Free Agency & Trades Thread 2 **NOW OPEN**

[OakleyDokely]

If you actually took the time and read the article he also posted in long form you would see that Presti has prepared for well beyond the 27/28 season.....He planned till 2030.....Yeah tough decisions will have to be made on the role players but they set them selves up with team option deals to move money around very easy if need be and also the TV deal will increase the Cap as the years go on so that will also help them out...

They also have young talent on small contracts, And since they are in the championship hunt they can recruit MLE type vets....They will keep the big 3 and basically use their load of draft picks to fill out the roster or make trades like they did with Giddey...Moving a young player who wants a big contract for a realiable Vet like Caruso to help alot....

They have lots of ways to build around the big 3.... even if they are on big contracts....That is what the article is talking about if you read it...

I read it, and I will still be shocked if all 3 are together long term.

That plans requires on hitting on cheap FA signings and nailing your draft picks while developing them quick enough to fill roster positions 4-10 which is far from a guarantee, especially from where OKC will be picking most years. As great as those 3 are, you still need quality depth to last an 82 game regular season and 4 rounds of the playoffs -- and they had that quality depth this season because everyone on that roster is still cheap beyond SGA.

I would trust Presti over realgmers no offense....They also have OTHER teams first round/2nd round picks not just their own which when your as good as OKC is thats a big benefit....Just like how they drafted 15 this past year because they had Heats pick....

You are also missing the fact they can use the young players or draft picks for trades...

Sure they won't add another all star level player beside these 3 all stars they already have....But they can deff find role players who can help them win via trades/draft....

Raptors filled their bench in 1 draft with 2nd round picks Im sure Presti will draft a few good players to fill roles....He don't need to draft superstars since he has them already....Guys like Topic/Wallace/Sorber will be fine for now on cheap contracts...And if they want big pay days after 4 years....Well thats when you make a trade like the Caruso trade...

Its really not hard to see it....Only way Shai/Chet/Williams get split up is injuries or they flame out from here on out and can't win again....Which i don't see being the case...

I mean, Presti has traded multiple stars throughout his career. This idea that he's locked on those 3 forever regardless of what happens seems very improbable to me. He's smart enough to adopt to the current environment and as his budget starts to tighten, he will look at all possible options.

[Clutch0z24]

I read it, and I will still be shocked if all 3 are together long term.

That plans requires on hitting on cheap FA signings and nailing your draft picks while developing them quick enough to fill roster positions 4-10 which is far from a guarantee, especially from where OKC will be picking most years. As great as those 3 are, you still need quality depth to last an 82 game regular season and 4 rounds of the playoffs -- and they had that quality depth this season because everyone on that roster is still cheap beyond SGA.

I would trust Presti over realgmers no offense....They also have OTHER teams first round/2nd round picks not just their own which when your as good as OKC is thats a big benefit....Just like how they drafted 15 this past year because they had Heats pick....

You are also missing the fact they can use the young players or draft picks for trades...

Sure they won't add another all star level player beside these 3 all stars they already have....But they can deff find role players who can help them win via trades/draft....

Raptors filled their bench in 1 draft with 2nd round picks Im sure Presti will draft a few good players to fill roles....He don't need to draft superstars since he has them already....Guys like Topic/Wallace/Sorber will be fine for now on cheap contracts...And if they want big pay days after 4 years....Well thats when you make a trade like the Caruso trade...

Its really not hard to see it....Only way Shai/Chet/Williams get split up is injuries or they flame out from here on out and can't win again....Which i don't see being the case...

I mean, Presti has traded multiple stars throughout his career. This idea that he's locked on those 3 forever regardless of what happens seems very improbable to me. He's smart enough to adopt to the current environment and as his budget starts to tighten, he will look at all possible options.

Never once did i say he is locked into the 3....But they JUST won the title all while being in their early 20s and are not CLOSE to their primes yet....There are lots of people that suggest they have no chance to continue with the big 3 they have due to contracts and the 2nd apron....When that is untrue because Presti set contracts up and prepared already.....

Point is....Its ALOT more easier to find role players than it is to find 1st/2nd/3rd options....Presti has them 3 in place already....They have alot of different avenues to navigate to keep building around their big 3 and be in the conversation for the title for along long time.....If they start to flame out...Well guess what...Chet/Jdub have enough value along with draft picks they have to pair Shai up with another MVP level player.....

