Nearly two years since it was first voted in, the finally had a chance to see what their new home will look like three years before they officially move in. Renderings were at OKC's State of the City address.
The NBA champion is set to move to a new downtown OKC arena in 2028. That means only three more seasons will be played at Paycom Center. The $900 million construction cost guarantees the Thunder will stay in OKC through 2053 once it signs a new long-term lease.
The Thunder have played at Paycom Center since their relocation from Seattle in 2008. The arena opened in 2002 and is one of the smaller NBA homes. It was formerly known as the Chesapeake Energy Arena before being rebranded as Paycom Center in 2021.
After capturing an NBA championship, the Thunder should remain a title contender throughout Paycom Center's final years. When the new OKC arena opens, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren will still be under contract.
Golden State has yet to add a player since the league’s free agency negotiating window opened on largely due to restricted free agent forward but whenever the transaction logjam breaks, NBA insider Marc Stein expects the Warriors to come away with two veteran free agents they have been tied to all summer.
“My expectation is that one way or another, the Warriors are going to end up with both [Al] Horford and [De’Anthony] Melton on their roster,” Stein said
Stein also reported that the Warriors have interest in soon-to-be free agent guard Bradley Beal, who currently is with the Phoenix Suns.
“They still have interest in Bradley Beal. I would say most people around the league don’t expect the Warriors to win that race, but I don’t know I would say they’re all the way out of it,” Stein added. “We don’t know exactly yet what Bradley Beal’s choice will be.”
While a move for Beal might seem unlikely, the Warriors eventually appears to be a foregone conclusion among some NBA insiders, including Stein.
Golden State has made it clear it would like to add size and shooting this offseason, and Horford checks both boxes, while Melton, who signed with the Warriors last offseason and played in six games and eventually was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, impressed in his brief stint with the team and was a favorite among the coaching staff and the fan base.
It remains to be seen when these moves could materialize, with Kuminga’s situation potentially the first domino to fall, but once there is clarity there, the Warriors soon could add two key veterans to their roster.
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