Latest news with #Presti
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
What does NBA championship mean for Sam Presti's legacy? Everything
Ain't a thing without the ring. That's the phrase most Sam Presti haters have leaned on over the last two decades. While the Oklahoma City Thunder have been a perennial contender since he took the GM job in 2007, a lack of a championship has been his biggest Achilles heel. Sure, Presti drafted three MVP winners and developed another in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Sure, the Thunder have been a title contender for most years. Sure, OKC is regarded as one of the best drafting organizations. Sure, every NBA player who's played here has mostly enjoyed their time. But being short of a championship has been the ultimate go-to argument used against Presti. Stephen A. Smith has made a living out of it. Anytime Presti has been brought up, he'd repeat his same argument like a toy action figure who only has a limited number of sayings recorded when you press their button. "Sam Presti will finally have an opportunity to win a championship. He's done everything else except that. With the talent he's accumulated, you got to win a 'ship," Smith would repeatedly say across the airwaves. As oversimplified as that might be, there's no denying how popular that thought was about the Thunder and Presti. You have all these team and individual accolades stuffed in your trophy case, but no Larry O'Brien. Well, that finally changed this past Sunday. The Thunder completed one of the greatest seasons ever with a Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers to seal the 2025 NBA Finals. With a coinflip chance to end up as one of the best teams ever or biggest disappointments ever, OKC was on the right side of the 50-50 shot. A historic 68-14 regular-season campaign won't go in vain. Gilgeous-Alexander's historic MVP season won't be viewed in the same way as 2007 Dirk Nowitzki. Instead, Brian Windhorst has argued that his 2025 year is up there with 2013 LeBron and 1996 Michael Jordan as some of the greatest individual seasons the NBA has ever seen. The Thunder can thank Presti for that. Some luck was involved for sure. But luck is hard work that meets opportunity. Nobody thought Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams would develop into Gen Z Jordan and Pippen. Same with Mark Daigneault as he ascended into one of the best coaches. Hitting on the margins with second-round and undrafted players like Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Kenrich Williams and Isaiah Joe has also helped. Hitting a home run with lottery selections like Cason Wallace is also the lifeblood for the small-market franchise. That doesn't even include having the resources and rapport to pull off last year's offseason additions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein. The stars aligned for the two veteran pieces to come in and boost OKC's chances to win a title. Once you win a championship, your entire legacy is recontextualized. That goes beyond the players. For Presti, it means he's cemented his spot as one of the greatest NBA GMs ever. Conventional wisdom has caught up to the reality that OKC folks and every smart NBA analyst have known about him for years. And considering the Thunder's runway with Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Chet Holmgren on the verge of being locked down for the foreseeable future, it's easy to see them run off with more deep playoff runs and even more championships. Nobody else is better set up to contend in the short-term and long-term future. Presti has his fingerprints all over this Thunder championship roster. Now that he's reached the NBA's mountaintop, there's nothing left for his biggest doubters to hang onto.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mussatto: Thunder's 17th chapter is best one yet as OKC beats Pacers for first NBA title
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Sam Presti sees every season as a chapter in the Thunder's history book. 'What we have this year,' the Thunder general manager said days before the 2024-25 season, 'is the opportunity to write the 17th chapter, and we're really excited about doing that.' Advertisement Chapter 17 — spoiler alert — ended with a championship. The Oklahoma City Thunder claimed the 2025 NBA title, beating the Indiana Pacers in a spectacular series, capped by a 103-91 win in Game 7 Sunday night at Paycom Center. The Thunder was going to be an outlier one way or another depending on how the NBA Finals played out. On one hand, OKC was too good to lose. A 68-win regular season team that seemed destined to raise the Larry O'Brien Trophy. A team that routinely trounced opponents, finishing with the highest average margin of victory in NBA history. A squad defined by its swarming brand of defense. Advertisement More: For international media, 2025 NBA Finals has been new experience in OKC, Indiana Buy our commemorative page prints, books, keepsakes On the other hand, the Thunder was too young to win. Teams are supposed to fail over and over before they finally break through. The playoff scars that adorn eventual champions? The Thunder got here with nary a scratch. That's not to say it wasn't earned. Quite the opposite. It speaks to the Thunder's 'uncommon' nature, as coach Mark Daigneault likes to say. The championship is the first in Thunder history. It came 17 years after the franchise relocated from Seattle to Oklahoma City. Thirteen years after its first NBA Finals berth. Nine years after Kevin Durant left Bricktown for The Bay. Six years after the seismic summer of 2019, when the trades of Paul George and franchise icon Russell Westbrook spawned a new era of Thunder basketball. Advertisement Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the prize of the George trade, has supplanted Westbrook as the greatest Thunder of them all. SGA, the league's regular-season MVP, capped his remarkable season and playoff run with an NBA Finals MVP-worthy performance. