If you follow the Thunder you know the Theory of Sustainability ushered in by GM Sam Presti. Anotherwords, how do you sustain a contending NBA franchise in a small market such as Oklahoma City?
So far so good. As the Thunder set to kick off season No. 10 in OKC, Presti has shown he can build a team through the draft, sign Russell Westbrook to a contract which will keep him in OKC for six more seasons, and lure elite players such as Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to join Westbrook in pursuit of a championship ring.
To me, the top two GMs in the league are Presti and Bob Myers of the Golden State Warriors. One single stinking game changed the balance of the league–that being OKC’s Game 6 loss to the Warriors which ultimately swayed Durant to switch teams. Yet, as I’ve watched all of this, Presti never wavered. He made a series of moves last season which enabled the acquisitions of Paul and Anthony this summer.
Sam Presti is a smart dude. When you observe his moves you need to be thinking ahead of the move which he’s going to make down the road with the move he just made.
Example: last year he traded Serge Ibaka for Victor Oladipo, Domas Sabonis, and Ilyasova. He then traded Ilyasova for Jerami Grant early in the season. Then this past July, he traded the two young promising players –Oladipo and Sabonis for Paul George.
Classic Sam Presti. So if you follow the original move, in essence, Presti traded Serge Ibaka for Jerami Grant and Paul George.
The Presti model in OKC has changed. It began with the draft model, but now with Westbrook secured in OKC for the remainder of his prime in Oklahoma City–the model has changed to attract vet stars to join Westbrook in pursuit of a ring.