Thunder Draft Rewind: OKC Makes a Deal in 2016
The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the 2016 Draft with low expectations.
The night before the draft, OKC was slotted for no picks, but Sam Presti wouldn’t sit out draft night.
Presti engineered a deal with the Orlando Magic which sent Serge Ibaka to the Sunshine State and netted Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the No. 11 pick Domantas Sabonis in return.
The son of Arvydas Sabonis, Domantas spent just one season in a Thunder uniform.
Appearing in 81 games, Sabonis averaged 5.9 points per game, adding 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game as a key rotational piece.
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Sabonis’ time in Oklahoma City was cut short the next offseason, but not through the fault of Sabonis.
Presti again struck in the trade market, landing disgruntled star Paul George to pair with Russell Westbrook.
The move was exactly what Sabonis needed to continue his development, as he’s been named an All-Star in back-to-back years.
While George didn’t really work out in OKC, shipping Sabonis and Oladipo to Indiana to roll the dice with Westbrook was well worth the risk before the Thunder ultimately hit the reset button and tore the roster apart.
