And the rich get richer, and even better, and maybe even younger.

Welcome to the Future indeed

How good has the Thunder been as of late?  Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have the Thunder humming offensively with the best offensive rating in the league while also sporting a top ten defense. Kevin Martin has been exactly what he has been advertised as and Hasheem Thabeet hasn't been the absolute worst backup center. Surprising, I know. While Harden is emerging as a top-15 player down in Houston, the Thunder haven't missed a beat and seems ready to, at the least, compete for the Western Conference title. The scary thing is they should be even better in the coming years.

"But Kevin, everyone knows the Thunder are only going to be getting. There core players are all under 26." Yes, I know this dear reader of my blog. But what I am saying is with the assets gained from the Harden trade, the Thunder's supporting cast has a chance to become something really special. Right now, the Thunder are stacked with young prospects and contingency players. It remains to see what the Thunder have in Perry Jones III and Jeremy Lamb. At the least, they have a versatile big in PJ3 and a spot up shooter in Lamb. Looking at PJ3, he could provide a type of flexibility that few teams enjoy. Think a poor mans Lamar Odom. Or Lamar Odom now, take your pick. With Lamb, I have to believe that he has a ceiling close to that of as Klay Thompson as a player. However, there is no way to know until he gets some consitent playing time. We may get a good idea of what the Thunder think they have in him if they elect to not resign Kevin Martin. With Eric Maynor a restricted free agent and his services in demand in the NBA, it is likely Eric Maynor wont be getting busy for the Thunder next season. Reggie Jackson has shown that he can be a serviceable backup point through stretches of games so the departure of Maynor would not be felt as much. And I haven't even gotten to the draft picks yet.

OKC has over the years been getting better and better with age. Now, OKC has a chance to get better AND younger through the draft. With the likely mid to high lottery pick from Toronto, the Thunder can add another impact player. With this pick the Thunder could go in so many different ways its scary. In my opinion, the Thunder may be adding a more mobile center to eventually take the place of Perkins. While Perkins and his veteran leadership on defense would be missed and OKC's Scowls per minute would plummet, his mobility, or lack there of, is hurting this team. With the Amnesty provision, they could take Perkins salary off the cap and make it easier to resign K-Mart. Perkins has been valuable to the in the same sense Derrick Fisher was valuable to the Thunder last season. He has taught this team what it takes to be a championship team and like Fisher before him, his services don't seem to be needed anymore.

Some may say a veteran presence is needed on championship teams. I would agree, but haven't the Thunder have gained there veteran status in the NBA at a tender age. Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, and Kevin Durant have seen the mountaintop, they know the blueprint. They have felt the pain of coming so close and losing it all. They are what put the Thunder in the position to get better while getting younger. As cliche as this saying has become regarding the Thunder, we very well may be witnessing the birth of a dynasty on the West coast. As a Seattleite, it hurts to say that, a lot. As an NBA fan, I couldn't be more intrigued to watch what will happen in OKC.