They are set up perfect and idk why people try to say they are not...

[OakleyDokely]

I would trust Presti over realgmers no offense....They also have OTHER teams first round/2nd round picks not just their own which when your as good as OKC is thats a big benefit....Just like how they drafted 15 this past year because they had Heats pick....

You are also missing the fact they can use the young players or draft picks for trades...

Sure they won't add another all star level player beside these 3 all stars they already have....But they can deff find role players who can help them win via trades/draft....

Raptors filled their bench in 1 draft with 2nd round picks Im sure Presti will draft a few good players to fill roles....He don't need to draft superstars since he has them already....Guys like Topic/Wallace/Sorber will be fine for now on cheap contracts...And if they want big pay days after 4 years....Well thats when you make a trade like the Caruso trade...

Its really not hard to see it....Only way Shai/Chet/Williams get split up is injuries or they flame out from here on out and can't win again....Which i don't see being the case...

I mean, Presti has traded multiple stars throughout his career. This idea that he's locked on those 3 forever regardless of what happens seems very improbable to me. He's smart enough to adopt to the current environment and as his budget starts to tighten, he will look at all possible options.

Never once did i say he is locked into the 3....But they JUST wont the title all while being in their early 20s and are not CLOSE to their primes yet....There are lots of people that suggest they have no chance to continue with the big 3 they have due to contracts and the 2nd apron....When that is untrue because Presti set contracts up and prepared already.....

Point is....Its ALOT more easier to find role players than it is to find 1st/2nd/3rd options....Presti has them 3 in place already....They have alot of different avenues to navigate to keep building around their big 3 and be in the conversation for the title for along long time.....If they start to flame out...Well guess what...Chet/Jdub have enough value along with draft picks they have to pair Shai up with another MVP level player.....

They are set up perfect and idk why people try to say they are not...

You underestimate just hard it is to have quality depth when you're tight against the cap.

When you have cap flexibility, you can have Hart at 28M, Dort and Caruso at 18M. When those guys are replaced with pick #17 and min FA's, it's a different story having those guys play 30 minutes in a playoff series.

They are in a great situation, maybe the best in the league, but pretending that managing a supermax contract + 2 other max deal isn't an issue is ridiculous.

[Clutch0z24]

I mean, Presti has traded multiple stars throughout his career. This idea that he's locked on those 3 forever regardless of what happens seems very improbable to me. He's smart enough to adopt to the current environment and as his budget starts to tighten, he will look at all possible options.

Never once did i say he is locked into the 3....But they JUST wont the title all while being in their early 20s and are not CLOSE to their primes yet....There are lots of people that suggest they have no chance to continue with the big 3 they have due to contracts and the 2nd apron....When that is untrue because Presti set contracts up and prepared already.....

Point is....Its ALOT more easier to find role players than it is to find 1st/2nd/3rd options....Presti has them 3 in place already....They have alot of different avenues to navigate to keep building around their big 3 and be in the conversation for the title for along long time.....If they start to flame out...Well guess what...Chet/Jdub have enough value along with draft picks they have to pair Shai up with another MVP level player.....

They are set up perfect and idk why people try to say they are not...

You underestimate just hard it is to have quality depth when you're tight against the cap.

When you have cap flexibility, you can have Hart at 28M, Dort and Caruso at 18M. When those guys are replaced with pick #17 and min FA's, it's a different story having those guys play 30 minutes in a playoff series.

They are in a great situation, maybe the best in the league, but pretending that managing a supermax contract + 2 other max deal isn't an issue is ridiculous.

You underestimate how good Shai/Chet/Jdub can be in the future....They have NOT hit their stride yet in the NBA and are a championship team....You think at 23/24/26 years of age these guys are close to their primes?....They will only get better and better and get better and better chemistry together...

Finding Dorts/Carusos/Harts of the world can be done via trades/Draft....They traded Giddey for Caruso which everyone laughed at Presti for at that time..."Oh they tanked for Caruso" ....Trades like this will pop up again.....It will take them to draft well and im sure Presti is aware of that....Looks like they hit on Topic already....We will see how Sorber looks....

[OakleyDokely]

Never once did i say he is locked into the 3....But they JUST wont the title all while being in their early 20s and are not CLOSE to their primes yet....There are lots of people that suggest they have no chance to continue with the big 3 they have due to contracts and the 2nd apron....When that is untrue because Presti set contracts up and prepared already.....

