The Thunder and Spurs have built talented young rosters that look capable of contending for championships for the next five or 10 years, but rival teams won’t be content to take a step back and wait their turn until those potential dynasties in Oklahoma City and San Antonio eventually crumble, writes Howard Beck of The Ringer.
“The notion that everyone is just gonna accept it is insane,” an executive from an Eastern Conference playoff team told Beck. “Everybody that are in these jobs are competitive. They’re not just gonna accept it. A team like San Antonio, who have gotten lucky to get generational talent multiple times (in the lottery), people take that s–t personally, and they have a drive to beat those guys. They’re not gonna sit back and take a beating for the next 10 years.”
As Beck writes, teams around the NBA figure to seek “advantages in the margins” as they considers ways to match up with and beat these two Western Conference powerhouses. Wild-card factors like injuries could also affect the ability of OKC and San Antonio to make deep playoff runs in certain years. Plus, there’s no guarantee that either team will be able to maintain the star power and depth of their respective rosters as their key players get more expensive and they have to navigate punitive apron-related restrictions.
“People are gonna figure it out, how to beat them,” that same exec told Beck. “With the rules the way they are, San Antonio may not be able to keep all those guys. So a window opens up again. You have to be prepared for when that window is there.”
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson will be keeping name in the 2026 NBA draft pool, agent Aaron Mintz tells Jeff Borzello of ESPN. Anderson, a projected top-20 pick, was always expected to forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility and go pro, but now it’s confirmed. “This is a dream I’ve worked toward my entire life, and the fact that it’s now a real opportunity is something I don’t take for granted,” said Anderson, who ranks 16th on ESPN’s board. “I’m incredibly grateful for the chance to compete at the highest level in the world, and I’m ready to make the most of it.”
- Former NBA head coach Dave Joerger has interviewed with Melbourne United for their head coaching vacancy, reports Pete Hooley for NBL.com.au. Joerger compiled a 245-247 record in six seasons coaching Memphis and Sacramento and has spent the past two years as a Bucks assistant. As Hooley notes, he has a strong relationship with veteran forward Joe Ingles, who is joining Melbourne United for the 2026/27 season.
- ESPN’s Zach Kram, Ben Golliver, and Andre Snellings propose six hypothetical offseason trades that could shake up the league, including one that sends Ja Morant to Minnesota and one sending Kyrie Irving to Detroit. Evaluating the trade concepts, Bobby Marks is most intrigued by one that sends Daniel Gafford from Dallas to the Lakers, reuniting him with former pick-and-roll partner Luka Doncic.
- In a story open to non-subscribers, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron hands out his front office awards for the 2025/26 season. Gozlan lauds the Celtics for the best salary cap management and the Thunder for maintaining the most efficient payroll, while dubbing the Hawks‘ deal with Nickeil Alexander-Walker the best value signing.
Thunder and Spurs front offices have learned to work the current system before everybody else did. They likely will do the same when it comes to working the tax penalties. Everybody else is jumping on the bandwagon a little later.
Sure, both those teams had good fortune in the draft but they put themselves in a position to take advantage. Plenty of lottery picks have failed to thrive with the teams that drafted them.