Oklahoma City Thunder built a champion through patience and draft capital, but its looming payroll decisions could create real opportunities for Dallas.
The Oklahoma City Thunder won the 2025 NBA championship and spent less than almost anyone doing it. They ranked 19th in payroll during their title season, built their roster almost entirely through the draft and turned a decade of asset accumulation into one of the most dominant teams in the league without needing to overpay.
They became the blueprint for how to build a franchise in the second-apron era. But even the best blueprints have an expiration date and Oklahoma City’s is approaching faster than most people realize.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are all moving toward massive cap hits that will reshape Oklahoma City’s books. Cason Wallace is nearing rookie-extension territory. Alex Caruso is already locked into a significant veteran deal. Isaiah Hartenstein has a $28.5 million team option for 2026-27. The Thunder are not in financial trouble yet, but the cheap version of this roster is almost over.
Some of these players will eventually have to go and Sam Presti is not going to let any of them leave for nothing. He is going to maximize every departure the same way he maximized every arrival. That is what he does.
The Dallas Mavericks should be one of the first teams on the phone when those conversations begin.
The most immediate opportunity could come June 23. Dallas holds the No. 9 pick, while Oklahoma City holds picks No. 12 and No. 17. Moving down from No. 9 to No. 12 in exchange for both Thunder selections would give Dallas an extra first-round pick in the same draft. If the player Masai Ujiri wants is still available at No. 12, that is a straightforward win. The No. 17 pick becomes a bonus, potentially giving Dallas two new pieces to develop around Cooper Flagg on the same night.
If the Mavericks’ preferred target is gone by No. 12, the conversation changes. Dallas would then have to decide whether the extra asset is worth moving back. Either way, it is a call worth making before draft night.
The longer-term conversation should center on Cason Wallace. He averaged 4.3 deflections per game this season, ranked second in the league in that category, earned All-Defensive second-team honors and led the NBA in total steals. Salary models project his rookie extension around $28 million annually.
Wallace is 23 years old, already one of the league’s best young point-of-attack defenders and exactly the type of player Dallas should want next to Flagg. A defensive core built around Wallace and Flagg would give the Mavericks one of the most disruptive young groups in the Western Conference.
The history between these two franchises makes the relationship even more interesting. On draft night in 2023, Dallas traded the No. 10 pick, which became Wallace, along with Davis Bertans’ contract to Oklahoma City in exchange for the No. 12 pick, which became Dereck Lively II. Oklahoma City also holds Dallas’ 2028 first-round pick swap rights and the No. 37 pick in this draft.
Both sides have financial and basketball reasons to keep talking. The Thunder built the league’s best roster by being smarter than everyone else. When they are eventually forced to move pieces from it, Dallas needs to be ready.
