Fast forward to June 2012, 12 years ago. The Thunder led 1-0 in the Finals and were ready to play Game 2 at home when no one had a brighter future than theirs. PossessionDurantWestbrookHardenwithIbakaThis seems to be the team that will dominate the NBA for the next 10 years. All four players were 22 or 23 years old, which was the greatest draft achievement of a single team in three consecutive years.
If you had asked a Thunder fan at the Thunder's home stadium how many NBA Finals games you think this arena would have in the next 10 years, they would probably answer more than 10 or even more than 20.
Now we all know the correct answer0 games
The Heat won G2 at the Thunder's home court, and then went back to their home court to win the next three games in a row (to the former Finalsformat salute), and the Thunder never returned to the Finals.
Westbrook was injured in the 2013 playoffs, Durant was injured in 2015, and the Spurs playing beautiful basketball in 2014 were a little too strong for the Thunder. Harden was traded to the Rockets, getting Vitesse and another Turkish center wasn't enough, andKlay ThompsonIn 2016 three points rained down.
The next thing everyone already knows, Durant becomes a Warriors player, and everything is over for the Thunder.
I would like to say that,You can't be sure what will happen tomorrow, even for teams that look extremely bright for the future.
First of all, the good news isThunder is really coming!Forget the long, slow rebuilding period, and the 2028 draft pick assets for some years**: The Thunder's rebuilding process is significantly earlier than expected. Despite a recent unexpected rollover against the Hawks and Nets, the Thunder have fully proven themselves to be the top team in the league. The Thunder have won the Nuggets twice, the Celtics, the Timberwolves and the Clippers.
The Thunder don't have the league's best record, going into Monday's game against the Wizards with a 23-11 record, but they have 100 games in a schedule that hasn't been particularly easy so far+7.5 goal differenceEasily ranked first in the West. Skeptics will point out that they have near-perfect health (their first seven players have missed only six games combined) and that their projection could return to Earth (39.com from three-point range).4% is the first in the league, and many players have a career-high three-point shooting percentage). But even if the Thunder have some ** in these aspects, there is a lot of room to continue to rank at the top of the West.
The amazing thing is that the way Thunder came to this day may be very different from what he imagined.
Tear off in the transactionWestbrookwithGeorgeDidn't they get a lot of future draft picks?But there is only one point in time when these draft picks have an impact on the current roster, and that is the 2022 draftJalen Williams。In addition, the Thunder selectedHolmgrenGiddeywithCarson WallaceThey were all used for their own draft picks (Wallace was the signing that the team got by trading up after eating the contract) and scooping it up from the trashDortwithJoe
And, of course, they also got Alexander for the beginning of the entire rebuild, and that trade sent George to the Clippers.
Looking back now, there's a crazy fact: the Thunder won the deal even if they didn't get a single draft pick. AlexanderProbably already the best player in the league, he's so dynamic that he can create high-percentage two-point shots with just a snap of his fingers.
Last week, I saw him completely blow up the CelticsJrue HolidayIt was definitely a jaw-dropping experience for the audience. He kept making quick stops that gave his opponents no time to react, and then passed the Celtics' ace defenders. No one has ever "played" with Holiday like this;Alexander casually took him in his hands:
As mentioned in the MVP bin article above,He is already a qualified MVP candidate, and the first real threat in the last 5 yearsJokicEmbiidwithLettersThe trio competes for the MVP of the players. As of Sunday's game, Alexander is 3rd in the league, 3rd in BPM, and 2nd in Win SharesHe 31A PER of 1 would be the best all-time guard outside of Jordan. He shot 73 percent from the field under the basket and over 50 percent from every two-point areaCoupled with his high free-throw percentage, he still played insanely with a three-point shooting rate.
Alexander is 25 years old, has a contract until 2027, and there is no option year, and these all seem perfect for the Thunder. The Thunder also have a young All-Star caliber interior lineman on his sideHolmgren, his ability to make an immediate name in his rookie year is also an important chapter in this year's Thunder story. Williams, who is a powerful flanker next to the two players, is only 22 years oldIn fact, the Thunder's seven strongest players are all under the age of 25. Add to that their future draft picks — the Thunder could have seven in their next two drafts — and it's hard to have a brighter future for a team than theirs.
But as presented in 2012, nothing is immediately guaranteed. Reaching the top of 30 teams still requires an incredible blend of luck and skill, even at a point in the team's favour. So this brings us to the most important question before the trading deadline on February 8:Will the Thunder's success spur them to make big trades with some of these draft pick assets, even if it's just a mid-sized trade?
The argument that the Thunder should be patient is very marketable. The roster hasn't played a single playoff game, let alone made it to the brutal playoff hinterland. We haven't seen the flaws that they might have exposed, and that flaws will only really emerge after the rival video analyst has studied every action frame by frame over the course of the seven-game series. They still have a chance next year, a chance later, and probably a chance for many years to come.
But look at it from another angle...Alexander has changed the problem of the Thunder rebuilding cycle, hasn't he?The Thunder may have the best player in the league right now. Why not maximize your chances of winning the championship in this situation?
In addition, they obviously have some places where they can use instant combat power. The Thunder are ranked 29th in the backboard rate, and Holmgren is seriously undersized at any time when he is not on the court, and will let Jalen Williams, who is 1.95 meters, and Dort, who is 1.90 meters, play "forward" for a long time. In a real Thunder game, there must be a picture of the whole team of 5 people standing still on the court, and then the opposing point guard player jumps high to grab the front board.
The Thunder's easy thing to do is to take relatively worthier draft pick assets — like picks that don't stand a chance to make the top 10 pick — and trade them for a qualifying No. 4 or 5 that could help the team this year and next. Such a contract time frame is also the opening performance of the Thunder's expansive operating window, and they can put itBetansApproximately equal to the expiring contract (17 million this season, 5.25 million guaranteed part next season), maybe plusTrey Mannand orPokushevsky, for a player who still has a contract for next season.
The reason why we want to do this kind of timeline contract is because the other part of the Thunder's rebuilding game is that they may want to keep the operating space and make big moves in the summer of 2025. The Thunder may be aiming for salary cap space in 2025, and while things may change (most notably Giddey's early contract extension), it's also a logical idea for the Thunder. After that summer, Holmgren and Williams' early contract extensions may make the Thunder no longer players in free agency, and the Thunder will also transform into a more traditional roster expensive championship team that will need to manage the luxury tax issue.
Therefore, needless to say, how the Thunder decide will be the biggest x-factor before the trade deadline. Given their pool of draft picks, they can beat other teams when bidding on any player, and while that may encourage trade opponents to include a "Thunder tax" in negotiations (when you have 137 picks to give, I'm not a big problem asking you for 3 in a trade), the Thunder are definitely the ones who have the chips at the trade table to beat everyone.
Of course, there are other factors that need to be taken into account. The most noteworthy thing is that there is now a need for a player who can be traded and meet the needs of the Thunder. And at this point in time, it's also a challenge to find a team that is determined to play the role of seller. The Thunder certainly shouldn't be wasting assets on talent that can't change the course of a playoff series, but there's a good chance that there's not going to be a right deal right with the right player on the right contract right now.
But overall, I don't agree with the Thunder that because they're young and have a long-term competitiveness, they can sit on the sidelines. The 2012 story has shown everyone that in the NBA, opportunities can slip away quickly, and a window into a player like Alexander's peak is precious.
The Thunder are good enough to try and compete for a championship this year. If you can fight, arm your firepower to the teeth and fight it.