As we find ourselves in the off-season once again, the Oklahoma City Thunder find themselves looking back at another disapointing season wondering when or if that once inevitable first championship will finally arrive. Looking back two years, the young, up and coming Thunder were looked as the darlings of the NBA, set for an inevitable dynasty. Fast forward two years, with a controversial James Harden trade and back-to-back playoff exits in the books, it is quite clearly now or never for this extremely talented team that once promised so much.

In the summer of 2012, the Oklahoma City Thunder, on the back of their 'Big 3' of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, found themselves in the NBA Finals. Despite a 4-1 loss to the Miami Heat, the team promised so much and few would have guessed that two years down the road, this team, with the most talented young core in the NBA, would have not returned to the Finals. These disappointing playoff exits have not been entirely at the fault of Scott Brooks or Kendrick Perkins or Sam Presti, despite what many casual fans may think. The Thunder have fallen victim to the pressure of the CBA and two devastating injuries to Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka that directly lead to playoff defeats to the Memphis Grizzlies and the San Antonio Spurs. 

With the time of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on contract counting down, this season becomes a must win for the small market side that relies on its die-hard, albeit, reasonably small, local fan base. For that reason, it is now that Sam Presti must, for once, make a 'win now' move that changes the Thunder from 'Title Contenders' to firm 'Title Favorites.' After a plethora of moves that have set the Thunder up for the future, most notably the aforementioned James Harden trade, Sam Presti must look to win now or risk losing his two most prized assets. Here we analyze some potential moves that could put the Thunder in a position to take out the 2014/15 NBA season.

Trade for Established NBA Players

This seems like the most obvious, plausible, and effective option but actually pulling off a trade that would considerably benefit the Thunder's chances this season would be extremely difficult. With post scoring, perimeter defense, and ball handling options being the most glaring issues the Thunder needs addressing, these are the ones that Presti should look to remedy first.

Trade Reggie Jackson, Perry Jones, and a first-round draft pick for Greg Monroe

This is a best case scenario for the Thunder as they receive an established low post threat who is also extremely effective passing out of the high post. This would obviously improve the ball movement that often went lacking during the playoffs. Although Greg Monroe's benefit to the Thunder is obvious, the probability of the move occurring is the one thing that remains to be seen. Sam Presti is traditionally not one to splash out on costless agents however, with the threat of losing Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook looming closer, he may feel as though he has no choice. It has been made clear that Greg Monroe is looking to take his talents elsewhere after he plays out his recently signed qualifying offer and that he would leave the Detroit Pistons with nothing to show for. Accepting this trade would give the Pistons a starting caliber point guard, who is more than capable playing on and off the ball, as well as a project in Perry Jones, who has all the physical tools to become a highly effective player. If the Thunder and Monroe can agree on a long-term commitment, this deal could give the Thunder the 'inside/outside' scoring balance that they have always lacked. Giving up Reggie Jackson would be a blow for the Thunder but his value somewhat diminished with the return of Westbrook and surely Thunder fans would agree that having Monroe over Jackson would indeed be beneficial.

Trade Perry Jones and a first-round draft pick for Jarrett Jack

One of the main downfalls for the Thunder last season was the lack of true ball-handling options the team possessed, which resulted in either Durant or Westbrook holding the ball for a ridiculous length of time. Adding Jack as a genuine sixth man would create a whole new dynamic for the Thunder as his distribution and ability to manage the pick and roll would give the Thunder a much more diverse and potent offence. This would allow Reggie Jackson to move into the starting lineup as he has expressed much interest to do so, all while keeping a ball-handling option for the second unit. Trading a prospect such as Perry Jones is always hard, but he is more likely to flourish with more playing time, and Jarrett Jack would be a better fit for the upcoming season. 

Trade Jeremy Lamb  for Iman Shunpert

Much of the success of the Thunder's best regular season to date, the 2012-13 season, was due to the stellar '3 and D' play of shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha. As Thabo's play dropped last year, so did the Thunder's perimeter shooting and perimeter defense. This was highlighted within one week where Gerald Green and Jodie Meeks both dropped 40-point games on the Thunder's lackluster perimeter defense. With Thabo's unsurprising departure, Oklahoma City will look for a '3 and D' replacement in an attempt to recapture the success which saw them gain the top seed in the West during the 2012-13 season. Enter Iman Shumpert. After entering the league in 2011, Shumpert has established himself as one of the league's top on-ball defender's and has, at times, shown fantastic ability to shoot behind the arc. For the most part of last season, trade rumors followed Shumpert at every turn but never materialized. It's been clear for a while that Shumpert and the Knicks would be mutually happy to part ways which is great news for the Thunder. Shumpert would step in as defensive stopping sixth man who could also play the 3 if Brooks decided to go small with an imposing line-up of Westbrook, Jackson, Shumpert, Durant, and Ibaka. With the offense and defense balanced, that line up could contend with any in the league. Although letting go of Jeremy Lamb is not ideal, especially due to the potential he has shown at times, but gaining Shumpert helps the Thunder this year without seriously harming their long-term future. The Knicks, being the Knicks, may want more than Lamb for their former 17th pick in which case the Thunder may be forced to throw in a first-round pick. Thunder fans can agree that gaining the two-way services of Iman Shumpert would most definitely be worth it and put them in serious title contention.

Sign Remaining Costless Agents

Although much of the talent in costless agency is long gone, there is still one target who the Thunder would benefit significantly by acquiring. 

Sign Ray Allen

At this point in Ray Allen's career, he is after one thing - a championship. It seems as though every year the Thunder miss out on a sharpshooting veteran (think Mike Miller and Ray Allen). However, with the services and veteran leadership of Ray Allen, the Thunder's championship chances are significantly improved. With the dead-eye three-point shooting, the veteran leadership, and even just the clam head that Allen possesses, he should definitely be a target for Sam Presti. The Thunder does have limited cap space, but Allen would most definitely accept a simple one-year, $3 million contract which Oklahoma City could offer.

With reports of Kevin Durant's wandering eye exploring the possibility on a big-market team, the importance of a championship this year for Oklahoma City is undeniable. They have an unbelievably talented squad. However, there remain gaps that teams such as the San Antonio Spurs can definitely exploit. By making a few simple and realistic moves, the Thunder will be able to get better in the short-term while retaining its superstar core for the long-term.  

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