Point is....Its ALOT more easier to find role players than it is to find 1st/2nd/3rd options....Presti has them 3 in place already....They have alot of different avenues to navigate to keep building around their big 3 and be in the conversation for the title for along long time.....If they start to flame out...Well guess what...Chet/Jdub have enough value along with draft picks they have to pair Shai up with another MVP level player.....

They are set up perfect and idk why people try to say they are not...

You underestimate just hard it is to have quality depth when you're tight against the cap.

When you have cap flexibility, you can have Hart at 28M, Dort and Caruso at 18M. When those guys are replaced with pick #17 and min FA's, it's a different story having those guys play 30 minutes in a playoff series.

They are in a great situation, maybe the best in the league, but pretending that managing a supermax contract + 2 other max deal isn't an issue is ridiculous.

You underestimate how good Shai/Chet/Jdub can be in the future....They have NOT hit their stride yet in the NBA and are a championship team....You think at 23/24/26 years of age these guys are close to their primes?....They will only get better and better and get better and better chemistry together...

Finding Dorts/Carusos/Harts of the world can be done via trades/Draft....They traded Giddey for Caruso which everyone laughed at Presti for at that time..."Oh they tanked for Caruso" ....Trades like this will pop up again.....It will take them to draft well and im sure Presti is aware of that....Looks like they hit on Topic already....We will see how Sorber looks....

A big 3 doesn't doesn't matter if you don't have the depth to back them up. A lot of big 3s have failed without the proper depth. You need quality depth to win now.

And no, finding players like Dort, Caruso and Hart with random 1sts isn't easy. Presti traded/signed a couple of those guys for a reason -- he couldn't fill those roles with cheap FAs or low picks.

[Los_29]

Yep and during Masai run he had not built a championship team from the ground up....He took what BC built and made it better....No discrediting Masai but if you are going to try and discredit Presti....You have to look in the mirror as well....

Presti & Masai are both elite GMs though which is why they have a good rep....We don't have Masai no more so who knows if we will even have a competent front office in the future....

Every GMs make mistakes but its obvious this OKC team is not going anywhere anytime soon....And Shai a beloved Canadian is leading them to the promise land for a while imo....Shai will be the face of the league i think and the next coming of Kobe level player (Prolly even better in terms of stats)....

Presti built a title team that looks to at least have alot more runs in them as for us who built a title team that lasted 1 season....You sound like a blatant jealous hater if you discredit him when he took a team that has no business to even being in the title picture to multiple finals and has a title with a long stretch to add more titles....

The only player from BC's core on the title team was Lowry. Every other player was a Masai acquisition.

Masai also used all of BCs core to trade for majority of the championship team he had....Used DeMar to get Kawhi, Used JV to get Gasol, Almost traded Lowry to the Knicks....Point is Masai also didn't have a perfect track record....But a good one....Same arguments that people discredit Presti for can be used for our champioship 1 year run as well.....Got Kawhi in a very unusually lucky deal that will never happen again in history....Because no one would trade a healthy Kawhi who didn't demand out for DeMar/Yak....It took a very unusual circumstance for us to get that deal done...

Masai sat on BCs top players in Lowry/DD for years until that deal fell into his lap....Not hating on Masai here but just pointing out the over hate for Presti some posters have could also be said about Masai run here and how we won the title.

You can’t use the same argument for Masai because any team could’ve traded for Kawhi. Many superstars have been traded since and they will continue to be traded. What hasn’t happened since is a trade like the SGA one.

JV is rumoured to be signing with a team in Greece. He’s not a high in demand player. Never has been. BC traded guys like Ross (bench player), JV (20mpg center with loads of flaws) and he got great talent in return. And look at Masai’s draft record during that time. Without Pascal, Fred, Norm, OG. That team doesn’t win a championship.

At the end of the day, both Presti and Masai have rings. But in terms of how they built their teams, Masai’s was far more impressive. Masai built a 50 win team without Kawhi and had a 50 win team after Kawhi. Without the SGA trade, this Thunder team is firmly in no man’s land.

[Clutch0z24]

You underestimate just hard it is to have quality depth when you're tight against the cap.

