OKC, trades, and team chemistry…….Thunder will stay the course in 2025?

OKC streak at 15

The number of Thunder fans hoping for a trade to enhance the teams chances to win a Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2025 is, in my opinion, less than the supports of the team that want Sam Presti to hold steady, as the team makes a run for the coveted championship.  I have no statistics to base my take on this, but as of Thunder Nation, I do believe that the diehard Thunder faithful are content to see the team roll along, with a 30-5 record and a franchise best 15 straight victories. Roll along without making a trade/change.  OKC gets their best “big” back in a month or so.  Enough is enough?  I think so. On a course of a 70 win season and the top seed in the NBA’s Western Conference, wanting more can be to the Thunder’s advantage, but asking for a better prepared team for the playoffs and making moves could, in my opinion, do just the opposite and hurt OKC’s chance at their first world’s title.  The mental aspect can be a pitfall that an wreck a team.  Here is why.

The mindset of a team is as important as any in the sports world.  Currently, OKC,  and Cleveland, the Thunders look-alike competitor in the Eastern conference, have what every team in every sport/league wants.  That is, to be able to step on the field of play and know that they are better than their opponent, day-in and day-out.  Sure, all professional teams (Miami Dolphins not included in their undefeated season) lose games, but as for OKC and CLE, the losses are rare and far between.  Injuries can alter that winning pattern, but the structure of these two teams and the high end players they have on their rosters, intelligent, hard working, and most importantly, high end moral human beings, give the Cavs and Thunder the intangibles needed to bring home the hardware.  Boston, as in 2024, also has these qualities, yet at a little less fidelity this year, as of their title last year. The Celtics are not as “hungry” as the two top dogs on 2024-2025.

Losing any key player for OKC has to be measured, not only in how if effects team structure and play, but how the mental side messes with those players that have to endure the loss of a “family” member. Given, a GM always wants to improve his team, and Sam Presti is the best at it.  And the feeling that the game itself, the means to which you take the title, is more important than the guys you go into battle with, is important too. But the culture in OKC is different in some ways.  Sam Presti has stressed the phrenic take with regard to the the relationships between the front office, the coaching staff, the players, and even the fans.  (Sam was good enough to give this blogger his two personal season tickets for game one of the season in OKC, as he actually cares about us mortals, and want us to know that we are not just fans in the seats).  To disrupt that culture, which would happen if OKC trades away core members of the team, such as a Kendrick, Aaron, or an Isaiah, will subject the team to negatives feeling of loss, something that can be, in the long term, a core directional change that can bring a team to a place to avoid.  (Yes, Giddey was traded, but not only for the Thunder’s betterment but for Josh’s too.)  Team chemistry is fleeting for many organizations and to play around with it can be detrimental.  Presti knows what he is doing and will make sure he does his home work in every aspect of a trade.  That is a given for sure.  Let us hope that Presti and OKC stick with their values and ride the current 2025 course to it’s end, win or lose. Yes, there is a next year and that must never be put on a back burner. I do not think Presti would ever forget that.

Feature photo:  Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, front, drives against Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard during the first half of Sunday’s game in Oklahoma City. Nate Billings/Associated Press

Secondary photo:  Jan 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) celebrate after Cason scores against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images