The Oklahoma City Thunder's chances of becoming a dynasty might be at risk due to the NBA's apron rules.
Even though the franchise has done everything by the book and made the right moves en route to becoming champions, they are still at risk of moving on from key pieces of their championship core in the next couple of years. This notable flaw drew criticism from veteran forward Kevin Love.
Why Kevin Love hates NBA's apron rules
Love is going through his 18th year in the league, his first with the Utah Jazz. He won the championship alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in 2016 on top of making four additional appearances in the NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.
Love featured as a special guest during a Jan. 6 episode of the Old Man and the Three podcast. He discussed multiple topics in the interview, including his negative perception of the apron rules due to how it minimizes a team's chances to remain dominant with their core in the long term.
"I'll tell you, selfishly, what's really f--king stupid, these aprons are f**king with the game," Love said. "That's on our side, they know exactly who they are that did it. … You're telling me Oklahoma City can't keep those three guys together because of these aprons? That's bulls**t. You're telling me Sam Presti, the greatest, all the things that he's done, is handcuffed because of these f**king aprons?"
"So, for drafting well and building a team in the greatest of ways, you can't keep teams together?" Love continued. "They have something special there, and the fact that that team can't stay together because of these rules being implemented... These are homegrown guys, they've done the work, they did the due diligence to draft these guys."
More: Mark Daigneault admits the Oklahoma City Thunder are learning amid recent slump
The Thunder made a lot of moves to finally reach the mountaintop in 2025. They acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019, drafted Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, signed Isaiah Hartenstein, and traded for Alex Caruso among other decisions to bolster the roster. The fact that a significant chunk of that core could depart due to financial reasons is one that can bring a lot of concern for the rest of the league as well for basketball fans.
Until Oklahoma City comes to those difficult decisions in the near future, the team will keep progressing though an overall strong start in the 2025-26 campaign. They boast a 30-7 record so far this season, the best in the Western Conference standings and the NBA. They are above the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers in the West.
Following their Jan. 7 matchup against the Utah Jazz, the Thunder will be on the road for their next contest. They face the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 9 at 8 p.m. ET.
More NBA News:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander praises Chet Holmgren for OKC's success
- Steve Kerr admits the Thunder and the Spurs are long-term championship contenders
- Mark Daigneault continues to be impressed by Ajay Mitchell's breakout for the OKC Thunder