When you have cap flexibility, you can have Hart at 28M, Dort and Caruso at 18M. When those guys are replaced with pick #17 and min FA's, it's a different story having those guys play 30 minutes in a playoff series.

They are in a great situation, maybe the best in the league, but pretending that managing a supermax contract + 2 other max deal isn't an issue is ridiculous.

You underestimate how good Shai/Chet/Jdub can be in the future....They have NOT hit their stride yet in the NBA and are a championship team....You think at 23/24/26 years of age these guys are close to their primes?....They will only get better and better and get better and better chemistry together...

Finding Dorts/Carusos/Harts of the world can be done via trades/Draft....They traded Giddey for Caruso which everyone laughed at Presti for at that time..."Oh they tanked for Caruso" ....Trades like this will pop up again.....It will take them to draft well and im sure Presti is aware of that....Looks like they hit on Topic already....We will see how Sorber looks....

A big 3 doesn't doesn't matter if you don't have the depth to back them up. A lot of big 3s have failed without the proper depth. You need quality depth to win now.

And no, finding players like Dort, Caruso and Hart with random 1sts isn't easy. Presti traded/signed a couple of those guys for a reason -- he couldn't fill those roles with cheap FAs or low picks.

Lol im sure they will be fine with MVP Shai who is prolly the 1A/1B with Joker as the best in the world....Along with Chet who could grow to be a Garnett level player/Jdub who has unlimited ceiling as well....But yeah finding role players will be their biggest challenge ....Not saying they don't need good role players but good role players are the easiest thing to fill on a team since the majorty of the NBA are filled with role players and also the draft is filled with role players as well....Its easier to find good role players later in drafts....

[Clutch0z24]

The only player from BC's core on the title team was Lowry. Every other player was a Masai acquisition.

Masai also used all of BCs core to trade for majority of the championship team he had....Used DeMar to get Kawhi, Used JV to get Gasol, Almost traded Lowry to the Knicks....Point is Masai also didn't have a perfect track record....But a good one....Same arguments that people discredit Presti for can be used for our champioship 1 year run as well.....Got Kawhi in a very unusually lucky deal that will never happen again in history....Because no one would trade a healthy Kawhi who didn't demand out for DeMar/Yak....It took a very unusual circumstance for us to get that deal done...

Masai sat on BCs top players in Lowry/DD for years until that deal fell into his lap....Not hating on Masai here but just pointing out the over hate for Presti some posters have could also be said about Masai run here and how we won the title.

You can’t use the same argument for Masai because any team could’ve traded for Kawhi. Many superstars have been traded since and they will continue to be traded. What hasn’t happened since is a trade like the SGA one.

JV is rumoured to be signing with a team in Greece. He’s not a high in demand player. Never has been. BC traded guys like Ross (bench player), JV (20mpg center with loads of flaws) and he got great talent in return. And look at Masai’s draft record during that time. Without Pascal, Fred, Norm, OG. That team doesn’t win a championship.

At the end of the day, both Presti and Masai have rings. But in terms of how they built their teams, Masai’s was far more impressive. Masai built a 50 win team without Kawhi and had a 50 win team after Kawhi. Without the SGA trade, this Thunder team is firmly in no man’s land.

Lol....Thunder are a championship team with players who havn't hit their primes on long term contracts....While Raptors had a 1 hit wonder team and been a disaster ever since....Idk about you but id take Prestis team since they actually have a chance to win more than 1 season and be left in the dust and be a treadmill team ever since....The Kawhi trade was just as unrealiable as the Shai one....Both trades will never happen again ...

OKC window to win is way more substancial than Raptors window ever was....

Presti and Masai both traded the same level of players in PG/DD both players not true number 1 options....But diff is Kawhi was already a superstar when we traded for him ....Shai was a prospect....No one knew he would be what he became....So you can look back now and say whatever you want....But Shai was not suppose to be the MVP and one of the best players in the world...

[MoneyBall]

The most threatening way to say "Yeah RJ is gone at the deadline. At the latest."

Technically, all of our days are numbered. Your life and everyone you love will eventually cease to be, as well as the entire human race itself.

[OakleyDokely]

You underestimate how good Shai/Chet/Jdub can be in the future....They have NOT hit their stride yet in the NBA and are a championship team....You think at 23/24/26 years of age these guys are close to their primes?....They will only get better and better and get better and better chemistry together...

