Oklahoma City Thunder 2024-25 Season

[Bill Robertson]

I don't know how all that works. I think we have like $35 million in cap space so can't we get him and just have to cut someone? Arron Wiggins is making 10 million not sure how much a first round pick is worth. I really don't know how all that works. I think he would be a good pick up though. Would hate to see Wiggins go but Schroder is IMO an upgrade plus than his salary comes off the books and you have Topic as the backup next year.

What dankrutka is talking about is the NBA Equal Trade Rule. The way that pretty much works is. If a team acquires a player in trade they must send a player that makes the same salary to the other team. So for Schroder the Thunder would have to send a player that makes 13 million to the Nets.

[Bill Robertson]

Yeah I'm not trading anyone on this roster for Schroder right now. Things couldn't be working much better for the team right now and our second or third best player is out. Chet and Hartenstein haven't even played together yet and we spend two weeks without both of them. The whole "if it ain't broke, dont fix it" thing is really like "this thing is historically good right now...why the hell would you touch it?". I'm sure there's some move we could make to improve the team but who's minutes are you giving that person?

Exactly!

[April in the Plaza]

What dankrutka is talking about is the NBA Equal Trade Rule. The way that pretty much works is. If a team acquires a player in trade they must send a player that makes the same salary to the other team. So for Schroder the Thunder would have to send a player that makes 13 million to the Nets.

yeah, and i think it's even more complicated than that based on whether a team is a luxury taxpayer or not.

[kukblue1]

yeah, and i think it's even more complicated than that based on whether a team is a luxury taxpayer or not.

And there's trade exceptions which I don't know if the thunder have or not I don't think we do. Look I don't think this team has many weaknesses however the second unit could use another playmaker and if he's available he is just somebody that I would look at. Herb Jones would be maybe another one also I don't know what he's making for New Orleans though.

[Bill Robertson]

yeah, and i think it's even more complicated than that based on whether a team is a luxury taxpayer or not.

True. But I wanted to stay basic and not type all night.

[Laramie]

Saturday, December 14, 2024
Houston Rockets (17-8) vs Oklahoma City Thunder (19-5)
T-Mobile Arena,
TV: ABC - 7:30 PM - Las Vegas, NV

[kukblue1]

Love this team I wish it could stay together for the next 7 years but it's a business and business cost money and unfortunately in the next few years players are going to have to let go so we can Pay Chet, JDub, SGA, Does it need to happen this year or next year no but also prepare yourself cause at some point it's going to happen

[PhiAlpha]

Love this team I wish it could stay together for the next 7 years but it's a business and business cost money and unfortunately in the next few years players are going to have to let go so we can Pay Chet, JDub, SGA, Does it need to happen this year or next year no but also prepare yourself cause at some point it's going to happen

Man it is just not near as dire, as imminent or as big of deal as you are trying to make it. The entire team other than Caruso and Ajay Mitchell are locked up through the end of next season and everyone else other than JDub and Chet are locked up through 2026-2027 season. Joe’s deal has an option through the end of the 2027-2028 season and Wiggins is under contract through 2028-2029. They’ve structured the deals so that they have room to sign JDub, Chet, and SGA without having to dump a bunch of salary. As it stands now, things aren’t going to get the interesting by necessity until the end of the 2026-2027 season when Hartenstein, Wallace and SGA’s contracts are up.

This kind of doom casting is just dumb. No one here is ignorant to the fact that an entire 15 man roster can’t stay the same for a decade but they don’t absolutely need to make any moves until after or during the 2026-2027 season.

Live in the moment and enjoy the fact that this team is really good right now and should be for several years without a real need to make moves to improve it.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This.

[Laramie]

[Bill Robertson]

Man it is just not near as dire, as imminent or as big of deal as you are trying to make it. The entire team other than Caruso and Ajay Mitchell are locked up through the end of next season and everyone else other than JDub and Chet are locked up through 2026-2027 season. Joe’s deal has an option through the end of the 2027-2028 season and Wiggins is under contract through 2028-2029. They’ve structured the deals so that they have room to sign JDub, Chet, and SGA without having to dump a bunch of salary. As it stands now, things aren’t going to get the interesting by necessity until the end of the 2026-2027 season when Hartenstein, Wallace and SGA’s contracts are up.

This kind of doom casting is just dumb. No one here is ignorant to the fact that an entire 15 man roster can’t stay the same for a decade but they don’t absolutely need to make any moves until after or during the 2026-2027 season.

