NBA-NEWS: Following an unfulfield agreement, the franchise three-star point guard for the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors has officially signed a four-year, $135.3 million contract, according to CBS. The franchise three-star point guard formally announced the trade after….

A wild trade to cement OKC’s status as a Western Conference powerhouse.

The Oklahoma City Thunder were the No. 1 seed in a competitive Western Conference last season despite the second-youngest roster in the NBA. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander emerged as a bonafide MVP candidate, while Chet Holmgren finished second in Rookie of the Year voting and Jalen Williams took a sizable sophomore leap.

Rather than resting on their laurels this summer, Sam Presti has finally implemented an aggressive approach to team-building. OKC isn’t sitting back to canvass the league and wait its turn. The Thunder are operating like a team dedicated to winning it all right now, as they should be.

What’s so great about OKC’s rebuild is that they can maintain long-term flexibility and sustainability, while also putting a competitive roster together in the short term. Trading Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso was an all-time heist, while prying Isaiah Hartenstein away from the New York Knicks addresses OKC’s primary weakness — a lack of physicality on the glass and in the paint defensively.

These upgrades put OKC close to the top of the Western Conference hierarchy, if not at the very top. Ask me to predict the NBA Finals matchup next season and I’d probably say Celtics-Thunder. And yet, OKC still has the deepest reservoir of future draft picks in the league, as well as plenty of young talent to float in trade conversations. Even better, OKC still has the financial flexibility to accommodate a max contract.