Seventeen seasons ago, Sam Presti was made general manager of the then-Seattle Supersonics for the 2007-08 season. One of his first decisions after joining the Supersonics organization was to draft Kevin Durant, who would become the first of various elite talents that Presti would acquire during his tenure.
After drafting Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden in his first three drafts as general manager, certain trade decisions would play a significant role in OKC's contention window and the team's rebuild in the 2020s. Here's a look at three times Sam Presti fleeced his counterparts in the trade market.
Trades Sam Presti absolutely won: 3. Paul George and Serge Ibaka
The Thunder kicked off an important 2016 offseason by saying goodbye to one of its core players: Serge Ibaka. According to many reports at the time, Ibaka was expected to leave the Thunder at the end of the 2016-17 season when his contract ended as he was disgruntled with his role.
Instead of letting Ibaka walk for nothing, the Thunder received third-year guard Victor Oladipo, Rookie big man Domantas Sabonis, and Ersan Ilyasova from the Orlando Magic for the services of the big man. Out of the three players, Oladipo was the most significant contributor as he was the second-leading scorer on a Thunder team that made the playoffs the following season.
The contributions of Oladipo, Sabonis, and Ilyasova were solid but nothing extraordinary however this return would soon become significant when the Thunder made their next big trade.
In July 2017, The Thunder would trade for multiple-time All-Star Paul George in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Paul George would be a Thunder player for two seasons with the forward ending up as an MVP candidate in his final year, finishing third in MVP voting and making All-NBA first-team. Compare this with the return that Orlando got from Ibaka: an unsuccessful six-month stint before moving him for Terrence Ross and a late pick.
Trades Sam Presti absolutely won: 3. Thunder acquire a Franchise player and the biggest draft pick haul ever
Following an MVP-caliber season and a disappointing first-round playoff exit with the Thunder, Paul George requested a trade to the LA Clippers in the 2019 offseason. While granting the wish of the All-NBA star, Sam Presti was able to acquire a massive pick haul for the Thunder along with a future franchise player.
For Paul George, the Thunder received Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and a massive haul of draft picks including the Clippers' unprotected first-round picks in 2022, 2024, and 2026, along with 2021 (unprotected), and 2023 (protected) first-round selections via the Miami Heat and the option to swap picks in 2023 and 2025.
At the time of the trade, Gilgeous-Alexander was a solid rotation player for the Clippers in his rookie season, becoming a reliable contributor in an egalitarian offense playing off the likes of Lou Williams, Tobias Harris, and Danilo Gallinari. The No. 11 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft ended the 2018-19 regular averaging 10.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. In his first playoff series against the Golden State Warriors, Shai upped his scoring average to 13.7 points along with 2.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists.
In his first season with the Thunder, Shai showed steady improvement and they unexpectedly made the playoffs. Shai averaged 19 points per game, playing a pivotal part in the Thunder's offense alongside guards Chris Paul, and Dennis Schoeder. While Shai's first two years were impressive, his rise to superstardom in the following years is what has made this trade a homerun for Presti and the Thunder. After becoming the leader of the Thunder franchise, Shai has become an All-NBA first-team and put up a staggering 31.4 points per game in the 2022-23 season.
Gallinari had a fruitful stint with the Thunder in the 2019-20 season, playing a key role in the Thunder unexpectedly making the playoffs as he averaged an efficient 18.7 points per game while starting 62 out of 72 regular season (and all seven postseason) games.
Most of the picks traded by the Clippers weren't expected to have a lot of value with the Clippers expected to be consistent contenders with the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George leading a deep team. However, due to injuries and illness to their star players, the Clippers ended the 2021-22 season just outside the playoff spots handing the Thunder a second lottery pick in the process.
With the No. 12 pick of the 2022 draft, via the LA Clippers, the Thunder selected Jalen Williams. In his rookie season, Williams was pivotal in the Thunder making their first postseason appearance since 2020 as he finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting.
With the Clippers failing to reach their championship aspirations and time running out while the Thunder still await future picks from the trade with an already bright future, this trade may end up as Sam Presti's biggest win as a front-office executive.
Trades Sam Presti absolutely won: 1. The Russell Westbrook-Chris Paul Trade
With Paul George dealt to the Clippers to start the 2019 offseason, the Thunder had committed to a rebuild, especially after a trade request from one of the greats of the franchise Russell Westbrook.
With Westbrook interested in joining a contender such as the Rockets, Sam Presti did right by his star by sending him to Houston in exchange for Chris Paul, a top-4 protected 2021 first-round draft pick, a top-4 protected 2024 first-round draft pick, a top-20 protected 2025 first-round draft pick and a top-4 2026 first-round draft pick.
Paul was coming off an injury-ridden season in which he struggled in the postseason and his multi-year max contract was seen as one of the worst in the league.
Paul wasn't expected to play a major role in Thunder's upcoming season with OKC expected to rebuild. However, with the team failing to find a move Paul insisted on suiting up the Thunder.
The team would beat all the expectations with Paul at the forefront, making the All-Star and All-NBA second team along with finishing seventh in MVP voting. In the postseason, The Thunder would push the favored Rockets to seven games with Paul playing a key role down the stretch in each of the Thunder's three wins.
Within a season of being perceived as having an untradable contract, Chris Paul was traded to the Phoenix Suns for multiple tradable contracts and draft capital in the form of Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, and a 2022 first-round draft pick. Oubre and Rubio would be moved before the start of the next season, clearing the way for a Thunder rebuild.
While the 2021 top-4 protected pick from Houston did not convey, the Thunder still has extremely promising assets in the form of Houston's future lightly (top-4) protected first-round picks in 2024 and 2026. The return so far may not been spectacular however considering it immediately produced one of Thunder's most exciting seasons followed by a clean slate for a successful rebuild (so far), it was definitely a successful transaction.
Compare this with the Rockets' situation who gave up significant draft capital in this trade. With Westbrook, the Rockets would completely embrace a small-ball setup, getting rid of starting center Clint Capela and acquiring Robert Covington in a mid-season trade.
There were flashes of the experiment working out however after Russell Westbrook's postseason woes following an injury, the Rockets were comfortably defeated in the second round of the playoffs. Both Westbrook and Harden would demand a trade at the end of the season, forcing the Rockets to rebuild despite having sent many of their draft picks to the Thunder.
