Last Updated on July 16, 2024 by Mathew Diekhake
Here’s a timeline showing the rich history between the Dallas Mavericks and OKC Thunder:
1. 2008-09 Season: The Seattle Sonics move to Oklahoma and become the OKC Thunder. The move was controversial with Clay Bennett going against the preconditions agreed upon by then Sonics owner Howard Schultz. With the NBA’s approval, Bennett was able to still move the team to his hometown, Oklahoma.
2. 2011 NBA Playoffs: The Dallas Mavericks beat the OKC Thunder 4–1 in the Western Conference Finals.
3. 2011 NBA Finals: The Dallas Mavericks play against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. It is the first season of the Heat’s Big 3 era featuring Lebron James. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks to win their first NBA championship.
4. 2018: The Mavericks draft Luka Dončić third overall in the 2018 NBA draft.
5. 2019: The Clippers trade for Paul George from the Thunder. The price they paid would ultimately be too high, as they gave up future star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander plus an additional five first-round picks.
6. 2019-20 Season: Chris Paul leaves the Houston Rockets to join the Thunder and helps lead them to the playoffs where they play against the Rockets in the first round. Houston won the tight battle 4–3.
7. 2020-21 Season: By now, Luka Dončić has become a star, as has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the Thunder. They battle several times during the regular season.
In conclusion, that covers some of the notable movements between the Thunder and Mavericks since OKC joined the NBA.