Finding Dorts/Carusos/Harts of the world can be done via trades/Draft....They traded Giddey for Caruso which everyone laughed at Presti for at that time..."Oh they tanked for Caruso" ....Trades like this will pop up again.....It will take them to draft well and im sure Presti is aware of that....Looks like they hit on Topic already....We will see how Sorber looks....

A big 3 doesn't doesn't matter if you don't have the depth to back them up. A lot of big 3s have failed without the proper depth. You need quality depth to win now.

And no, finding players like Dort, Caruso and Hart with random 1sts isn't easy. Presti traded/signed a couple of those guys for a reason -- he couldn't fill those roles with cheap FAs or low picks.

Lol im sure they will be fine with MVP Shai who is prolly the 1A/1B with Joker as the best in the world....Along with Chet who could grow to be a Garnett level player/Jdub who has unlimited ceiling as well....But yeah finding role players will be their biggest challenge ....Not saying they don't need good role players but good role players are the easiest thing to fill on a team since the majorty of the NBA are filled with role players and also the draft is filled with role players as well....Its easier to find good role players later in drafts....

Who is arguing that they aren't fine? They are more than fine, they just won a title.

I just stated that managing around a supermax and 2 other max deals will be a big issue for them in the future.

[MoneyBall]

I'd be more concerned about Chet's long term durability. Few things can hold a franchise back like having a max contract guy constantly injured.

[Clutch0z24]

A big 3 doesn't doesn't matter if you don't have the depth to back them up. A lot of big 3s have failed without the proper depth. You need quality depth to win now.

And no, finding players like Dort, Caruso and Hart with random 1sts isn't easy. Presti traded/signed a couple of those guys for a reason -- he couldn't fill those roles with cheap FAs or low picks.

Lol im sure they will be fine with MVP Shai who is prolly the 1A/1B with Joker as the best in the world....Along with Chet who could grow to be a Garnett level player/Jdub who has unlimited ceiling as well....But yeah finding role players will be their biggest challenge ....Not saying they don't need good role players but good role players are the easiest thing to fill on a team since the majorty of the NBA are filled with role players and also the draft is filled with role players as well....Its easier to find good role players later in drafts....

Who is arguing that they aren't fine? They are more than fine, they just won a title.

I just stated that managing around a supermax and 2 other max deals will be a big issue for them in the future.

Yeah but you ae saying they won't be able to find depth or role players with potential good draft picks, or via trades if need be...

Where were these 3 players drafted exactly...lets see....Hartenstein was a 43rd overall pick in 2017.....Caruso was not drafted in 2016 and played on OKC summer league team....Lu Dort was also undrafted.....So these 3 role players...2 were not drafted, 1 was a 43rd 2nd rounder...

You CAN in fact find these players through out the draft to fill roles is what im saying and you are trying to say they will not be able too...Thats the disconnect here...

They have Topic/Sorber who both look like they will be great role players and lots of picks in the future to replace role players they lose with ......If you think Presti and his scouting staff will strike out on every single draft pick they have (Alot of multiple firsts per draft)....I think thats not likely....I think they find talent in the drafts as they go...Or make trades if need be...

[OakleyDokely]

Lol im sure they will be fine with MVP Shai who is prolly the 1A/1B with Joker as the best in the world....Along with Chet who could grow to be a Garnett level player/Jdub who has unlimited ceiling as well....But yeah finding role players will be their biggest challenge ....Not saying they don't need good role players but good role players are the easiest thing to fill on a team since the majorty of the NBA are filled with role players and also the draft is filled with role players as well....Its easier to find good role players later in drafts....

Who is arguing that they aren't fine? They are more than fine, they just won a title.

I just stated that managing around a supermax and 2 other max deals will be a big issue for them in the future.

Yeah but you ae saying they won't be able to find depth or role players with potential good draft picks, or via trades if need be...

Where were these 3 players drafted exactly...lets see....Hartenstein was a 43rd overall pick in 2017.....Caruso was not drafted in 2016 and played on OKC summer league team....Lu Dort was also undrafted.....So these 3 role players...2 were not drafted, 1 was a 43rd 2nd rounder...

You CAN in fact find these players through out the draft to fill roles is what im saying and you are trying to say they will not be able too...Thats the disconnect here...