Live in the moment and enjoy the fact that this team is really good right now and should be for several years without a real need to make moves to improve it.

Could not be said any better!

[warreng88]

Love this team I wish it could stay together for the next 7 years but it's a business and business cost money and unfortunately in the next few years players are going to have to let go so we can Pay Chet, JDub, SGA, Does it need to happen this year or next year no but also prepare yourself cause at some point it's going to happen

If we win a championship in the next two years, the ownership will shell out to keep them together. And, it's not like we are dealing with a KD, RW, JH situation. The guys on this team saw how that played out for them and KD is the only one with a ring and had to go to the best team in the NBA to do it. I feel like they could be convinced to take a little less money to stay together, have a long term situation and build something great here. That is, of course, assuming they all get along and egos don't get too big. I am sure someone will be in their ears telling them to go somewhere else to be the cornerstone of that team. As long as they block out the noise and just play, we should be good.

You can see a vast difference in the style of play versus 2012-2013. Not much in the way of iso ball, lots of passing, very unselfish. I hope that part carries over when it comes time to renegotiate.

[kukblue1]

Man it is just not near as dire, as imminent or as big of deal as you are trying to make it. The entire team other than Caruso and Ajay Mitchell are locked up through the end of next season and everyone else other than JDub and Chet are locked up through 2026-2027 season. Joe’s deal has an option through the end of the 2027-2028 season and Wiggins is under contract through 2028-2029. They’ve structured the deals so that they have room to sign JDub, Chet, and SGA without having to dump a bunch of salary. As it stands now, things aren’t going to get the interesting by necessity until the end of the 2026-2027 season when Hartenstein, Wallace and SGA’s contracts are up.

This kind of doom casting is just dumb. No one here is ignorant to the fact that an entire 15 man roster can’t stay the same for a decade but they don’t absolutely need to make any moves until after or during the 2026-2027 season.

Live in the moment and enjoy the fact that this team is really good right now and should be for several years without a real need to make moves to improve it.

Doom Casting? Do you not read. I said in the next few years we are going to have to probably lose players. Next few years. Like you said we have every one locked up for the next 2 years after this season. I'm just being real about what is going to happen in a FEW YEARS and this team will be a little different. Going to be hard to pay I-hart, Chet, SGA, Dort all at once. Even you mentioned just JDub, Chet, SGA. So how are we paying I-hart and Dort? My guess is one of them will have to be gone. Also I'm not the only one proposing a small trade for another play maker for this team. A lot of national people are talking about it also.

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/oklahoma...thunder/yearly Chet going from 13 million to 34 million. Wallace goes from 7 million to 23 million. Jaylin Williams 6 to 19 million. Just being a realist. Someone is getting Traded in 26-27 season. Fill those spots with all your first round picks.

This is the Best Thunder team we have every had and that is cause we have so many great role players that 3 years from now are going to want a paycheck. Doesn't mean we still won't be winning titles. I think we win 4 in the next 10 years but there will be roster changes from time to time.

[Urbanized]

I think the person who truly learned a lesson from the previous contender-level iteration of the Thunder was Presti, and I think Harden was the beginning of that lesson for him. I still see people ripping the Harden trade and I think those folks don't fully understand what was at work there.

Presti clearly prioritized pure talent over character and heart when he built that first team. That’s not to say he drafted bad people. But he DID draft what proved to be some uncheckable egos, and a few personalities who were less team-focused than focused on personal success. And in the case of KD, he drafted one of the softest hall of fame players in the history of sport.

This most recent teardown and rebuild clearly placed more priority on character and team ethos. Although I’d probably agree that the first wave Thunder likely had a bit higher peaks when it came to talent - KD and Russ are inarguably first ballot hall of fame guys, Harden will almost certainly be in eventually, and KD in particular is probably an all-time top 5-10 guy from strictly a talent perspective - today’s group was intentionally built with complementary talents and a team mentality.

And of course, there’s not THAT MUCH disparity; SGA is surely HOF bound, JDub and Chet have potential to have HOF careers and are unquestionably all star level right now, there might be another one or two future all stars hiding in the lineup, and I think the rest of the group top-to-bottom is more consistently good-to-great. Heck, Chet already possesses many of the game qualities of Durant, except Chet also is a rim protector and is more of a competitive dawg than KD ever THOUGHT of being.

The X factor is whether one or more of the key dudes lets his ego - or his agent, or his family, or whatever - get the best of him before they get rings, but I really believe that Presti is now screening for THAT potential when he evaluates. These guys are all clearly bought into the system, they’re having fun, they’re playing for each other as much as they are for themselves, and just as importantly they clearly TRUST their teammates (and coach).

