The Thunder are biggest winners of the offseason (so far) after signing Isaiah Hartenstein

The Oklahoma City Thunder have done a tremendous job, adding the perfect role players to surround their already impressive young core of talent.

After finishing tied for the best record in the Western Conference last year, the Thunder made a solid move to acquire defensive stalwart Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls. Oklahoma City also did well in the draft, adding a promising young guard later in the lottery with Nikola Topic.

They have since reportedly signed former New York Knicks big man Isaiah Hartenstein, who had a breakout season in 2023-24. Put it all together and all of these moves are sound, financially savvy, and also address the issues that they ran into during the postseason.

Other organizations pursued bigger stars and made splashier moves than the Oklahoma City front office did so far this offseason.

But those teams will have to clear their books and consolidate their rosters to make room for their new additions, potentially sacrificing necessary depth in the process.

This team had already re-signed important players such Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, too.

The Thunder still have everyone who played a positive role on their roster but made the right moves around the edges to complement the group that has played so well together. This continuity will keep the chemistry strong as the players continue developing each other.

However, players such as Hartenstein and Caruso will likely increase the overall productivity on both sides of the court as they look to make an even deeper push in the playoffs.

Hartenstein isn't your traditional star signing that "wins" during free agency. But with his size and skill, he will add a necessary edge as a rebounder and a defender while also profiling with an impressive blend of passing and scoring on offense as well.

Caruso, meanwhile, is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. He will fit like a glove around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. It is a good time to invest in Oklahoma City's future.

The Clippers lost Paul George for nothing

Paul George will reportedly sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, officially marking the end of his tenure with the L.A. Clippers.

The Clippers ultimately paid a premium price to acquire George from the Thunder in 2019. While it was perhaps a necessary gamble because it helped the team also acquire Kawhi Leonard, it is wild to consider just how many assets the front office surrendered in this deal five years ago.

Even the organization released a statement acknowledging as much:

“We traded a lot to pair Paul and Kawhi, and in exchange, we had five seasons of contention. Even though we fell short of our ultimate objective, we appreciate the chances we had with Paul.”

Here is more on what they gave up to get him.

Shootaround

— The winners (76ers, of course) and losers (Clippers, naturally) of NBA free agency Day 1

— The Warriors reportedly rebuffed the Bulls over a Zach LaVine offer and moved on really quickly

— The Nuggets may waste a season of Nikola Jokic’s prime after losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

— Clippers title odds plummeted to pre-Kawhi Leonard levels after losing Paul George to the 76ers