For many seasons now, people have said that the Oklahoma City Thunder and its front office are playing the long game.
While they might not be playoff contenders right now – and may not be for some time – they are slowly accumulating a lot of important draft picks and pieces that will build something powerful in the future.
This entire process may be frustrating to fans and could in fact be shameful to others.
NBA Twitter: what OKC is doing is a black eye
Actual NBA teams: we want to do exactly what OKC is doing
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) September 1, 2022
Brandon Rahbar points out that while some people might not like what the Thunder are doing, they want to do it too.
While people think the Thunder are dragging their feet, other teams within the league are starting to follow the exact same model.
Thunder Up
The Thunder have slowly but surely gained talented players who could someday be superstars or All-Stars.
Over the last few years, they have traded away and landed draft picks that will keep them busy in the draft for years.
And now the Utah Jazz have decided to do the same thing.
Over the last couple of months, the Jazz have been formulating a pathway forward via trades of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.
Now that both of those guys are gone, the Jazz have a collection draft picks and swaps for the foreseeable future.
This is all a result of the hard work of Jazz mastermind Danny Ainge, who has seen the Thunder’s plan and decided to stick to it.
In the long run, this will work very well for the Jazz – and the Thunder – but it will lead to many frustrating moments for the fans, as they sit through many losses with hopes set on the future.
NEXT: The Thunder Released A Positive Chet Holmgren Update