They have Topic/Sorber who both look like they will be great role players and lots of picks in the future to replace role players they lose with ......If you think Presti and his scouting staff will strike out on every single draft pick they have (Alot of multiple firsts per draft)....I think thats not likely....I think they find talent in the drafts as they go...Or make trades if need be...

I didn't say they wouldn't be able to find depth. It said it's going to be a lot harder and it isn't a guarantee they will be able replace the depth they have. It's a lot easier to go out and pay Hart, Dort and Caruso 60M when you have cap flexibility compared to trying to find those type of guys at the FA min or with mid picks. if it was as easy as you're claiming, they wouldn't be paying Hart, Dort and Caruso 60M right now.

[Clutch0z24]

Who is arguing that they aren't fine? They are more than fine, they just won a title.

I just stated that managing around a supermax and 2 other max deals will be a big issue for them in the future.

Yeah but you ae saying they won't be able to find depth or role players with potential good draft picks, or via trades if need be...

Where were these 3 players drafted exactly...lets see....Hartenstein was a 43rd overall pick in 2017.....Caruso was not drafted in 2016 and played on OKC summer league team....Lu Dort was also undrafted.....So these 3 role players...2 were not drafted, 1 was a 43rd 2nd rounder...

You CAN in fact find these players through out the draft to fill roles is what im saying and you are trying to say they will not be able too...Thats the disconnect here...

They have Topic/Sorber who both look like they will be great role players and lots of picks in the future to replace role players they lose with ......If you think Presti and his scouting staff will strike out on every single draft pick they have (Alot of multiple firsts per draft)....I think thats not likely....I think they find talent in the drafts as they go...Or make trades if need be...

I didn't say they wouldn't be able to find depth. It said it's going to be a lot harder and it isn't a guarantee they will be able replace the depth they have. It's a lot easier to go out and pay Hart, Dort and Caruso 60M when you have cap flexibility compared to trying to find those type of guys at the FA min or with mid picks.

Thats where i disagree....I feel they already have depth lined up with Wallace/Wiggins/Sorber/Topic....They also won't have zero money to work with outside of the big 3 ......The draft picks will be big for them and it just so happens they have alot of first rounders and a crazy amount of 2nd round picks to fill holes where they need...

Drafting for players to fill a role vs trying to draft the MVP of the league are 2 different levels of difficulty.....Drafting good players to fill a role is much easier since the draft is riddled with these kind of players every year.....Ofc they will have to find them players but its hard for me to see them striking out every draft consdering they will have multiple chances at landing them kinda players since they have more than 1 pick in majorty of the upcoming drafts.....Id bet on them finding a few great role players and possibly even another high level starter or starters.

Also have to factor in Shai/Chet/Jdub ALSO getting BETTER.....With them 3 becoming higher level players in the future the role players will not have to be as elite as you think...

[Pointgod]

OKC traded Rubio and the draft rights to IQ and McDaniels for Poku and a 2nd rounder. Ouch. He didn’t draft IQ and McDaniels. He drafted Poku. So yes, he had a pick and fumbled it badly.

The fact it’s hit and miss is exactly why it’s not a great strategy. He doesn’t have a great draft record in that range. Not sure many that do. It’s very hard to pick in that range and find gems year in and year out. We just got spoiled with Masai’s drafting that we think it’s normal.

lol sorry but I had to laugh at the George trade was a masterclass comment. Any RealGm’er could’ve made that trade. Presti didn’t even initiate it. Kawhi signing with the Clippers and foolishly choosing George as his sidekick is what initiated it. Presti did literally nothing.

He got nothing for Harden. He also lost KD for nothing. OKC traded Kanter and a 2nd rounder for Melo and then shipped him off a year or two later for Schroeder. Lateral moves at best there.

How does any of the hate you throw on past decisions impact where the team is at in 2025?....They just won the NBA title, They have the league MVP on a long contract through his prime years, They have a roster full of young players who can grow and get better still, They have Topic/Sorber coming into the team both who look promising....And have a treasure chest of draft picks in their box to play with (Trades or draft)

You can say they did this wrong or do that wrong and also say "Not a great strategy" all you want until you realize the strategy worked and won them a title and they have a potential dynasty...

Read on Twitter

Also all the people saying this won't last....It will because OKC will keep the big 3 in tact and they have lots of options to build around that big 3 who already proved to be a championship level core when they are still babies in the NBA and are not close to their peaks....

