OKC Thunder Well Positioned to Take On Daunting Task of Building a Dynasty

Over the last decade, the NBA has seen plenty of super teams.

Since 2010, there has certainly been a handful of dynasties, too.

Not dynasties in the sense of winning championships every single season, but always being in contention, retention of the entire team, and a few rings to go with it.

Teams like the Spurs, the Cavaliers, and the Heat come to mind and of course, the real dynasty, the Golden State Warriors.

That Warriors team seemed to be one of the last straws for the NBA, though, as the league transitioned to a new CBA after Golden States reign of sheer power.

Gone are the days of accumulating that amount of star power and not paying any real sort of repercussion.

This version of the NBA is focused on team building, drafting, and strategic moves within the front office.

It felt targeted to stop super teams and to instead create parity.

So far, so good.

With that, though, theres no real way to navigate these waters without trial and error.

Nobody has had to build a team under these circumstances, and much less, build a dynasty.

It wont look like what the Warriors built, but its still always going to be possible.

The question now is, what front office is going to crack the code first.

And it seems like Oklahoma City has the inside track.

In ESPNs latest article about building a dynasty in the modern NBA, it goes into extreme detail about just how deliberate and meticulous it must be.

You simply cant take missteps.

And in the short time that the new CBA has been in action, Oklahoma City seems to be on the right track.

No team is better positioned to navigate the league's financial picture than the defending champion Thunder, Tim Bontemps wrote .

Oklahoma City signed its three stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , Jalen Williams , and Chet Holmgren to massive contract extensions this summer.

But the Thunder also surrounded them with veterans on sensible contracts and players on rookie deals, which, along with having more draft picks in the years to come, will allow the Thunder to avoid the repeater tax until the end of the decade.

Oklahoma Citys plan seems to be pretty clear.

Surround its three stars with players on team-friendly deals and rookie contracts.

The Thunder already locked up the likes of Aaron Wiggins , Isaiah Joe , Jaylin Williams , and Ajay Mitchell on team-friendly contracts four rock solid role players in the NBA.

That doesnt mean only the big three can get paid, but once the Thunder starts diving into the aprons of taxes, itll be up to ownership to see just how far theyre willing to go.

"So OKC, yeah, Chet, Shai and Jalen can stay together, but Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort and Alex Caruso and these other guys may have to go as those guys progress and get expensive, one executive told ESPN.

The craziest part for the Thunder is that these questions wont need to be asked for a few more seasons.

Oklahoma City is clean on the books for next season and potentially beyond.

With one ring under their belt, the dynasty is kicking off before it gets too expensive.

Its unclear how any team will navigate building yearly contenders, and how feasible it is to have a dynasty in the modern NBA.

But Oklahoma City could end up being case study No.

1 no matter which way it goes..

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