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren rose to the moment, forming a vaunted Big Three alongside Gilgeous-Alexander. Daigneault, an anonymous name five years ago when he was hired, shepherded the Thunder through it all. After two 20-something-win seasons, the Thunder made the play-in. Then the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. Then, as the No. 1 seed yet again, Daigneault coached the Thunder to the title. And Presti? Only one line was missing from his resume: NBA champion. Advertisement No longer. Hired at 29 as the franchise's general manager, this championship was a culmination of Presti's vision. A vision that became vivid reality The first 16 chapters of the Thunder built up to an unforgettable 17th: The Championship. More: For international media, 2025 NBA Finals has been new experience in OKC, Indiana Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@ . Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at . This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder's 17th chapter is best one yet as OKC beats Pacers for first NBA title
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sam Presti reacts to Thunder becoming youngest champion in 48 years
The post Sam Presti reacts to Thunder becoming youngest champion in 48 years appeared first on ClutchPoints. Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti has long been regarded as one of the greatest executives in the history of the NBA. He has architected plenty of contending Thunder teams in the past, however, they have not gotten over the hump — until now. On Sunday night, the Thunder overcame one last gasp from the Indiana Pacers as they took a 103-91 victory in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals — winning Oklahoma City its first NBA championship. Advertisement What makes the Thunder so scary of a team is just how young their core players are. The oldest player on the roster is Alex Caruso, who is 31 years of age. The roster's average age is 25.6 years old, making them the second-youngest championship team in NBA history and the youngest to win it all since the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers. Simply put, it's not too often that a team that hasn't gone through multiple playoff heartbreaks ends up winning it all. But this Thunder squad only ever faced a painful playoff exit last year, when they fell short to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round. Nonetheless, this Thunder squad that Presti built showed so much poise, well beyond their years, and there's nothing he is more proud of than the characteristics that members of the roster showed that illustrates just how sustainable of a contending team OKC has for the foreseeable future. Advertisement 'Age is a number. Sacrifice and maturity are characteristics. It's a privilege to work with these guys,' Presti said on the Larry O'Brien trophy presentation podium, as recalled by Brett Siegel, NBA insider for ClutchPoints. Sam Presti can now rest easy after Thunder get over the hump Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images The Thunder's decision to trade away James Harden in 2012 haunted them like a malevolent entity for years. Instead of building off of an NBA Finals appearance in 2012, they never got back. Instead, they had to blow it all up in 2020 and start from scratch. Presti, however, deserves so much credit for the work he's put in building this roster. Sure, the Paul George trade was a gift that continues to give (who knew Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would end up being both a regular-season and Finals MVP?), but his decisions since then have been on point (other than, perhaps, the Gordon Hayward signing). Advertisement Drafting two incredible young players in 2022 was a stroke of genius. Chet Holmgren was a defensive wall in Game 7, while Jalen Williams is always going to have that 40-piece in the NBA Finals. Williams was selected 12th overall, and in his third season, was already an All-Star and an All-NBA talent. The acquisitions of Isaiah Hartenstein and Caruso this past offseason were invaluable. Aaron Wiggins and Jaylin Williams were draft steals. Isaiah Joe was plucked off free agency and turned into one of the best shooters in the league. Heck, Lu Dort was undrafted and was a true developmental win for the Thunder. Building a powerhouse on paper is one thing. But to actually see it bear fruit in the form of a championship? That takes so much heart, so much resiliency, and so much unselfishness to pull off, and for this young team to have all of that is a rarity. Related: Isaiah Hartenstein's son fast asleep on Thunder's NBA Finals podium Related: Thunder guard Alex Caruso forced to give champagne-popping tutorial
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Rumor: Thunder could target draft-and-stash player in 2025 NBA draft
