ESPN puts OKC Thunder in all-in tier to have extended championship window

Now that the NBA is in vacation mode, the next couple of months are the perfect time to reflect on the offseason and see how teams stand out ahead of the 2025-26 season. After bringing home a championship in style with a dominant year, the Oklahoma City Thunder are the popular pick to repeat.

One way ESPN has done that is by publishing its yearly all-in tiers. ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton categorized all 30 NBA teams into eight different all-in tiers that define what a successful season would look like. From championship aspirations to player development.

For the Thunder, they were put into the "all-in on an extended championship window" group. Other members were the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks and Orlando Magic. The Thunder are the only team in that group that has already won the Larry O'Brien trophy with their current core.

"There's no precedent for winning a championship and having up to six extra first-round picks coming, not to mention swaps that could dramatically improve Thunder picks likely to fall late in the round," ESPN wrote. "Now that Oklahoma City has extended MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, plus All-Star Jalen Williams and cornerstone Chet Holmgren, the luxury tax will be a challenge. But the Thunder might be less all-in than any team trying to repeat in modern NBA history."

That's a pretty fair assessment. The Thunder are best set up to contend in the short-term and long-term future. That's the luxury you're afforded when you become the second-youngest NBA champion in league history. With their star trio signed to new deals, expect OKC to be in this tier for the foreseeable future.

New ESPN story: Not every NBA team will enter this season with a realistic expectation of winning an NBA title. But, for all 30 of them, they will begin the year all-in on a goal.

So, @kpelton and I broke down what being “all-in” for each of them means. https://t.co/JfJXBHCpcp

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) August 4, 2025

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: ESPN puts Thunder in all-in tier to have extended championship window