Are the OKC Thunder Favorites to Win Western Conference Following Offseason Moves?

The Oklahoma City Thunder could be the favorites out West in the 2024-25 campaign after recent moves.

Dec 8, 2023; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7), and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrate after Chet Holmgren scores a basket against the Golden State Warriors during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Things change through the course of the summer in the NBA, the league shifts, teams shuffle through players as expectations, perceptions and odds are altered with each passing tweet from your top news breaker of choice.

A season ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder made a second straight 15-plus win improvement, leaping from 40 wins in 2022-23 to 57 wins. This allowed the Thunder to become the youngest team in NBA history to grab hold of a No. 1 seed en route to their first playoff series win since 2016.

Boasting one of the best young cores in the NBA, Sam Presti and company got to work early in the offseason shipping out Josh Giddey to the Windy City in favor of Alex Caruso which immediately upgrades the team's roster.

Caruso is a 40 percent 3-point shooter who will make you pay for cross-matching against him, needing to stay tethered to him on the outside could force matchups to play rising star Chet Holmgren straight-up with a big man being left on an island in which case Barbeque Chicken will be on the menu every night in Bricktown.

The splash moves were not done for Presti and company as the team went and signed their biggest Free Agent in team history inking Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year $87-Million pact to lure him away from the contending Knicks and sure up their rotation.

Perhaps the Thunder's fatal flaw a year ago was not being able to go big as teams threw out physical lineups, Hartenstein allows Oklahoma City to stay true to their style while also becoming the NBA's Chameleon adapting to whatever tactics the opposing bench boss wants to throw out and eventually dictating the terms of engagement.

From being labeled as too small to be able at times to deploy a lineup fit to defend the biggest units teams can throw at them with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-Caruso-Jalen Williams-Holmgren-Hartenstein on the floor when needed.

The Thunder also remain the best small-ball team in the NBA and now will be able to spread out 48 minutes of high-quality rim-protected with Holmgren being spelled by Hartenstein off the bench rather than just Jaylin Williams who continues to improve down low, now shifting into a valuable third big man spot.

Hartenstein fits the Thunder's play style like a glove and is a price tag that is worth it and a luxury Oklahoma City can afford.

On top of these headline-stealing moves, Oklahoma City boasts an interesting 2024 NBA Draft class that includes a Red Shirt guard Nikola Topic, an unorthodox swingman (and Member of the All-Juice Team) Dillon Jones, and electrifying scoring guard Ajay Mitchell.

These additions while banking on internal growth by the best 26-and-under NBA core and a coach of the year pacing the sidelines have expectations at a high for Oklahoma City. Are they the favorites in the Western Conference?

As the NBA offseason continues to tick by like sand through an hourglass, it is becoming more evident that the OKC Thunder have positioned themselves as the favorites out West.

With the ingredients needed to bake a Championship cake featuring a top-five player in the sport flanked by two rising stars who are sure to play at All-Star caliber levels, the perfect cast of role players around them and a legitimate identity already crafted.

As the Nuggets lose Kentavious Caldwell-Pop and the Mavericks see Derrick Jones Jr. and Josh Green be removed from their Western Conference title roster, there are questions surrounding these two squads who are still sure to be in the same tier as Oklahoma City given their high-end talent.

The Mavericks have done the work to subsidize their loss bringing in Nanji Marshall who playing next to Luka Doncic could easily duplicate or surpass Jones Jr.'s success and Klay Thompson having a chance to revitalize his career alongside the likes of Kyrie Irving and Doncic, it wouldn't be the first time a once highly touted veteran earned a new lease on life following a change of scenery.

Though, blending the work the Thunder have done this summer with their attitude toward the regular season compared to the modern era it seems clear Oklahoma City is on track to grab the No. 1 seed if healthy for the second straight season - but more importantly they are primed to navigate the postseason better than anyone.

While it is easy to quibble with who should technically be deemed favorites, one thing is for sure: Should Williams and Holmgren be ready to shoulder their share in the postseason, few can stop the Thunder - the one that can is likely out East clad in Green and White.

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