The Thunder's return to the NBA Finals has been a long time coming, as Oklahoma City underwent an arduous rebuild to get to this point.
General manager Sam Presti was in charge the last time the Thunder won the West after building a potential juggernaut that had Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. Now, Presti has built a new contender, one that he hopes can finish what the previous Thunder teams started.
Presti is known for his trade acumen, as the veteran executive has stockpiled picks to bring in young talent. That has allowed the Thunder to not only build a dominant team over the past two years but also keep the championship window open well into the future.
How did Presti build a Thunder team so dominant through trades and the draft? Here's a breakdown of the Oklahoma City roster.
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Thunder roster
| Name | Position | Mode of acquisition |
| Branden Carlson | C | UDFA |
| Alex Caruso | G | Trade |
| Ousmane Dieng | F | Draft |
| Luguentz Dort | G | UDFA |
| Alex Ducas | G | UDFA |
| Adam Flagler | F | UDFA |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | G | Trade |
| Isaiah Hartenstein | C | FA |
| Chet Holmgren | F | Draft |
| Isaiah Joe | G | FA |
| Dillon Jones | F | Draft |
| Ajay Mitchell | G | Draft |
| Nikola Topic | F | Draft |
| Cason Wallace | G | Draft |
| Aaron Wiggins | G | Draft |
| Jalen Williams | F | Draft |
| Jaylin Williams | F | Draft |
| Kenrich Williams | F | Trade |
The Thunder only have two key players acquired during the NBA's summer free agency period on their team. Isaiah Hartenstein was Oklahoma City's biggest free agency acquisition of the past few years after signing a three-year, $87 million deal in 2024. He immediately took over a starting role in OKC's frontcourt and has proven to be worth every penny.
Isaiah Joe was a seldom-used guard for Philadelphia, and the Thunder signed him to a three-year, $6 million deal in 2022. He has since signed a four-year, $48 million extension, and he plays an important role off the bench.
Lu Dort was an undrafted free agent, signing with OKC after the draft.
Aside from those players, everyone else on the Thunder was acquired by either trades or on draft day.
Thunder trade timeline
July 2019
The Thunder rebuild began in the 2019 offseason when the team traded Paul George to the Clippers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, and multiple draft picks that included:
- 2021 first-round pick
- 2022 first-round pick
- 2023 protected first-round pick, via Heat
- 2023 first-round pick swap
- 2024 first-round pick
- 2025 first-round pick swap
- 2026 first-round pick
Gilgeous-Alexander obviously headlined this trade, becoming the league MVP in 2024-25, but the trade set Oklahoma City up for the future. Sam Presti would use these picks to help replenish talent, including using one of the first-rounders to take Jalen Williams.
During this offseason, the Thunder also traded Russell Westbrook to the Rockets for Chris Paul two first-round picks (the last of which conveys in 2026), and two pick swaps, officially clearing the way for a rebuild.
November 2020
During the following offseason, Oklahoma City traded away Paul after just one year, clearing cap space and getting back a bunch of veterans and a pick in return.
Additionally, the Thunder were included in a four-team deal that sent away longtime Thunder veteran Steven Adams to the Pelicans. As part of that deal, Oklahoma City acquired veterans George Hill and Darius Miller along with Kenrich Williams and multiple picks. This deal helped Oklahoma City clear cap space while landing Williams, who is still on the team as a depth option.
Finally, the Thunder used some open cap space to acquire Al Horford from the 76ers, as Philadelphia wanted to get rid of the big man's contract. Oklahoma City also acquired two draft picks in the deal, sending Danny Green and Terrance Ferguson the other way. OKC was happy to take on big contracts from other contending teams looking to rid themselves of mistakes, as the Thunder weren't looking to compete in the early 2020s anyway. For their troubles, they stockpiled future draft picks that eventually came due.
July 2021
After Horford's lone year with the Thunder, Oklahoma City sent the big man back to the Celtics, along with Moses Brown and a second-round pick, taking on Kemba Walker's contract and two picks in exchange. The Thunder ultimately waived Walker, who had two years left on his deal, before the season began.
July 2024
After two years where the Thunder largely focused on draft-day moves, Sam Presti made his first big trade to add to a championship-caliber team after the 2023-24 season. Oklahoma City acquired Alex Caruso from the Bulls, adding an important defensive piece, sending Josh Giddey to Chicago. Giddey had been a top-10 pick for Oklahoma City, but given his questionable shooting and relatively mediocre defense, he no longer fit on the roster like Caruso would.
Thunder draft history
Thunder 2019 NBA Draft picks
During the 2019 draft, the Thunder ended up with one pick that they used on Darius Bazley, who fizzled out of the league. However, they did sign Lu Dort as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona State, and Dort remains one of the longest-tenured players on the team.
Thunder 2020 NBA Draft picks
Sam Presti made a bunch of trades during the 2020 draft, ending up with Aleksej Pokusevski, Theo Madden, and Vit Krejci. While Pokusevski was a notable member of some of Oklahoma City's teams in the early 2020s, none remain on the team in 2025.
Thunder 2021 NBA Draft picks
The Thunder ended up with four picks in the 2021 draft, headlined by Josh Giddey out of Australia at No. 6 overall. He would be the main piece of the Alex Caruso trade in the 2024 offseason. Oklahoma City also drafted Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Aaron Wiggins, with Wiggins remaining on the team as a key bench piece.
Thunder 2022 NBA Draft picks
The Thunder rebuild kicked into another gear in 2022 when they drafted two of their most important players. Oklahoma City used the second overall pick on Chet Holmgren out of Gonzaga, then used the No. 12 overall pick, acquired from the Clippers in the Paul George trade, on Jalen Williams out of Santa Clara.
Oklahoma City also had the No. 11 pick in the draft, using it to take Ousmane Dieng out of France, then rounded out the draft by taking Jaylin Williams in the second round. Both those players are on the team, with the other Williams playing a role as a backup forward.
Thunder 2023 NBA Draft picks
In 2023, the Thunder ended up with just two picks, but they used No. 10 on Kentucky's Cason Wallace, who is now a key defensive piece. They also drafted Keyontae Johnson in the second round, but he was waived before the 2024 season.
Thunder 2024 NBA Draft picks
Oklahoma City was once again busy on draft night in 2024, making trades to end up with three picks. The Thunder used those picks on Nikola Topic, Dillon Jones, and Ajay Mitchell, all of whom are on the team as developmental players.