WIth almost every other move featuring a star moving to the East or staying in the same conference, the Thunder\u2019s road back to the Finals and potentially another ring hasn\u2019t gotten more difficult. With LeBron James expected to announce his next team at some point in the near future, the former Laker will fit that same trend.<\/p>\n
As the Thunder learned in their second-round series against the Lakers, James still has plenty left in the tank and can be a real force in the postseason. Of course, he\u2019s nowhere near the prime version of himself, and his days of leading a team to a deep postseason run singlehandedly are over.<\/p>\n
For the Thunder, that also means that James\u2019 impact for his next team could be somewhat minimal, at least by his standards, and would leave the path to another championship mostly unaltered. Obviously, if James went to Minnesota or Golden State, he would remain a more direct threat to the Thunder, but those teams would still clearly be a tier below Oklahoma City<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n While he might be able to head to Cleveland, Miami or Philadelphia and immediately transform one of those teams into the favorite in the Eastern Conference, the Thunder <\/a>still wouldn\u2019t have to worry about him until a potential NBA Finals matchup. Given the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers\u2019 recent deep runs in the East, James\u2019 new team on the other side of the bracket would still be far from guaranteed to reach the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n James\u2019 decision will undeniably have a significant impact on the NBA and the postseason picture next season, but it also won\u2019t change much for Oklahoma City, which still projects to be the team to beat in 2027.<\/p>\n
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