Thunder Perfected a Forgotten Team Building Strategy

Thunder Perfected a Forgotten Team Building Strategy

The NBA and MLB may have different sets of rules when it comes to salaries, but there are similarities. Examples are small markets struggling to compete with large markets. There is no salary cap in MLB, but small markets still struggle. However, one team found a way to compete despite having a small salary, and it was dubbed “Moneyball.”

The Thunder Perfected the Oakland Athletics Moneyball Strategy

The Athletics are a historic baseball franchise with a rich history marked by many ups and downs. One of the best feats they ever had was competing with large markets while having a small payroll. This was called Moneyball. Now, the Oklahoma City Thunder have adopted a Moneyball approach, and it has been an enormous success.

The Thunder play in the third-smallest market in the NBA and are the 2024-25 NBA champions. The part about this that should terrify every fanbase is that they aren’t going away anytime soon. Even after the extensions of Chet and Shai and the eventual Williams extension, Oklahoma City will still be able to compete in this era of the CBA. This is where their version of Moneyball comes into play.

You see, the Thunder initiated this move back in 2019 when they traded Paul George for a record-breaking number of draft picks. The Thunder are still reaping the benefits of this trade, having the Clippers pick in the 2026 draft as well. This allows the Thunder to replace role players with young, inexpensive rookies. Thomas Sorber is an example of this strategy as Isaiah Hartenstein enters the last guaranteed year of his contract.

Why Is It So Successful

The easy answer to why this team-building strategy works is the person in charge. Sam Presti is the mastermind behind the scenes and arguably the best general manager in the NBA. He is also a basketball guru, rarely ever missing when it comes to the draft. Presti is responsible for drafting Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams, among others. All of these players have either had lengthy and successful NBA careers or are young players on an upward trajectory. He is also great at drafting in the second round, where he was able to get Ajay Mitchell and Aaron Wiggins.

He is also a persuasive general manager, securing players on team-friendly deals. The most recent examples are Mitchell and Jaylin Williams. These are long-term contracts that barely impact the salary cap. Wiggins is on one of the best deal in the NBA, as he is on a five-year, $45 million contract.

However, to every bright side, there will be a shadow lingering in.

The Only Downside to This Team Building Strategy

The Thunder fanbase will have to say goodbye to some fan-favorite players. Hartenstein is likely to move on after the 2025-26 season. Then, the biggest question for Presti is, do you keep Alex Caruso or Luguentz Dort?

Dort is the longest-tenured Thunder player and just made his first All-Defensive team. Caruso is a veteran with two All-Defensive team nods on a team-friendly deal. Either player can get draft picks back in return. Presti has to decide whether to extend Dort and trade Caruso, or to trade Dort on the last year of his deal and go with the two-time NBA champion.

There is a world in which Presti can keep both, but this would require a pay cut by Dort and Caruso to restructure his contract. With Sam Presti’s track record, this is not out of the realm of possibility. The scenario is improbable though. Still, what Presti and the Thunder did with their roster is special. It is very reminiscent of the Athletics Moneyball era, except more refined.

Here is a message to every fan base. The Thunder might have some big contracts, but they aren’t going away anytime soon. Next up for OKC is extending Jalen Williams.