In 2025-26, the Thunder's 15th-highest payroll bought the NBA's most wins
In 2011-12, the Oklahoma City Thunder carried the 21st-highest Effective Payroll of 30, per WAGE, and won the third-most games in the league. That run ended in the NBA Finals, which they lost.
The next two seasons kept that shape. The payroll climbed to the 16th-highest in 2012-13 and the 11th-highest in 2013-14, and both teams finished with the second-most wins.
In 2014-15 the payroll reached the ninth-highest, with $2.8M of luxury tax inside it. The wins slipped to 13th-most, and the Thunder missed the playoffs.
In 2015-16 the bill rose to the third-highest in the league, with $14.5M of tax in it. That team won the fifth-most games and reached the conference finals, where it lost.
In 2016-17 the payroll fell back to 22nd-highest. The wins came in 10th, and the run ended in the first round.
Then came the biggest tax bills. In 2017-18 the payroll was the third-highest, with $25.4M of luxury tax inside it, and the Thunder won the eighth-most games.
In 2018-19 the Effective Payroll was the highest in the league, and $61.6M of it was luxury tax. The wins ranked ninth, and the season ended in the first round for the third year running.
In 2019-20 the payroll stood third-highest again, with the eighth-most wins and a fourth straight first-round exit. The record shows that the three seasons in which the payroll ranked among the league's three highest bought no series wins.
In 2020-21 and 2021-22 the Thunder ran the lowest payroll in the league. They won the 26th-most games and then the 27th-most, and missed the playoffs both times.
In 2022-23 the payroll rose to 17th-highest and the wins to 19th-most. The Thunder missed the playoffs again.
In 2023-24 the turn came on a payroll that ranked 19th. That team won 57 games, the second-most, and lost in the conference semifinals.
In 2024-25 the payroll ranked 25th of 30. The Thunder won 68 games, the most in the league, and won the NBA title.
Read with every season known, the record has two ends that look alike: wins well above the payroll's place in 2011-12 and from 2023-24 on. Between them sat the seasons when the payroll ranked among the league's highest and the wins did not.
In 2025-26 the Effective Payroll was $186.7M, the 15th-highest, and it bought 64 wins, the most in the NBA for a second straight year.
The WAGE Score of 89 ranked first of 30 teams and sat in Steal!, and the run to the conference finals, where the Thunder lost, lifted the WAGE Run to 98.