2025 OKC Thunder fan survey results: Most expect another championship

It's August, which means the NBA has entered its driest part of the calendar. The league is on a collective vacation before training camp kicks off in a little over a month. Before you know it, the 2025-26 regular season will start and we'll be back on the gravy train.

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to enjoy their NBA championship. They had one of the greatest seasons ever with a 68-14 regular-season record and brought home the Larry O'Brien trophy. They had a quiet offseason as they will run it back with mostly the same roster.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren all signed long-term deals this past offseason to keep them in OKC for the foreseeable future. To reflect on their championship run and look forward to their repeat chances next season, Thunder Wire conducted a 16-question fan survey.

A total of 617 Thunder fans participated in the survey. Not every question was answered, though. The response totals for each question can be seen at the top left corner of the pie chart results. Let's look at the results:

Most have given the Thunder an A for their offseason. After enjoying a championship, fans got hit with three more dopamine hits when Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren signed nearly $1 billion worth of contract extensions. They'll remain in OKC through the rest of the 2020s.

When you win a championship, everybody feels awesome for the rest of the summer. The Thunder have made a few roster moves. They'll bank on continuity to produce a similar dominant season.

The Thunder smashed their franchise record with 68 regular-season wins. They were a winning machine that also broke the NBA record for all-time point differential at plus-12.9 points. That allowed Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the starters to rest in plenty of fourth quarters.

Thunder fans expect another 60-plus win campaign. With a chance to flirt with 70. Hard to blame them, either. They had awful injury luck in the regular season as Holmgren missed three months with a hip fracture. A healthier campaign should only boost their chances to be a regular-season unstoppable force again.

The Thunder are the consensus favorite. While the NBA hasn't seen back-to-back champions since the Warriors in 2017-18, most expect OKC to have the best shot to break that streak, considering its roster continuity and youth. They were the second-youngest NBA champion ever, which means plenty of players have room to grow.

We'll see if the Thunder can continue to defy the odds. They won an NBA championship with a C-minus playoff run where they were unbeatable at home but human on the road.

After nearly two decades of being one of the best GMs, Sam Presti received his flowers this past year. He won his first Executive of the Year award. He nailed the rebuild and constructed a title winner while working with the constraints of a small-market franchise.

Most Thunder fans know just how important Presti was to their championship ascension. He made all the right bets and received some developmental luck along the way. It's about time after his previous title contender was littered with bad luck.

There were some bumps on the road, but Daigneault led the Thunder to a championship from the sidelines. I don't care how much you hate his small decisions; that's all that matters at the end of the day. He was another gamble that worked out when he was first internally hired as head coach.

Daigneault has gone from unknown to a household name. He's regarded as one of the best head coaches. The developmental track record and win-loss record speak for themselves. He managed to be the rare rebuild head coach who was also there to win a title.

Even though the Thunder won the championship, they still had the draft to focus on a couple of days later. Such is life in the NBA calendar. Usually, most title winners would pick last in the first round at No. 30. But nope. The asset-rich OKC was gifted the No. 15 pick from the Heat.

The Thunder added Thomas Sorber and Brooks Barnhizer. The former is seen as Isaiah Hartenstein's eventual replacement. If he can turn into a solid role player, that should help OKC remain a title contender for the long-term future.

This was an easy choice. Gilgeous-Alexander has signed a third contract with the Thunder. He will be in OKC through the rest of his prime. That should keep them in the title conversation alone. He just had one of the greatest individual seasons ever, where he brought home about every award.

Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the NBA's best players. He won MVP, NBA Finals MVP and a scoring title. As long as he's healthy, the Thunder will be a viable threat. The nonchalantness of his contract extension being signed was worthy of a celebration in itself.

Another easy choice. Williams has completely flipped his narrative in one playoff run. He went from a questionable second-best player on a title contender to dropping 40 points in an NBA Finals win. He had a career year where he ascended into a first-time All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defense player.

The scary part is, Williams has plenty of room to grow, too. He's one of the best two-way forwards who's capable of scoring an efficient 20-plus points. On the other end, he brings some of the most versatile defense you can find in the NBA. It makes the Gen Z Scottie Pippen comparisons sound sane.

This was another easy choice, despite what some might say. The Thunder don't win a championship without Holmgren. He might've missed most of the regular season, but he made up for it with a stellar playoff run that saw him be the third-best player.

Holmgren still has a while to go as a scorer, but the defense itself is worth it. He's one of the best rim protectors. He set a record five blocks in a Game 7 win during the 2025 NBA Finals. Injury concerns may be valid, but his on-court production makes this a no-brainer.

This will be the first of several tough decisions the Thunder have to make. Hartenstein was an amazing addition in his first season. He graduated as a starter and was a double-double machine. Expect him to have a similar season this upcoming year as one of the better centers.

But with the Thunder's payroll being dramatically increased in the following years, they could be forced to move on from Hartenstein to avoid the dreadful Second Apron. Maybe both sides can work out a new deal, but don't be surprised if he chases the bag again.

From the feedback, this was the toughest question to answer in the survey. It's something the Thunder might be forced to do as soon as next summer. Lu Dort and Cason Wallace will be due for new contracts. That could force them to manage to keep two of their three ball-hawk perimeter defenders.

Of the three, Caruso is likely the easiest to move on from. He's on a tradeable deal that any other team could easily take. And considering he's 31 years old and has already had his regular-season load managed, he could get the short end of the stick.

Similar to the question above, the Thunder could be forced to shave some of their payroll as Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren will soon take up around 85% of their salary cap. That could mean losing some of their depth on movable salaries.

Kenrich Williams is the easiest of the three to move. His role has diminished in recent seasons and 30 years old. He's also on an expiring salary. Meanwhile, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe were more productive last season and are on a long-term deal.

The Thunder are the favorite, but most expect the Nuggets to be their biggest threat. That shouldn't be surprising. They had arguably the most consequential playoff series. Nikola Jokic forced a full seven-game series. The three-time MVP winner is the best player in the league. That's enough to be a threat.

The Rockets were the second-most popular choice. They added Kevin Durant in the biggest offseason move. He should help them have a go-to scorer, which they lacked last season and led to a First Round Exit. Paired with one of the best defenses, they should be in the conversation.

There's been semantics involved with both titles. Kevin Durant may be the best Thunder player ever, but Russell Westbrook is the greatest as he holds most franchise records. But with Gilgeous-Alexander delivering a championship, that nuance is no longer required.

According to most OKC fans, Gilgeous-Alexander is the best and greatest Thunder player ever. That's what happens when you're the best player on one of the best teams ever. The scary part is, the 27-year-old is in the midst of his prime.

This has been a hot debate in recent weeks. The NBA schedule-makers did a great job when they scheduled the Rockets to be in OKC when the Thunder drop their championship banner and hand out their rings. To have Durant in attendance is the type of juicy storyline that fans love.

While this online survey said most Thunder fans prefer that they just ignore Durant, something tells me reality won't reflect that. He'll be booed each time he touches the ball. That's happened every time he's played at OKC since he left in 2016. Don't expect that to suddenly stop.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: 2025 OKC Thunder fan survey results: Most expect another championship