But ok whatever you say man lol...A realgmer armchair GM such as yourself knows better than a guy whos been doing this since 2007 in the NBA ....But we will pretend you know what your talking about...

People already know that OKC will be fine for the next season or two. The problems come when SGA's supermax kicks in for the 27/28 season.

Both Hartenstein and Dort would have expired by the start of the 2027 season and Caruso will have two years left on 20 per year which is pretty reasonable to move. The brilliance of Presti is that he’s setup OKC’s future to rely on rookie scale and cheap contracts to fill out the bench. And that’s not even considering the vet mins and ring chasers they will be able to sign. OKC will be fine because other teams will face the same salary problems but have much worse options to round out their bench.

[OakleyDokely]

Yeah but you ae saying they won't be able to find depth or role players with potential good draft picks, or via trades if need be...

Where were these 3 players drafted exactly...lets see....Hartenstein was a 43rd overall pick in 2017.....Caruso was not drafted in 2016 and played on OKC summer league team....Lu Dort was also undrafted.....So these 3 role players...2 were not drafted, 1 was a 43rd 2nd rounder...

You CAN in fact find these players through out the draft to fill roles is what im saying and you are trying to say they will not be able too...Thats the disconnect here...

They have Topic/Sorber who both look like they will be great role players and lots of picks in the future to replace role players they lose with ......If you think Presti and his scouting staff will strike out on every single draft pick they have (Alot of multiple firsts per draft)....I think thats not likely....I think they find talent in the drafts as they go...Or make trades if need be...

I didn't say they wouldn't be able to find depth. It said it's going to be a lot harder and it isn't a guarantee they will be able replace the depth they have. It's a lot easier to go out and pay Hart, Dort and Caruso 60M when you have cap flexibility compared to trying to find those type of guys at the FA min or with mid picks.

Thats where i disagree....I feel they already have depth lined up with Wallace/Wiggins/Sorber/Topic....They also won't have zero money to work with outside of the big 3 ......The draft picks will be big for them and it just so happens they have alot of first rounders and a crazy amount of 2nd round picks to fill holes where they need...

Drafting for players to fill a role vs trying to draft the MVP of the league are 2 different levels of difficulty.....Drafting good players to fill a role is much easier since the draft is riddled with these kind of players every year.....Ofc they will have to find them players but its hard for me to see them striking out every draft consdering they will have multiple chances at landing them kinda players since they have more than 1 pick in majorty of the upcoming drafts.....Id bet on them finding a few great role players and possibly even another high level starter or starters.

Wallace is probably capable, but we have no idea what kind of players guys like Topic and Sorber will be. They have no history. And if they do become players eventually, it will likely take them 2-3 years before they're capable of playing big minutes on a title level team. In the near term, it's a huge step back from what they have now.

[OakleyDokely]

How does any of the hate you throw on past decisions impact where the team is at in 2025?....They just won the NBA title, They have the league MVP on a long contract through his prime years, They have a roster full of young players who can grow and get better still, They have Topic/Sorber coming into the team both who look promising....And have a treasure chest of draft picks in their box to play with (Trades or draft)

You can say they did this wrong or do that wrong and also say "Not a great strategy" all you want until you realize the strategy worked and won them a title and they have a potential dynasty...

Read on Twitter

Also all the people saying this won't last....It will because OKC will keep the big 3 in tact and they have lots of options to build around that big 3 who already proved to be a championship level core when they are still babies in the NBA and are not close to their peaks....

But ok whatever you say man lol...A realgmer armchair GM such as yourself knows better than a guy whos been doing this since 2007 in the NBA ....But we will pretend you know what your talking about...

People already know that OKC will be fine for the next season or two. The problems come when SGA's supermax kicks in for the 27/28 season.

Both Hartenstein and Dort would have expired by the start of the 2027 season and Caruso will have two years left on 20 per year which is pretty reasonable to move. The brilliance of Presti is that he’s setup OKC’s future to rely on rookie scale and cheap contracts to fill out the bench. And that’s not even considering the vet mins and ring chasers they will be able to sign. OKC will be fine because other teams will face the same salary problems but have much worse options to round out their bench.

I understand the plan. But that doesn't mean that cheap depth will be as good as Hart, Caruso, Dort etc.

