With the series tied at 2-2, the Oklahoma City Thunder will play host to the Denver Nuggets this evening in what feels like a must-win Game 5 for OKC.
Despite firing Head Coach Mike Malone just weeks before the start of the playoffs, Denver was a motivated team looking to make a deep postseason run. The Nuggets are a proven championship-caliber team that has a ton of veteran and playoff experience, as they're coming off an impressive first-round series win over the Clippers in seven games.
Led by three-time MVP and former Finals MVP Nikola Jokić, has been nothing short of sensational through the first four games of this series. Jokić has led the way for Denver, averaging 26.5 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists while shooting a rough 39.1 percent from the floor.
With Jokic and the rest of the Nuggets players following suit, they have a chance to knock off the #1 seed and send them into a franchise-altering offseason.
Expectations for the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City has now had back-to-back regular seasons finishing atop the Western Conference with 57 wins last season, and a franchise record 68 wins this season. As this young core has grown and developed over the years, expectations have changed, and they're aiming to make their first Conference Finals appearance since the 2015-16 season.
This core got their first taste of the postseason last year and ultimately fell to the Dallas Mavericks in the Conference Semifinals. They went out this offseason and brought in key veterans such as Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein to bolster this roster.
OKC has gotten a taste of playoff basketball, they improved significantly from last season, and they have a former Coach of the Year and now MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This team no longer gets to use their youth as an excuse.
OKC's trade capital
If the Thunder find themselves losing this series, there is a very real possibility that the Thunder make significant changes to their roster this offseason as they attempt to add a superstar caliber player to take this team to the next level.
The Thunder's General Manager, Sam Presti, has done a phenomenal job over the years of bringing in the right mix of young and veteran players that has helped get this OKC team to where they're at today. More impressively, he has stockpiled draft capital and assets better than almost any other front office in the NBA, which will position him to make a big splash this offseason if he chooses to do so.
Oklahoma City has 15 first-round picks and 17 second-round picks until the 2031 season. They currently have 15 players under contract entering this offseason, with a maximum of 10 tradable future first-round picks.
Superstars available?
Suns forward Kevin Durant has been one of the biggest names thrown around that could potentially get traded this offseason. With the Suns' uncertainty moving forward about their franchise's direction, they may aim to ship KD off and try to acquire draft capital that they're currently lacking.
If KD were traded to the Thunder, it would be a reunion, and it would appear to be a nice story to end his career where it all began. On the other hand, many Thunder fans still feel a certain way about KD leaving OKC for Golden State during the 2016 offseason, so maybe there is tension still there. Nonetheless, adding KD to this current OKC roster would make them a very scary team next season.
Now, the biggest name that may be traded this offseason could be Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo. ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania reported Giannis, for the first time in his career, is open-minded about whether his best fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere.
With the Thunder having plenty of draft capital and enticing young pieces that could lure Milwaukee into potentially making this trade, one can only imagine how great a pairing of SGA and Giannis would be for the foreseeable future.
Even if Sam Presti and the Thunder don't shoot for the stars and go after a KD or Giannis this offseason, expect this team to still be aggressive all offseason long. There are still plenty of high-end talented players that will be available via free agency or maybe on the trade block that would improve this roster and take them to another level.
This team has shown that they're one of the best teams in the NBA over the last two seasons, and I expect them to be aggressive and attempt to compete for a championship now.