ESPN Grades OKC Thunder’s Quiet Offseason

After achieving eternal glory and winning an NBA championship, there’s not much left to do — or accomplish during the offseason. For previous championship winners, the goal has been centered on running it back, and finding a way to win again. And that’s exactly what Oklahoma City prioritized this summer.

For many, it seemed like a quiet offseason for the reigning champions. For the Thunder, though, they accomplished everything that needed to be accomplished. Locking up Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren heading into contract years was priority number one for this front office, and they made both things happen. The surprising part was locking down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a year earlier than expected, too. SGA pledged his allegiance to the Thunder with a new four-year deal that keeps him in Oklahoma City through the 2030-31 season.

That alone would’ve been a great offseason, but the Thunder went out and accomplished more. Oklahoma City locked down Ajay Mitchell on a team friendly deal and stood pat outside the lottery, selecting Thomas Sorber with a Top-15 pick. It was the perfect selection for down the line, when the Thunder will need draft picks on a rookie deal to contribute a good amount. Outside of the Big 3, Oklahoma City now has a handful of value contracts that will give the team a great deal of relief.

In ESPN’s latest article, Kevin Pelton graded each team’s offseason. Although the Thunder’s was quiet in terms of outside additions, the team still received a B+ — and rightfully so. This team opted to run it back for another season while locking its main core in full-time. 

Locking in the Big 3 could force tough decisions in the future, as Pelton noted, but the important part is that each member of the trio is locked in for the long haul. The pieces around them could change, but the hope is that Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Holmgren are so good that it won’t matter. And that could very well be the case.

The Thunder’s B+ was well deserved, and there’s an argument to be made that it was even better than that. Only time will tell, but this Thunder team has positioned itself for another run at the title next season.