Sam Presti Articles - Page 4

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti said the team won’t try to rush star point guard Russell Westbrook to be ready for the start of the regular season, according to ESPN’s Royce Young. Presti maintained that the organization has never pushed a player to return from injury and it won’t start with Westbrook, its […]

The Philadelphia Sixers announced the signing of their new general manager, former player Elton Brand, who is only two years removed from announcing his (second) retirement from the NBA. While Brand was a popular choice, and one president and head coach Brett Brown hinted at recently during his annual media luncheon, he fell well-short of the […]

Nerlens Noel, the newest member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, had nothing but praise for its general manager Sam Presti. Per Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, Noel has great trust in the organization, noting that Presti is ‘beyond special’: Nerlens Noel had some great things to say about fellow Mass. native, #Thunder GM Sam […]

The past few days have been hectic for Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti. Carmelo Anthony’s contract is a tough load to carry. He is trying to resolve the situation as we speak, with firm hopes of finally ending Anthony’s short-lived era with the Thunder. As per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press: Sources: […]

The NBA’s offseason is barely a week old, but the Oklahoma City Thunder appear to be intent on keeping their 2017-18 roster intact for the most part despite not getting past the first round of the playoffs. They currently have the most expensive roster in the league but it is difficult to justify their $300 […]

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry took to social media to take a light jab at Oklahoma Thunder general manager Sam Presti. How do we know this? Well, because it literally happened and because it was pointed out to our basketball loving planet by Bleacher Report on the mean streets of Twitter. Steph asking the […]

Erik Horne of The Oklahoman recently conducted an interview with Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti. As most hoops fans know, the Thunder were eliminated from this season’s playoffs in the first round — defeated by the Utah Jazz in six games. Now, with the offseason on the horizon, the discussion has inevitably turned […]

Russell Westbrook is one of the best players in the league, but even the best players have places they can improve. The Oklahoma City Thunder have had problems taking that next step since Kevin Durant left, but if everyone on the team improves just a little bit this team has the key pieces in place […]

Oklahoma City Thunder star Carmelo Anthony had one of the most difficult seasons of his career. After leaving the New York Knicks, where he was the main go-to guy for several years, he joined the Thunder, a team that already had Russell Westbrook and also had brought in Paul George from the Indiana Pacers. Anthony […]

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti gave some eye-opening insight into the outlook of this past season. Known to be one of the most forthcoming front office executives, Presti acknowledged he was excited about the possibility of keeping Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Steven Adams throughout the prime of their careers, according to Erik […]

The job of a general manager in the NBA is a thankless job, one that is always criticized yet offers very little praise when you get the job done right. And when you fail, you are ridiculed and maligned beyond measure! Well, sorry GMs, but that’s exactly what we plan to do as we recall […]

Sam Presti and Oklahoma City Thunder had one of the most active summers in franchise history. Bringing in a prime and a post-prime superstar was a clear indicator that the 2017-18 season will be an all-in season for the organization, and that Russell Westbrook will get his best chance at winning a ring in the post-Kevin […]

It’s mind-boggling how many opportunities the Oklahoma City Thunder missed out on throughout the last eight years. From trading Eric Bledsoe, James Harden, Reggie Jackson and losing Kevin Durant to unexpected postseason struggles. It seems like the organization nails it on Draft Night but then can’t build a lasting roster. So in a situation like […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder sorely missed the reliability of Kevin Durant alongside Russell Westbrook last season. One of the greatest scorers of his generation, Durant was almost a lock for close to 30 points in every game he played. While not quite on Durant’s level, Sam Presti and the Thunder did get a lot of […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder had quite an astounding summer. Despite limited assets at his disposal, general manager Sam Presti was able to acquire not one but two stars in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony in blockbuster trades to play with Russell Westbrook. Westbrook, the NBA’s reigning MVP, is rightly appreciative of the job his GM […]

During the offseason, the Oklahoma City Thunder were one of the many teams to make big splash moves to their roster with the addition of a pair of All-Stars in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony that saw them be thrust into the NBA title picture. These were major trades that were a direct correlation to […]

Heading into his first season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, there has remained many questions around All-Star forward Paul George’s long-term future with the team. However, since his arrival has continued to praise the organization for their efforts in building a team that could potentially compete for an NBA title. George once again spoke highly […]

