By Adam Neiberg

Sam Presti, the general manager for the Oklahoma City Thunder, has quietly and successfully set himself and the Thunder up for an expansive rebuild. The Thunder were contenders not too long ago, having arguably the most talented roster ever built through the draft. Sam Presti drafted three MVPs in James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Russel Westbrook. Without a doubt, if he was able to keep those core players together, they could have dominated the NBA for years. However, he decided to trade James Harden for Kenyon Martin because they didn’t think he deserved a large contract. Shortly after that Kevin Durant left the Thunder in free agency after a brutal loss to LeBron and the Heat in the NBA Finals to join the Golden State Warriors. Only a year after acquiring Paul George to replace Kevin Durant’s production, George was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Finally, to end the era, Presti traded Russel Westbrook to the Rockets for a veteran Chris Paul. The talent to come through Oklahoma City in the past decade has been unmatched and Sam Presti made mistakes that cost the city the possibility of multiple championships. But Sam Presti is not going to make those same mistakes twice.

Even though the Thunder lost so much talent, they have acquired a future. Presti has built up a total of 18 first-round draft picks and three potential first-round pick swaps through 2027. Presti’s trades have allowed other teams to buy into the idea of winning now while securing that the Thunder will have a good chance at winning in the future. In trading Paul George and Russel Westbrook, the Thunder acquired seven first-round picks and three pick swaps. Sam Presti showed incredible intuition recognizing that the Thunder’s window to win has closed and instead of relying on aging stars, he chose to prepare the franchise for a future of talented young stars. 

Sam Presti’s trades sure remind me of the moves that another Sam made not too long ago. Sam Hinkie created the process, the first attempt ever made to intentionally lose as many games as possible by trading any players of value for draft picks in return. The Sixers ended up having four top six picks between 2013 and 2016. Although there were a few busts such as Jahlil Okafor, Markelle Fultz and Nerlens Noel, this ideology yielded results. The Sixers have made the playoffs for three years straight and even though they can't seem to break out to the next level, their talent is undeniable. Ultimately, Hinkie was never able to enjoy the fruit of his labor as the Sixers fired him for putting the franchise through an unbearable 47-199 record through three seasons. Sam Hinkie created a perennial playoff threat and a potential contender, and because of him, the door has opened for general managers such as Sam Presti to follow in his footsteps. 

As Sam Presti embarks on his own process the question that begs to be answered is “will the Thunder tank as the Sixers had done before, or will they continue to somehow compete while simultaneously robbing the rest of the NBA for first-round draft picks?”  Last season was an incredible example of their ability to perform beyond expectations as Chris Paul led them to an incredibly unexpected playoff berth. They may have lost key pieces from that team such as Paul, Steven Adams and Danillo Gallinari, but that’s expected when committing to such an expansive rebuild. Presti understands the importance of veteran leadership since he traded for Al Horford to help guide the young stars both currently on the roster and to be drafted in the years to come. Overall, Presti has created his own version of the process and so far it seems to have a little more class than Sam Hinkie’s. He has acquired an absorbent amount of value in future draft picks, while not only not intentionally losing, but competing for the playoffs. So far Sam Presti has done an incredible job as he begins the next era of Oklahoma City basketball, and with all of those draft assets, it’s hard to not see the Thunder becoming not only one of the most interesting but dangerous teams over the next decade.

Adam is a sports writer for La Tonique.