I think it's fair to assume that Canada is raising their hands in celebration, as arguably the nation's best basketball export since Steve Nash—Shai Gilgeous-Alexander—has led his Oklahoma City Thunder squad to be crowned the 2025 NBA Champions.
It was a highly emotional Game 7, not only because the Thunder ultimately prevailed as world champions, but also because Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton (who had embarked on one of the most inspirational postseason runs with his Indiana team) suffered a devastating Achilles injury in the opening quarter.
I believe the general consensus now is that we've likely entered the OKC Thunder era. It certainly makes sense, considering this title squad is largely a testament to the masterful construction by Sam Presti — an absolute front-office wizard who built a winning core through the draft and ultimately found their savior in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the standout young talent acquired in their tremendous Paul George trade haul.
We all know the Thunder's reputation across the league in the 2020s: they were chock-full of draft assets, both in the lottery and second round. That’s still not a closed chapter either — OKC continues to hold a substantial amount of future draft capital to leverage.
Sure, some of their picks turned out to be busts — you can't win 'em all. But, case in point, the Thunder had the right idea in focusing on developing young talent into win-now stars, and they stuck to that approach throughout.
Yes, they traded for Alex Caruso, gave chances to overlooked players like Isaiah Joe, and signed Isaiah Hartenstein last summer — moves that provided extra boost to an already solid foundation built around their talented young core. While it might have been tempting to blow things up in pursuit of a superstar, OKC chose to proceed cautiously. Now, they’re reaping the rewards of that patience.
For the Toronto Raptors, I’m not saying they’re on track to become the Oklahoma City Thunder — but they should take note of what OKC achieved. They shouldn’t rush to abandon their young core just to make a blockbuster move for the sake of it. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not oblivious to the Raptors' desperate need for a true star option.
However, like OKC, Toronto also needs to be mindful of the path they’re setting with their hungry young players, balancing development with the pursuit of star talent.
Thunder title triumph should be a valuable lesson to the Raptors
Sure, recent draft lotteries haven’t been kind—missing out on potentially franchise-altering talent—but perhaps retooling their current core should be top priority over a rash blowup. Finding that Jalen Williams or Chet Holmgren-esque player hidden beneath the allure of megastar pursuits.
People may say what they want about Scottie Barnes, and while I have also raised some concerns, he's still a young player with a wealth of growth ahead of him. It might be wishful thinking, but perhaps he could also blossom into that SGA-level player for Toronto.
Sometimes, you need to make the ultimate sacrifice for your franchise’s greater good — Toronto already did that once for Kawhi Leonard and it paid off. But in 2025, with the recently crowned OKC Thunder as proof, it’s clear that the star-chasing era is winding down.
I’m not entirely opposed to being in the hunt for stars (if it's low-cost, then definitely go for it), but for many teams, that narrow-minded strategy has often led to a further fall from grace. Toronto should resist falling into this trap and instead consider borrowing lessons from the Thunder’s playbook.