Sam Presti Explains Recent Thunder Trades
· Yahoo Sports
No matter how you look at it, this has been an emotional offseason for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Within a matter of weeks, the franchise parted ways with three players who helped shape one of the most successful stretches in team history. Isaiah Joe was traded to Detroit. Aaron Wiggins was dealt to Atlanta. Then came the least biggest surprise of all when Lu Dort, one of the heartbeats of the team, was included in a three team trade that sent him to the Hawks.
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For fans, it was difficult to understand. For Sam Presti, it wasn’t easy either.
Speaking with Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman after NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, the Thunder’s executive vice president and general manager explained that Dort’s departure wasn’t about his value as a player. It was about making sure Oklahoma City can continue competing for championships for years to come.
“This was a financial decision,” Presti said.
Presti explained that the money the organization saved this summer wasn’t simply about cutting costs.
“The impression I have been given is that the savings generated this summer, and from being out of the tax the last several years, will be re-allocated to future teams,” he said.
“Along with other new well-documented revenue streams, this will allow us to make more basketball-related decisions over the next several years.”
In other words, the Thunder believe these difficult moves today will give them more flexibility tomorrow.
“We have a team that is capable of contention,” Presti added. “And as I understand it, the decisions this summer have positioned us financially to maintain a team of this caliber.”
That doesn’t make saying goodbye to players like Joe, Wiggins and Dort any easier.
Presti spoke glowingly about Joe and Wiggins, crediting both for helping build the culture that has turned Oklahoma City into one of the NBA’s model organizations.
“Both guys left tremendous legacies with our organization,” Presti said. “They were selfless and committed to the team, and their personal and competitive character was inspiring.”
He went even further, saying,
“Without them, we simply don’t have the success we have enjoyed the last several years.”
His comments about Dort were especially heartfelt.
Presti shared a story from the morning after the 2019 NBA Draft, when Dort arrived at the practice facility after going undrafted.
“I remember meeting Lu at the practice facility door the morning after he went undrafted,” Presti said. “I showed him around and we had breakfast together. He didn’t touch his food.”
Presti told Dort that draft night didn’t define his future.
“I just remember saying to him that this was the beginning and not the end… It’s safe to say that he will finish amongst the top of that race.”
“I love the guy, love what he’s about and we will miss him.”
Now, the Thunder begin another chapter.
Presti acknowledged replacing a player like Dort won’t happen overnight, but he believes others are ready to step into bigger roles.
“Cason (Wallace) and Ajay (Mitchell) will have more responsibility, as will others,” he said.
Just as importantly, he doesn’t want this team trying to be last year’s team.
“It is necessary to embrace change and not fall victim to trying to imitate ourselves or our previous play style.”
That’s been one of the defining traits of the Thunder throughout Presti’s tenure. Every successful team eventually changes, and Oklahoma City is no different.
Losing three respected veterans hurts, but if Presti’s vision plays out, these difficult decisions won’t mark the end of the Thunder’s championship window. They’ll simply be the next step in keeping it open.