Armed with three picks in the 2025 NBA draft, including two in the first round, the Oklahoma City Thunder may not elect to use every selection and could be active in trade discussions this week. The Thunder currently hold pick Nos. 15 and 24 in the first round, and No. 44 in the second round. They have been linked to several players throughout the predraft process, though executive vice president Sam Presti could look to reroute at least one pick from a roster management standpoint. The team would have 17 players on the roster next season as currently constructed, including the No. 15 and 24 picks in the draft, which is two over the limit. Presti is reportedly open to trading the No. 24 pick, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Rival NBA executives who spoke with HoopsHype believe Oklahoma City could trade the No. 24 pick in the draft for a future first-round selection or select a foreign draft-and-stash overseas player such as Hugo GonzalezorNoah Penda. Presti has famously built a treasure trove of future draft capital through various trades and acquisitions. The prevailing thought would be to trade the No. 24 pick for a future selection or choose a draft-and-stash player who wouldn't count against the salary cap or occupy a roster spot. The Thunder enter the offseason expected to offer Most Valuable Player and NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a supermax contract extension, as well as rookie-scale extensions to Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. They also hold team options on Ajay Mitchell and Jaylin Williams. The draft will feature a two-night format for the second consecutive year, with the first round scheduled for Wednesday and the second round for Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA champions — and they might be just getting started
OKLAHOMA CITY — The promise came three years ago from Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti. It might have been overlooked for a couple of reasons. One, the Thunder were awful at the time. Two, he was speaking Latin. 'Labor omnia vincit,' Presti said after the 2021-22 season, quoting a motto of Oklahoma. Depending on how Presti was translating it, it could have been 'hard work conquers all' or 'slow work conquers all.' Either way, it applies to the Thunder. They did hard work. They did slow work. They conquered all. The Thunder — three years removed from winning 24 games — won 84 games this season and are NBA champions after beating the Indiana Pacers in a seven-game NBA Finals slugfest. For the rest of the NBA, this should be a scary development. They have the MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He and all of Oklahoma City's key players are under contract for next season, there's a 2024 lottery pick in Nikola Topic who didn't even play this season because of a torn ACL and the Thunder currently have two picks in the top 24 in this year's draft as well. They are young; their starters, right now, are 27, 26, 26, 24 and 23. They are bold. And they might — should — be contending for a while. 'We definitely still have room to grow,' said Gilgeous-Alexander, the MVP, the NBA Finals MVP, the league's scoring champion and now, an NBA champion as well. 'That's the fun part of this. So many of us can still get better. There's not very many of us on the team that are in our prime or even close to it. We have a lot to grow, individually and as a group. I'm excited for the future of this team. This is a great start, for sure.' And the timing of them hitting this sort of stride is pretty good, too. Plenty of teams have questions going into next season. Oklahoma City isn't one of them. Jayson Tatum in Boston, Damian Lillard in Milwaukee and now Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana all have Achilles injuries and figure to miss most if not all of next season. The Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James will be going into his 23rd season. Golden State's Stephen Curry is turning 38 next season. Kevin Durant, now of Houston (in a trade that's going to be official in the coming weeks), is going into his 18th season. Philadelphia's hopes hinge on Joel Embiid coming back healthy. New York will be dealing with a coaching change. Oklahoma City seems to have everything right in place. 'They have a lot of great players on this team,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren all seem to enjoy playing with and off one another, none of them caring who gets credit. Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein fit seamlessly into the roles the Thunder asked them to play. Luguentz Dort is a defensive machine and has come to realize that most people don't have the ability to appreciate how good he is at that end. It's not just the players who don't care about puffing out their own chests. Same goes for the leadership. 'You're not guaranteed anything in the league,' Caruso said. 'I think that's the biggest thing that happens year to year that people forget about. Any moment your team can change with a trade, with an injury, with something that's out of your control. To be able to get to the pinnacle of this sport and win it is nothing short of extraordinary. To think that you can just walk in and do it every single year is a little bit naïve. Rest assured, we'll show up Day 1 next year ready to get better and ready to chase this again.' No 'Cers: Indiana fans left gasping as Tyrese Haliburton's injury dooms title hopes in Game 7 lossPresti, the architect of it all, rarely speaks publicly. Same goes for Clay Bennett, the owner. And coach Mark Daigneault is the calm in the eye of any storm, the perfect driver of the Thunder bus. 'There's no guarantee you end it the way that we did,' Daigneault said. 'I just wanted it so bad for them. I was just so thrilled that we were able to get that done and they get to experience this because they deserve it. The way they approach it, the professionalism, competitiveness, team-first nature, like I said, I wanted it so bad for them.' The journey isn't over for the Thunder. It's just starting. Presti has a war chest filled with draft picks and the team has some financial flexibility to add a piece if it so chooses. And now there's a title to defend. Labor omnia vincit. There's more work to do. 'We have a lot of hard work in front of us,' Presti said that day in 2022. 'We have to grind in and do it. That's what the state is about. That's what the history of the community is about. That's what the basketball team here is about.'
