The Thunder didn’t just survive the summer - they put pressure on two of the teams chasing them.
Oklahoma City’s moves have helped chip away at the Denver Nuggets, and the ripple effects could matter for years. The Thunder’s push contributed to Denver losing 23-year-old Peyton Watson this offseason, and that matters even more because the Nuggets still owe Oklahoma City two future first-round picks.
One of the biggest reasons Denver’s finances got squeezed was the Thunder’s aggressive offer sheet for restricted free agent Spencer Jones. Jones, 25, had a strong season on a two-way deal, hitting 39.6 percent from three and starting 37 of his 64 games. Oklahoma City signed him to a two-year, $12M offer sheet, which forced Denver to move over the second apron of the luxury tax just to keep him.
That domino effect made it close to impossible for the Nuggets to satisfy Watson’s contract demands. Watson ultimately landed with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a four-year, $88M sign-and-trade, and Denver got a first-round pick in 2031 in return.
That pick comes long after Oklahoma City’s own Nuggets-related assets are in play. The Thunder already control Denver’s first-round pick in next year’s draft, a selection that traces back to the 2022 draft-night deal that sent Watson to the Nuggets at No.
- Oklahoma City also has the right to swap for Denver’s 2029 first-rounder from another draft-night move in 2023.
So the equation is pretty clear: the weaker Denver gets, the easier life should be for the Thunder in the Western Conference, and the cleaner those future draft assets may look.
Oklahoma City also took aim at another rival through its own roster decisions. To manage its own finances, the Thunder traded multiple rotation players this summer, including Aaron Wiggins and Lugentz Dort, sending both to the Atlanta Hawks in separate deals and collecting second-round picks.
Those moves saved Oklahoma City more than $27M for next season, along with additional tax payments. They also should help Atlanta win more games, which matters because the San Antonio Spurs own the right to swap for the Hawks’ first-round pick next summer.
If the Hawks are better, the Spurs’ possible return gets worse. And considering Oklahoma City mostly brought back second-round picks, it’s tough to ignore the idea that making Atlanta a little stronger - and San Antonio’s draft situation a little less favorable - was part of the plan.
The Thunder still enter next season as the title favorites. This summer showed why: they’re not just thinking about the next game. They’re thinking several moves ahead.
In Other News...
Spurs Rookies Bring One Immediate Frontcourt Question Into Focus
The Spurs latest draft haul only sharpened the conversation around a frontcourt that already looked different after a run to the NBA Finals. San Antonio used two first-round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft to add Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr., giving the group another layer of size around Victor Wembanyama, Luke Kornet and Tobias Harris as the team tries to keep building on its momentum.
Both rookies fit the Spurs long-term need for more depth and physicality inside, but their paths to that role are not identical. Quaintance arrives as a promising piece with a delayed start to his rookie year, while Reed is positioned to make a quicker case for minutes, leaving the Spurs with an immediate question about how quickly this new mix can settle into place. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs May Have Found A Sneaky Move That Matters In June
San Antonio added a familiar kind of veteran insurance in Tobias Harris, a 15-year NBA veteran whose presence should give the Spurs a sturdier look in the frontcourt. The move is aimed at strengthening the power forward rotation and adding another option who can score and handle different lineup combinations, a useful trait for a team still sorting out its depth.
For the Spurs, the appeal is less about changing the top of the roster and more about finding dependable minutes when the second unit comes in. Harris brings the kind of bench scoring and versatility that can settle a game when the offense stalls, and the hope in San Antonio is that a seemingly modest addition now could pay off when the margins get tighter later in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Victor Wembanyama Is Already Becoming The Wests Ultimate Measuring Stick
Victor Wembanyama is already forcing the league to adjust its language around matchups, and Anthony Edwards is the latest star to make that plain. After their Western Conference finals meeting, the Timberwolves guard acknowledged the Spurs center as the kind of opponent that sharpens the standard, the sort of player who changes the tone of a series simply by being on the floor.
For San Antonio, that matters almost as much as any box score. Wembanyama is no longer just a rising talent to file away for the future, he is becoming a reference point for the West itself, the player other elite names now have to measure themselves against. If this is the early shape of a rivalry, it is one the Spurs will be happy to carry forward. [Read more 🡒]