​The NBA offseason has been wild, to say the least. Blockbuster trades featuring names such as Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Paul George and LaMelo Ball have completely rewritten the identity of several franchises. And the biggest free agent, LeBron James, is out of Los Angeles and will have a new team fairly soon.Amidst all the chaos surrounding them, the Oklahoma City Thunder have remained noticeably quiet in comparison. With the new CBA, it’s all about avoiding the second apron and losing future draft capital. In order to mitigate these issues, the Thunder traded key role players Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks, respectively, netting second-round draft picks in return. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTheir other big move was re-signing Isaiah Hartenstein to a new contract through 2028-29, adding to what he already had in effect. He will receive an additional $47 million, totaling $134 million for his five years with the franchise, fully guaranteed.Following their spectacular championship run in 2024-25, the Thunder entered the 2025-26 campaign as the undisputed “top dog.” They played like it too, tearing through the regular season to rack up an impressive 64 wins. Winning at that clip is brutal in the modern NBA, but doing it on the heels of a grueling seven-game title run while navigating a relentless wave of injuries is nothing short of heroic.At one point or another, 10 different rotation players missed at least 10 games. Yet, OKC kept rolling. But the wear and tear finally caught up to them in the Western Conference Finals.Facing Victor Wembanyama and the ascending San Antonio Spurs, a severely banged-up Thunder squad saw its season end in a heartbreaking seven-game series. The re-injuries to Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell during that series ultimately hobbled the offense. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe fact that a short-handed Thunder team still pushed a rising juggernaut to seven games — and could have realistically won had they secured a few crucial defensive rebounds in the second half — speaks volumes about this team’s collective talent, depth, and sheer will.Presti is betting heavily on internal growth, draft injection, and better health. The front office added elite young depth by selecting Aday Mara (12th overall) and Bennett Stirtz (16th overall) in the draft, with both rookies expected to contribute immediately.If JDub and Mitchell can stay healthy next May, and if the rookies flash their expected upside, Oklahoma City’s depth remains unmatched. But to truly reclaim the throne next June, the focus shifts squarely to the development of their top stars.As phenomenal as Gilgeous-Alexander was en route to his back-to-back MVP awards, the Spurs managed to bother him for prolonged stretches in the Conference Finals. Wembanyama is a singular, rim-deterring force, but the relentless perimeter ball pressure from Stephon Castle and Carter Bryant,