The Oklahoma City Thunder became the seventh team in NBA history to win 68 games this season. Six of those previous teams made the Finals. Five of 'em won it all.
All indicators point to OKC as runaway favorites in the West. It's easy to overlook the Thunder in favor of flashier markets — we've all been locked on Luka Dončić and the Lakers — but if we are going based on resume and accomplishment, there isn't a single team on OKC's level. They are the favorites to win the West, and maybe to win the championship.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has enjoyed one of the most productive scoring campaigns of all time. OKC's defense is unmatched. The Thunder's average point differential this season (12.9) is the highest ever. Literally, no team has ever dominated teams so thoroughly in the regular season. Maybe youth gets to them in the playoffs, but the holes are few and far between. Especially given Mark Daigneault's adaptability and innovation on the sideline.
What's more impressive is that OKC has more room to grow. This is a young team just coming into its status as West frontrunners. Sam Presti has the deepest draft stores of any NBA GM. He quite literally won't be able to use all the first-round picks OKC has on the docket.
So, not only are the Thunder dominant, but OKC is positioned for major upgrades and a steady pipeline of young, affordable talent for the next five years at least.
Former Boston Celtics legend and NBA Hall of Fame member Paul Pierce believes OKC should double down on this window and explore adding another MVP talent to the mix alongside Gilgeous-Alexander.
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Paul Pierce pitches Nikola Jokić trade to Thunder as Nuggets implode
Pierce's pitch is simple: OKC has the assets to make the Denver Nuggets an offer they can't refuse for three-time MVP Nikola Jokić.
Is this a bit outlandish? Perhaps. The Nuggets don't appear keen on replacing Jokić, who gives them a puncher's chance every season. Jokić also doesn't seem the type to rock the boat, so we shouldn't expect a trade demand. This has been a rough season for Denver, leading to Michael Malone and Calvin Booth's dismissal mere days before the playoffs, but the Nuggets are less than two years removed from a championship. Denver probably hangs up the phone.
So, if we are grading the take for believability, it's probably a low score. That said... it's a fun concept, and Pierce is right to a certain extent. OKC can engineer the best hypothetical trade package for a player of Jokić's caliber, and it wouldn't even need to include SGA. Should the Denver situation sour, just hypothetically, OKC has the ammo and the win-now motivation to vault to the front of the line for a Jokić trade.
Take a moment to close your eyes and imagine what Jokić and SGA, the two best players in the NBA, would look like in tandem. There'd be a feeling out process, but Jokić is probably the most selfless superstar in league history. He's perfectly comfortable and willing to focus on elevating teammates. His gravity as a post playmaking hub, combined with SGA's constant rim pressure and elite self-creation, would vault OKC's offense to the top of the league. It barely matters who else is left at that point.
There's a good chance OKC needs to include one of Chet Holmgren or Jalen Williams, along with a bunch of other high-level prospects and future picks. Jokić wouldn't come cheap. Some will debate if OKC should even break up its perfectly manicured long-term plan for such a trade, but it's Jokić. He's the best player of his generation and a one-man championship engine. OKC has a chance to rack up several rings with such a duo.
So, I like where your head's at, Paul. We should be so lucky to watch Jokić and SGA, two international stars of the highest order, elevating a small-market franchise like OKC to the pinacle of NBA glory.