The aim of OKC not being in the 2nd apron this year and saving 250m is that for the next 3 years we can be over the 2nd apron The new CBA comes out in 2030 but teams can opt out in 2029 early. Which big market teams and teams with young core are likely to want to do like OKC, Spurs, Utah, Blazers, Detroit are all likely to do. As well as the entire players association. OKC is not a repeater tax team and the first year they’ll be a tax paying team is 2026/27. If you look at the harshest 2nd apron penalties it’s - Getting your picks frozen in 7 years but OKC has 12 1st rnd picks and 19 2nd round picks till 2033, so unlike Denver, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Knicks, Lakers, Phoenix this isn’t something that affects OKC like other recent apron teams - Repeater tax penalties, to receive these penalties you have to be a tax paying team in 3 out of 4 years. So the earliest OKC can be a repeater tax team is 2029/30 - Losing access to the mid level exception/Bi annual exception and Buy out market. But OKC has never relied on that as the team is full of draft picks and young players. - Trade restrictions, OKC is full of young talent and unlimited draft picks that they can give up picks to get out of tight situations. If you saw their summer they were able to actually get assets back for Joe, Wiggins and Dort. So teams with traded player exceptions means it’ll be easier to get rid of players. Outside of the big 3, everyone’s on team friendly deals and you can’t really name any bad contracts outside of the core. OKC will be able to shed some salary whilst filling those money gaps - iHart 23m a year, will eventually be replaced by Mara and Sorber - Caruso 20m will be replaced by Ajay and McCain, whilst McCain and Ajay rolls will be filled by Stirtz and Oweh and eventual 1st round draft picks 2nd aprons are designed to kill teams that go all in and use up all their assets to acquire talent or spend big in free agency. - Celtics - Suns - Nuggets - Lakers - Cavs - Knicks - Bucks - Clippers - Wolves OKC is not built like those squads