The Oklahoma City Thunder have plateaued; how can they maintain contention?

The second apron has claimed another victim.

With the new CBA cap rules, it has remained very difficult in recent years to maintain relevancy over a long time frame, resulting in what is now called the "Era of Parity". Teams such as the Nuggets, Celtics, and Warriors in the past have faced the question: Are we good enough to justify going into the second apron? Or should we retool, get cheaper, and hope for another championship window?

This question is one currently being asked by the league's star team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The OKC Thunder have plateaued. After winning the championship following their dominant 2024-25 regular season, everyone thought the same thing: Can OKC repeat?

At the time, it seemed like a no-brainer. They had a dominant young 3-star trio in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. They had incredible depth at each position and were arguably the best defensive team of our era.

It seemed like the future was already written, and that a team would finally end the Era of Parity.

But it didn't quite work out that way.

The San Antonio Spurs, led by Victor Wembanyama, defeated OKC in a hard-fought 7-game series and ended OKC's hopes for a repeat.

And with the Thunder stuck deep in the 2nd apron and paying a $214 million luxury tax bill, they had to make some changes.

In the offseason, OKC's plan was clear: maintain key pieces while dumping low-minute rotation players.

They began executing this plan by trading Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks for 2 2nd-round picks. They then traded Isaiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons for 2 more 2nd-round picks. Then, finally, in a 3-team trade involving the Hawks and Mavericks, OKC traded Lu Dort for 3 2nd-round picks.

From an outsider perspective, it may seem unfortunate to trade 3 good rotation players for just 2nd-round picks, but when you look at the circumstances, it was a very solid return.

Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, despite being solid regular-season players, rarely saw the court in the playoffs. Their regular-season numbers overstated their overall impact. Lu Dort, who did play meaningful minutes in the Playoffs, had a down year and struggled to make an impact offensively.

To be in the position OKC was in and be forced to trade some of their players, getting a return at all is impressive, let alone 7 2nd-round picks.

So how can they carry on this trend?

They are currently just above the first apron, so they don't need to make any more moves. But they have 35 draft picks over the next seven draft cycles, which creates a different problem. If they can't move most of those picks before they're on the clock, they'll lose much of their value because, quite simply, you can't draft 35 players. Oklahoma City needs roster spots just as much as it needs draft capital, making consolidation trades and value-maximizing deals inevitable.

So who is first to go?

What they should do:

Golden State Warriors receive: (G) Nikola Topic

Oklahoma City Thunder receive: (C) Charles Bassey, 2030 2nd-round pick (via GSW), 2031 2nd-round pick (via GSW), 2032 2nd-round pick (via GSW)

Why this works:

To be great, you must make difficult decisions.

Nikola Topic's career has been a roller coaster.

After being ranked as one of the top prospects in the 2024 NBA draft, he fell to pick 12 due to injury concerns. And these concerns were well warranted.

Topic missed his entire rookie season with an ACL tear, and when it finally looked like he might play in the following season, he was diagnosed with cancer and ruled out indefinitely.

Throughout his battle, Topic became a fan favorite among OKC fans and the NBA world in general. So much so that when he finally played his first game on February 12th, 2026, he was met with a standing ovation from the crowd.

Despite playing only 10 games in the 2025-26 season, Topic showed he can be impactful as a ball handler and shooter, averaging 4 assists in just 16 minutes per game and shooting 40% from 3.

He still has promise as a player and can surely develop into a good rotation piece, just not on the Thunder.

OKC has a deep guard rotation, and Topic doesn't have a spot on the team. He would be better suited with a team that needs his upside, a team like the Golden State Warriors.

In the trade, OKC receives Charles Bassey and 3 2nd-round picks. Charles Bassey is on a 1-year deal worth $3 million less than Topic's, so this move creates roster and cap space.

A return of 3 2nd-round picks is a good cash-in on Topic's potential and allows OKC to expand their treasure trove of draft capital further, which can be re-routed later down the line.

Navigating the new CBA is a challenging endeavor, and only the league's best GM's can successfully keep their teams afloat.

Has OKC retained enough firepower through getting out of the 2nd apron?

Or will the weight of their lost players sink their title hopes?

Oklahoma City Thunder potential 2026-27 starting lineup + bench:

PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander SG: Ajay Mitchell SF: Jalen Williams PF: Chet Holmgren C: Isaiah Hartenstein

G: Cason Wallace, Jared McCain, Bennet Stirtz F: Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams, Kenrich Williams C: Aday Mara, Thomas Sorber