The San Antonio Spurs back in the 2001 NBA Draft decided to select a young French guard in Tony Parker with the 28th overall selection. According to Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports, current Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti played a significant part in helping the Spurs take Parker just over 16 years […]

Kevin Durant, whether you see him as a snake or as an MVP, is indubitably one of the biggest names in the NBA. A few days ago however, he made the news for other reasons. The former MVP and leading scorer did this. In his tweet, KD cited the current Oklahoma City Thunder coach and […]

Earlier this offseason, the Oklahoma City Thunder made a huge splash move with the acquisition of All-Star Paul George from the Indiana Pacers. However, it came with a huge risk involved given that George can walk away after this upcoming season due to the opt-out clause he possesses in his contract that will allow him […]

The New York Knicks will consider Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti as a candidate to fill the president of basketball operations vacancy, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. The Knicks have stated they will favor honing into free agent acquisitions with only two days until the market opens, instead of aiming to replace Phil Jackson‘s post […]

Andre Roberson is coming off one of his most brilliant seasons as a perimeter defender and another shining playoff series despite a quick exit against the Houston Rockets. With many offseason questions looming about his return to the team, the 25-year-old wing could be looking to re-sign with the team very soon, according to GM Sam […]

Routinely viewed as one of the best general managers in the league, Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti does exhaustive research on all aspects of the team and fully dedicates himself to the job. But Presti’s hard work has paid off as the Thunder have been one of the better teams in the league for […]

After breaking his record for most triple-doubles in a season, Oscar Robertson will have the opportunity to watch Thunder guard Russell Westbrook play live. The Big O is reportedly flying to Oklahoma City on Wednesday, and will be part of the home crowd inside Chesapeake Energy Arena to watch their team play their regular season finale […]

Phoenix Suns head coach Earl Watson was the one individual who saw rough diamonds before they were polished and took shape, before they were held up and shined from every angle, back when all they had was promise. Those diamonds in the rough were Los Angeles area standouts James Harden and Russell Westbrook, who prior to […]

The start of the NBA season comes closer and closer and with it, the potential of players protesting the national anthem has become a much more vivid reality. Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti has shown the team’s views on the matter. “Our viewpoint on it is obviously we’ve had players and staff stand […]

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich paid a surprise visit to his old friend Sam Presti at the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice’s Humanitarian Awards dinner. Presti was being honored as the OCCJ’s 2016 Humanitarian of the Year for his commitment to diversity and inclusion within the Thunder organization. “He’s amongst the people that have […]

When Sam Presti was named the general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics in 2007, no one had any idea how Presti would change the face of the franchise forever. Presti’s NBA career took off with the San Antonio Spurs, an organization that is known for being relatively quiet with their moves. While Presti, no doubt, […]

With July 7th’s moratorium-ending deadline coming and passing, free agency seems to be ceasing to an end, and general managers around the league now turn to the 2017 class of superstars unsigned to their incumbent franchises. Thunder‘s Westbrook has already started making rumors, with the point guard reportedly refusing to sign an extension and risking a blockbuster […]

Oklahoma City must be truly gasping in horror at the state of their franchise in the past 24 hours. The first star in this newly born NBA town, 2013-14 MVP Kevin Durant, only just deserted his old team for Steve Kerr and Jerry West’s Golden State Warriors. Now, several rumors report that the Thunder front office might […]

Earlier tonight, Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti made himself available to the media to address the current status of his team as well as getting a feel of how he’ll handle the loss of their franchise player. One intriguing question he was asked was how Oklahomans should feel about Kevin Durant, knowing that he has […]

OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti addressed the media tonight, hours after finding out that he had lost Kevin Durant to free agency. He is very much aware of what’s on hand and quickly turned his attention to the other star he still has under contract, Russell Westbrook. There’s already been a lot of chatter about the […]

Thunder GM Sam Presti doesn’t seem too worried about his franchise player Kevin Durant potentially leaving for another team this summer. Presti has been giving Durant the time and space that the superstar needs in regards to the upcoming decision he’ll make this summer. “We’ll get an answer from him at the appropriate time,” Presti told […]