Gilbert Arenas makes bold prediction of OKC Thunder crashing out before NBA Finals: "0% chance"
The Western Conference seeding remained uncertain until the last regular season game, except for the OKC Thunder. The Thunder were the only team in the West to reach the 60-win threshold (68-14) and are the best team in the league in terms of wins and losses.
Due to how well they did this season, it only makes sense that they are among the favorites to win the championship. However, former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas has no faith in the Thunder to make a deep playoff run. He doesn't think they'll make it out of the West.
Arenas shared his thoughts on "Gil's Arena" on Wednesday after his co-host, Josiah Johnson, asked what their chances are of making the Finals.
"To reach the Finals, I give them 0%" Arenas said.
His controversial response drew a mix of reactions from his co-hosts. Brandon Jennings agreed with him while Lexie Brown appeared in disbelief. Meanwhile, Nick Young said that he thinks the young OKC Thunder squad has a 50-50 chance of making the Finals.
Oklahoma's roster has the youngest average age among any other squad in the league. Per NBA.com, their average age this season is 24.1 years old.
Alex Caruso, 31 and the team's oldest player, has seven NBA seasons under his belt and championship experience from the 2020 LA Lakers. The second-oldest player is 30-year-old Kenrich Williams with six years of league experience, while the rest are 26 or younger.
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Gilbert Arenas thinks the OKC Thunder will lose the young players who have helped them succeed
The OKC Thunder have the brightest future in the league based on their performance this year. Despite the youngest roster in the league, they reached the top of a competitive Western Conference.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and other young players contributing, the Thunder could be a title threat for years if they maintain this roster - a task that Gilbert Arenas thinks would be difficult since the franchise won't be able to afford to keep everyone.
"That's the only bad part about young teams being successful," Arenas said. "You can look at the (Trail Blazers) and you can say, alright, all you young guys aren't helping us be successful so I can get you on a deal and whatever you grow into, we're cool. The (Thunder), they're all helping for the success." (1:58:24-1:58:43)
The OKC Thunder need not rush decisions this summer. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is under contract until 2027. His All-Star teammate Jalen Williams will be a restricted free agent after 2026. Chet Holmgren will also be a restricted free agent at the same time
Both Luguents Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein have a team option in 2026-27. Isaiah Joe has the same option for 2027-28 and Aaron Wiggins has it for the 2028-29 season. Meanwhile, Cason Wallace - still on his rookie contract - has a team option for the next two seasons.