Josh Hart explains why OKC won't be hit with new salary cap rules: "They're in kind of a good situation"

Josh Hart explains why OKC won’t be hit with new salary cap rules: “They’re in kind of a good situation” originally appeared on Basketball Network.

What a season it’s been for the Oklahoma City Thunder and it’s only fair to highlight the mastermind behind it all — Sam Presti. A 68-14 regular season record, the fifth-best in NBA history, a +12.2 net rating, second-best all-time and the franchise’s first-ever NBA championship.

On top of that, Presti was named Executive of the Year and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander collected nearly every major individual honor available after putting together one of the greatest seasons by a guard in league history.

Last season, their young head coach Mark Daigneault won Coach of the Year and despite being the youngest team in the league, OKC finished first in the West for the second straight year. Their core trio earned the ultimate sign of trust from Presti this summer — three max contracts totaling an unbelievable 822 million dollars over the next five seasons. We’re talking, of course, about Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and SGA.

Those deals will push OKC over the second tax apron by over $20 million in the 2026-27 season, but Josh Hart doesn’t think that will be a problem for the Thunder.

“They got their main guys,” Hart said on the “Roommates show.” “They’re in kind of a good situation with how their rebuild is because when that year comes up, they’ve got a couple guys that have team options and most likely won’t be there, how that money shakes out, cause you have three main max guys.”

“But they have so many first-round picks and so many draft picks where it’s like, you can probably get by with some of these young dudes who are playing well that are on these small contracts. You can sit there and package three first-round picks and get a lottery pick who’s performing like a 20–30 million dollar guy but is on a rookie deal and making like eight,” Hart concluded.

OKC has the best chance of becoming a dynasty in the coming years

Oklahoma controls an incredible 37 draft picks over the next six seasons — a masterpiece of Presti’s long-term planning. What Hart really touched on is the value of those trade chips, which can always be used in various deals.

Presti gave himself room to maneuver; he didn’t sign his three stars without thinking ahead. That’s exactly why OKC has the best chance of becoming a dynasty in the coming years. Charles Barkley is convinced they’ll be the top contender for years to come.

“They’re (OKC) gonna be the favorites the next three or four years,” he said. “They’re young, they’re talented, they’re very well coached. Now the Rockets have had a great summer. So have the Nuggets. But those are the top three teams in the West right now.”

The Thunder has massive flexibility for the coming seasons

OKC will surely enter next season as the top title favorite, but the reinforcements Barkley mentioned regarding the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets will be serious challenges for the Thunder.

And no one knows how thin the line between the top and the bottom is better than the 2024 champions, the Boston Celtics. On their title defense path this year, they lost Jayson Tatum for the entire upcoming season, which led to trades of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, while Al Horford is nearing retirement.

All of that shows just how fine the line is between dominance and disaster and while OKC has massive flexibility for the coming seasons, a serious injury to one of their three core stars would be a devastating blow.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 20, 2025, where it first appeared.

Josh Hart explains why OKC won’t be hit with new salary cap rules: “They’re in kind of a good situation”

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