From the Archives: The Trade That Still Funds Oklahoma…

By the Thunder Nightly Desk · Sunday, October 18

Oklahoma City's trade history still shapes this roster: a 2019 deal sent Paul George to the Clippers and brought back the guard who became last season's MVP, while a 2012 deal sent James Harden to Houston for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and future first-round picks. That second trade set the pattern of turning players into draft capital that still funds the 2027 through 2030 picks on the books today.

Thunder Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

The 2012 Pick Habit

Oklahoma City traded James Harden, Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward to Houston in October 2012, with Harden's rookie extension unresolved, and received Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and first-round picks from Toronto and Dallas in return. That instinct for turning players into future selections never left: Oklahoma City now holds pick swaps in the 2027 and 2028 first and second rounds and owns its 2029 and 2030 first and second-round picks outright.

Drafted, Not Traded For

Chet Holmgren arrived with the No. 2 pick in 2022; Jalen Williams followed at No. 12 in the same draft, the kind of return the Harden-era approach to picks was built to produce. Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell and Jaylin Williams were developed the same way, through the draft rather than the trade market. That group started together last season when Oklahoma City beat the Indiana Pacers in seven games for the franchise's first championship since the SuperSonics won it all in 1979, back when the team still played in Seattle.

October's Mixed History

On this date across franchise history, Oklahoma City and Seattle teams have split their games 2-3: wins at Indianapolis in 1978 and at Kansas City in 1980, losses at Phoenix in 1968, at Chicago in 1969 and at home to Detroit in 1974. This year's team enters the date on a 1-4 preseason mark, including an 89-116 loss at Houston on October 15 in which Jalen Williams led OKC with 18 points, with the regular-season record still 0-0 ahead of the opener October 20 at San Antonio.

Why does Oklahoma City have so many future draft picks?

The 2012 trade that sent James Harden to Houston brought back first-round picks from Toronto and Dallas, and the franchise has kept building on that since; it now holds swaps in the 2027 and 2028 first and second rounds and owns its 2029 and 2030 first and second-round picks outright.

When did Oklahoma City last win a championship before 2025?

The franchise's only other title came in 1979, when the club was still the Seattle SuperSonics.

By the Thunder Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.