As Oklahoma City guts its championship core to avoid luxury tax penalties, a reinforced San Antonio roster stands poised to dominate the West with superior depth and continuity.
Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder spent the better part of seven years assembling one of the NBA's deepest collections of young talent. The payoff was enormous: three first-time All-Stars, a two-time MVP and the franchise's first NBA championship in 2025.
Less than a year later ... much of that core is now gone.
Following a seven-game Western Conference Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Presti has spent the offseason reshaping his roster, parting ways with multiple key contributors as the realities of the NBA's new salary cap landscape begin to set in.
The Spurs have utilized the 2026 offseason to reload their frontcourt, selecting physical big men Jayden Quainance and Tarris Reed Jr. in June's draft while signing veteran Tobias Harris.
They also added and maintained depth in the backcourt, selecting Ja'Kobi Gillespie on day two of the draft before re-signing Jordan McGlaughlin.
San Antonio's key losses likely end up being Kelly Olynyk, Bismack Biyombo and Lindy Waters III — who all remain free agents.
And that's it.
The same can't be said for Oklahoma City. In an attempt to get under the second apron, the Thunder have shed $317 million in payroll costs, largely through salary-dump trades.
They've also lost multiple vital contributors along the way.
Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins were shipped to the Atlanta Hawks, while Isaiah Joe was moved to the Detroit Pistons. Dort was the longest-tenured player not named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a massive part of OKC's culture.
His void won't be easily replaced, nor will the ones left by Wiggins and Joe ... two of the best role players in the NBA.
The Thunder did add Aday Mara and Bennet Stirtz with their 2026 draft choices, but both are unproven and may be forced into larger roles than the Spurs' rookies.
San Antonio will be a year older, didn't lose any primary pieces this summer and added even more talent to one of the league's premier rosters.
Oklahoma City, while cutting salary, lost three players who helped it capture its first title and will be relying on inexperienced youngsters to pick up the slack.
While this could obviously change once the regular season officially begins, as things stand in mid-to-late July, the Spurs have to be considered the favorites to win the Western Conference yet again.
