Alex Caruso, a defensive pest who won a championship ring with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder on June 21. The Thunder's general manager, Sam Presti, had exercised extreme patience the previous season, when the Thunder became the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history. Presti wanted to evaluate Oklahoma City's core in its first playoffs together instead of making any significant changes. Oklahoma City made two deals at that deadline, but neither upgraded the roster right away. Gordon Hayward didn't contribute much to Oklahoma City in the final months of his career, but the trade to acquire him from the Charlotte Hornets created financial flexibility by shedding $18 million of salary from the next season's books. The Thunder also gave up their own late first-round pick to facilitate the Mavericks' trade for center Daniel Gafford, acquiring 2028 first-round swap rights from Dallas, a move made with the hope of long-term upside. The Thunder were good but not good enough, getting eliminated by Luka Doncic's Mavs in the second round of those 2024 playoffs. At that point, Presti was ready to pounce. Presti still had no intention of chasing a star, a sign of his belief in the talented young trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. Presti focused more on fit than flash, identifying a couple of veteran complementary players who fit his profile as finishing pieces for the Thunder. He traded for Alex Caruso, a defensive pest who won a championship ring with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, on June 21. Nine days later, he met with Hartenstein, whose maximum offer from the Knicks was a four-year, $72.5 million deal due to collective bargaining agreement rules related to New York having only his early Bird rights. Hartenstein quickly agreed to Oklahoma City's offer of three years and $87 million. The Thunder prioritized character evaluations of Caruso and Hartenstein as much as the scouting reports. They were connectors and competitors, smart and selfless, physical and fearless. They were the perfect veterans to put in a locker room with a bunch of young players ready to win. "Sam has passed on talents to get human beings," Gilgeous-Alexander told ESPN. "That mindset has really helped this group. It's a big reason why we all get along so well and have this chemistry that everyone talks about. Sam brings a certain type of person in here."