They barely beat a Pacers team with an injured Hali. They aren't dominant enough to be a 3 player team with just anyone filling positions 4-10.

[Clutch0z24]

How does any of the hate you throw on past decisions impact where the team is at in 2025?....They just won the NBA title, They have the league MVP on a long contract through his prime years, They have a roster full of young players who can grow and get better still, They have Topic/Sorber coming into the team both who look promising....And have a treasure chest of draft picks in their box to play with (Trades or draft)

You can say they did this wrong or do that wrong and also say "Not a great strategy" all you want until you realize the strategy worked and won them a title and they have a potential dynasty...

Read on Twitter

Also all the people saying this won't last....It will because OKC will keep the big 3 in tact and they have lots of options to build around that big 3 who already proved to be a championship level core when they are still babies in the NBA and are not close to their peaks....

But ok whatever you say man lol...A realgmer armchair GM such as yourself knows better than a guy whos been doing this since 2007 in the NBA ....But we will pretend you know what your talking about...

People already know that OKC will be fine for the next season or two. The problems come when SGA's supermax kicks in for the 27/28 season.

Both Hartenstein and Dort would have expired by the start of the 2027 season and Caruso will have two years left on 20 per year which is pretty reasonable to move. The brilliance of Presti is that he’s setup OKC’s future to rely on rookie scale and cheap contracts to fill out the bench. And that’s not even considering the vet mins and ring chasers they will be able to sign. OKC will be fine because other teams will face the same salary problems but have much worse options to round out their bench.

Yeah good point...That every NBA team will have the money issues so it will even out in the end....OKC will just have the most talented team with more options to maneuver since they have more draft picks/more valuable prospects to trade....


These OKC doomers also are forgetting to realize that Shai/Chet/JDub are not even close to being fully developed yet....These 3 prolly all have another step in their games as time goes on....

If OKC are in trouble with all the assets they have ....Every NBA team is in the gutters...

[Clutch0z24]

People already know that OKC will be fine for the next season or two. The problems come when SGA's supermax kicks in for the 27/28 season.

Both Hartenstein and Dort would have expired by the start of the 2027 season and Caruso will have two years left on 20 per year which is pretty reasonable to move. The brilliance of Presti is that he’s setup OKC’s future to rely on rookie scale and cheap contracts to fill out the bench. And that’s not even considering the vet mins and ring chasers they will be able to sign. OKC will be fine because other teams will face the same salary problems but have much worse options to round out their bench.

I understand the plan. But that doesn't mean that cheap depth will be as good as Hart, Caruso, Dort etc.

They barely beat a Pacers team with an injured Hali. They aren't dominant enough to be a 3 player team with just anyone filling positions 4-10.

You do realize Chet/Jdub/Shai are not close to their primes right?.....They all have another step in their games as they age and get better....Ofc they are not dominant right now because they are babies still in NBA terms....And still won the title....Also you forget to realize that buyout market/ring chasers could join the team....They could make some trades for some good valued role players.....And also the draft ....Like i said the guys you bring up were not drafted and 2nd round pick....You can find role player level talents in many ways...

What you can't find everywhere is a Shai/Chet/Jdub level of players...And they have 3 of them...

[OakleyDokely]

People already know that OKC will be fine for the next season or two. The problems come when SGA's supermax kicks in for the 27/28 season.

Both Hartenstein and Dort would have expired by the start of the 2027 season and Caruso will have two years left on 20 per year which is pretty reasonable to move. The brilliance of Presti is that he’s setup OKC’s future to rely on rookie scale and cheap contracts to fill out the bench. And that’s not even considering the vet mins and ring chasers they will be able to sign. OKC will be fine because other teams will face the same salary problems but have much worse options to round out their bench.

Yeah good point...That every NBA team will have the money issues so it will even out in the end....OKC will just have the most talented team with more options to maneuver since they have more draft picks/more valuable prospects to trade....


These OKC doomers also are forgetting to realize that Shai/Chet/JDub are not even close to being fully developed yet....These 3 prolly all have another step in their games as time goes on....

If OKC are in trouble with all the assets they have ....Every NBA team is in the gutters...

OKC doomers lol

Pointing out the reality of the cap, which impacts every team, especially impacting teams with 3 max contracts one of which is a supermax, is something worth discussing. OKC can win 3 titles in a row, but it doesn't change the reality they face.