Glenn Davis

USATODAY

Not all sports businesses are created equal - monetary resources, location, and ownership, among other factors, combine to give some franchises pronounced advantages. But some teams that appear challenged beat the odds and find success. We looked at both the standings and payrolls to find out which teams did the most with the least in the four major U.S. pro sports. Previously, we looked at MLB, where theRays reigned supreme, and the NHL, where theBlues won out. Next up: the NBA.

If there's one theme uniting the teams we've highlighted in our looks at the thriftiest winners in pro sports, it's that they've built from within. Baseball, hockey, and basketball are different sports with different salary structures (especially in baseball), but they all reward good drafting. Thanks to limitations on rookie contracts, a shrewd selection can mean years of premium performance for a relative bargain. No team has received more out of draft selections in recent years than the Oklahoma City Thunder, our pick as the NBA team that wins the most for the least money.

Over the past five seasons, the Thunder have posted a 271-123 record. The difference between the Thunder and other consistent winners such as the Spurs and Heat? Oklahoma City's done it with payrolls that, on average, ranked in the bottom half of the league. (Note: We analyzed win-loss records from the last five regular seasons as well as payroll data from USA TODAY Sports,basketball-reference.com, andPatriciaBender.)

The majority of the Thunder's success can be traced to successful first-round draft choices. The franchise's struggles in the mid-2000s yielded top-four picks in 2007, 2008, and 2009. The players the Thunder selected with those picks: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. Today, Durant's the reigning MVP, Westbrook is one of the best point guards in the game and while Harden's in Houston now, he played a crucial role in the Thunder's Finals run in 2012. Contending for a championship in today's NBA requires multiple elite-level players, so Thunder GM Sam Presti had to choose wisely on more than one of his lottery picks. He hit with all three.

The Thunder are more than the dynamic duo of Durant and Westbrook. They acquired some of their other key players later in the draft. Chief among them, the team's rim protector and major inside presence, Serge Ibaka. Presti nabbed Ibaka with the 24th overall selection in 2008, a pick that's proven to be a steal. Ibaka has led the league in blocked shots four years running, leading in blocks per game in 2012 and 2013. He averaged a career-high 15.1 points and 8.8 rebounds this season. Another late first-round pick who has blossomed is guard Reggie Jackson, the 24th overall pick in 2011. Jackson averaged a career-high 13.1 points in 2013-14.

Winning with home-grown players gets more difficult after they complete their rookie contracts and start getting paid on par with the sport's elite. The Thunder have Durant locked up through 2016 and Westbrook through 2017. But players such as that don't come cheap, and those deals - while well worth it for the Thunder - are why the team's payroll now ranks in the top half of the NBA. There's no guarantee the team will be able to keep their franchise cornerstones throughout their respective primes.

And that doesn't include Harden, who's already gone. Presti's decision to trade Harden away before the 2012-13 season, which came after unsuccessful efforts to sign him to an extension, was questioned by many. Harden will be one of the best shooting guards in the NBA for many years, and the jury's still out as to whether the Thunder received anyone close in return. But this was a trade about staying within a budget more than anything else, and serves as a reminder of how difficult it is to keep a title-contending team together without unlimited funds.

There's no guarantee the Thunder would have broken through and won a title if Harden was still around. And even without him they've remained one of the best teams in basketball, with a 119-45 record over the past two seasons, falling just two wins short of another Western Conference title in 2013-14. Not everything they've done has worked, but Presti and his front office have nailed pick after pick in the draft. Unless you're a big-market destination with bottomless pockets and a desirable location for superstar free agents, that's the best way to build a long-term winner.