That first Thunder incarnation was incredible, exciting (though often also frustrating), and special because it was OKC’s first taste of greatness. But honestly I don’t think we’ve ever had it as good overall as what we have right now.

[Urbanized]

Doom Casting? Do you not read. I said in the next few years we are going to have to probably lose players. Next few years. Like you said we have every one locked up for the next 2 years after this season. I'm just being real about what is going to happen in a FEW YEARS and this team will be a little different. Going to be hard to pay I-hart, Chet, SGA, Dort all at once. Even you mentioned just JDub, Chet, SGA. So how are we paying I-hart and Dort? My guess is one of them will have to be gone. Also I'm not the only one proposing a small trade for another play maker for this team. A lot of national people are talking about it also.

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/oklahoma...thunder/yearly Chet going from 13 million to 34 million. Wallace goes from 7 million to 23 million. Jaylin Williams 6 to 19 million. Just being a realist. Someone is getting Traded in 26-27 season. Fill those spots with all your first round picks.

This is the Best Thunder team we have every had and that is cause we have so many great role players that 3 years from now are going to want a paycheck. Doesn't mean we still won't be winning titles. I think we win 4 in the next 10 years but there will be roster changes from time to time.

Maybe just enjoy the moment. Nothing lasts forever. NOTHING.

[Dob Hooligan]

I love the NBA and have followed it for over 50 years. I think it has become more transitory than it has ever been and will continue to go that way. And I still love it.

I only think in term of this season nowadays. Planning for 3 years and beyond is fool's gold anymore.

[Urbanized]

I love the NBA and have followed it for over 50 years. I think it has become more transitory than it has ever been and will continue to go that way. And I still love it.

I only think in term of this season nowadays. Planning for 3 years and beyond is fool's gold anymore.

100%. Plus, before you can think about building a dynasty you must first build a champion. We can worry about keeping players once we climb THAT mountain. I also trust that Presti does indeed have a longterm plan for keeping this bus on the road.

[kukblue1]

I love the NBA and have followed it for over 50 years. I think it has become more transitory than it has ever been and will continue to go that way. And I still love it.

I only think in term of this season nowadays. Planning for 3 years and beyond is fool's gold anymore.

The NBA is going to have to do something soon about its TV ratings though. So far this year they've been horrible first thing they need to do is make it easier to watch local teams.

[dankrutka]

100%. Plus, before you can think about building a dynasty you must first build a champion. We can worry about keeping players once we climb THAT mountain. I also trust that Presti does indeed have a longterm plan for keeping this bus on the road.

Presti's plan looks pretty clear to me. Our core is likely SGA, J-Dub, and Chet. He'll lock in role players on good contracts as he's able (Joe, Wiggins). The rest of the roster will likely turnover as he uses his stash of picks to develop young players or trade for cheap talent. For example, it seems unlikely iHart is with the Thunder past this deal. In the end, players are always going to want to be paid their market value and OKC will not be able to keep this roster together after 2-3 years. For example, if Wallace wants a decent sized deal then I wouldn't be surprised to see Presti trade him on the last year of his rookie deal. The Thunder are well positioned to make it work, but Presti won't be able to keep this team together longterm.

[Dob Hooligan]

The NBA is going to have to do something soon about its TV ratings though. So far this year they've been horrible first thing they need to do is make it easier to watch local teams.

Seems to me that the NBA has decided the TV season kicks off with the Christman Day games on ABC. Anything before then doesn't appear to worry them.

[Laramie]

Saturday, December 14, 2024
Houston Rockets (17-8) vs Oklahoma City Thunder (19-5)
T-Mobile Arena,
TV: ABC - 7:30 PM - Las Vegas, NV

[kukblue1]

The NBA has added 2 national TV games for the Thunder:

Thunder vs. Cavaliers on Jan. 8 will be on ESPN

Cavaliers vs. Thunder on Jan. 16 will be on TNT

[kukblue1]

Speaking of Trades. I forget all about this one. I think Sam has learned a lot. https://x.com/AndrewKSchlecht/status...29720290177224

[Laramie]

7:30 P.M. CT

[gjl]

Speaking of Trades. I forget all about this one. I think Sam has learned a lot. https://x.com/AndrewKSchlecht/status...29720290177224

Carlan Yates was in my class at Putnam City High School. Sr class of 73. He attends a lot of our reunions and even hosted one at his house.