Over the next two to three years, Presti will be able to outbid any team for any player with his draft cache and roster of young players on value deals. The Thunder possess an astonishing 38 draft picks over the next seven years, with 19 first-round picks and 19 second-round picks, an accomplishment no other team has achieved. Just as much, his failure to win a title with those three is one of the greatest flops in utilizing talent.īut with Thunder University 2.0, he’s accumulated the largest trove of assets in NBA history to ensure he can outbid anyone in future trades. Presti’s selection of three future MVP candidates is among the greatest draft accomplishments in NBA history. This became known as “The Process,” not to be confused with the Philadelphia 76ers named “Process” coined by former GM Sam Hinkie. Once he arrived in OKC, he made it his mission not just to stay for the long term but to reimagine what a small market team is capable of. He looks like the prototypical Seattle hipster, with tailored suits paired with Nike sneakers, stylized haircuts, and bespoke glasses.Īfter ownership reneged on their promise to keep the team in Seattle, Presti was taken, along with the Sonics, to OKC, rebranded as the Thunder. Presti was hired by the Oklahoma City-based ownership group after they bought the team in 2007. 4 and Serge Ibaka 24th, right before the franchise was relocated to Oklahoma City. The following year he took Russell Westbrook No. Presti came to the Thunder through the Seattle Supersonics, where he was hired in 2007 before he selected Kevin Durant second and Jeff Green fifth (in a trade with the Boston Celtics for Ray Allen). With this new Thunder young core, Presti is primed to build another contender all over again. With the team blowing by pre-season expectations and earning a Play-in Tournament berth, the mistakes of Harden, Durant, and Westbrook are in the rearview mirror. 10 seed in the Western Conference, 13th in defensive rating, third in pace, and fourth in possessions. A decade later, third-year head coach Mark Daigneault was a top-three finalist for Coach of the Year. He also hired two below-average head coaches, Scott Brooks and Billy Donovan. It happened through a series of horrid moves including not retaining James Harden, trading for Kendrick Perkins, and missing on draft picks like Mitch McGary, Presti failed to build a championship roster around three future MVPs in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Harden. Thunder fans hate hearing this, but Presti squandered one of the most talented teams in the history of the NBA. To Thunder fans, he’s the most important person in their franchise’s past, present, and future. But Sam Presti isn’t just the general manager for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Few general managers get a second shot at building a contender after failing the first time.
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