoffs would be stupid in my opinion because 1) we won't be competitive and 2) it would cost us a chance at a potentially high pick in a loaded draft that will, combined with our picks this year, set the course of the franchise for the foreseeable future.

If we could get the #1 pick next year....oh my. Then we'd get to look forward to the anxiety of potentially have four max-level players demanding major contracts. A problem I would absolutely love to have.

Every team plays to win the championship. Anyone that plays or played sports and is/was serious about it played to win every game.

These four draftees will be competitive; our G-League will be on a fast track to elevate these guys to the Thunder's roster (14 spots, Presti usually leaves one open). You also see a lot of 10 day contracts if players are not working out.

Keep Dort on the roster; his defensive prowess will be the summit of the measuring stick. Don't be surprised if more guys are injured in practice than on the playing court.

It will also make the current roster work even harder to secure their positions. We'll see how badly these guys want to up the ante on making money to put their families in a comfort zone.

Every team plays to win the championship. Anyone that plays or played sports and is/was serious about it played to win every game.

Do you follow the NBA or NFL? The bottom third of the league is certainly not playing to win a championship, but alternatively tanking to get a better pick in the next draft.

They need to tank next year for the #1 pick, Victor Wembanyama. He is widely regarded as the best prospect since Lebron. There is no point in hoping to possibly play into the 8th seed. They need to play the young guys for experience and hope to get the #1 pick.

Every team plays to win the championship. Anyone that plays or played sports and is/was serious about it played to win every game.

One of the biggest misperceptions is that players "tank." That's not the case. Thunder players always try. Almost all "tanking" is really just the team allowing young players to develop instead of making win-now moves. The last two seasons OKC has intensified "tanking" at the end of the season by calling up G-League players and giving them huge minutes. But all of these players are trying to win and sometimes do.


It will also make the current roster work even harder to secure their positions. We'll see how badly these guys want to up the ante on making money to put their families in a comfort zone.

Bingo. None of the players are tanking. Their careers are on the line.

Presti has all but said that next year will be another tank. There's no reason to make the playoffs if they don't expect to go all the way. We'll see another year of the same, with hopefully another haul in the lottery.

Ticket sales is actually a pretty good reason to be competitive

Ticket sales is actually a pretty good reason to be competitive

Luckily Presti and the ownership have not taken such a short sighted approach. They don't want to just make the playoffs, they want to contend for championships. Sam could've easily added a couple of pieces and made the playoffs the last 2 seasons. Instead we've added 8 young players, many of whom will be a strong foundation for future championship runs.

Luckily Presti and the ownership have not taken such a short sighted approach. They don't want to just make the playoffs, they want to contend for championships. Sam could've easily added a couple of pieces and made the playoffs the last 2 seasons. Instead we've added 8 young players, many of whom will be a strong foundation for future championship runs.

They gave us a free club level game last year to try to get us to renew. They want butts in the house.

The 2020-21 Season dealt a blow to the Thunder season tickets and base supporters as well as the NBA.


NBA Attendance 2020-2021: http://www.espn.com/nba/attendance/_/year/2021

The quickest way to replenish that base is to get butts back in those seats. MAPS 4: Paycom Center & related facilities ($115 million) is also undergoing $105 million in fan friendly upgrades to the arena and Related $10 million to remodel the Thunder NBA practice facility. Don't know the status of those projects other than they have started to replace seats in Paycom Center.


MAPS 4 includes $105 million for several phases of improvements to the 20-year-old downtown arena and $10 million for improvements to a practice facility on North Oklahoma Avenue. The new amenities and improvements are designed to enhance the guest experience at Oklahoma City Thunder NBA games and other live entertainment events. Initial improvements include $4 million to replace seats in the lower, middle and upper bowls.--City council approved March 15, 2022

Ready for the 2022-23 season to begin...

$19 million Thunder practice facility was State of the Art

when it opened in 2012. . .

https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/NGISQ0GqAWLh0duT7p_LVg/l.jpg

https://nowthatsthunderbasketball.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/practice-faility.jpg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4EDF7tlZEs

. . . Decade later, it's ready for $10 million renovation

https://cdn.nba.com/teams/legacy/www.nba.com/thunder/sites/thunder/files/760-tc-210928.jpg
The G-League Practice facility in Edmond, original facility built for the Thunder will have to be shared
until the renovations are completed to the Integris Thunder Practice Facility on Britton & Broadway.

They gave us a free club level game last year to try to get us to renew. They want butts in the house.

Of course they want to sell out Paycom like they did for years, but it's obvious their higher priority is building a team that can compete for championships consistently.

They gave us a free club level game last year to try to get us to renew. They want butts in the house.

i got free lower levels one of the last games of the season ... and even now i can renew with my season ticket holder discount (i have not had season tickets for several years )

Of course they want to sell out Paycom like they did for years, but it's obvious their higher priority is building a team that can compete for championships consistently.

Exactly. I'm not sure why this is so hard for people to understand. If the goal is to fill seats, then you must build a team that will fill the seats. A team that will fill seats is one that is competing for championships. To compete for championships in the current structure of the league, a small market like OKC has to build their team through the draft. To have a shot at building a championship competing team through the draft, you have to draft superstars. The chances of finding a superstar is exponentially higher if you're drafting in the top 7.

If they took a "shortcut," we'd be a long term mediocre or terrible team a la the Sacramento Kings. We'd never fill seats and ultimately our ownership would sell. Presti will be vindicated in a couple years and I'll expect his critics on this board and elsewhere will pull a Homer Simpson and disappear into the hedge.

i got free lower levels one of the last games of the season ... and even now i can renew with my season ticket holder discount (i have not had season tickets for several years )

We had club level for 10 years but cover flushed us out. We have the mindset of going when we want to, just don't need to go every single game.

The Thunder were in the playoffs in 2020. It's not like the franchise has been in the wilderness for years and years.