Thunder End of the Year Report Card: Sam Presti
A household name in the NBA, Thunder general manager Sam Presti has acquired one of the largest stockpiles of assets in league history.
In the 2020-21 season, Presti continued to build on the Thunder's young core with several acquisitions.
Here is SI Thunder's grades for Oklahoma City's GM:
Nick Crain’s Grade: A+
The only guy in the entire Thunder organization I’m comfortable giving a perfect grade to is Sam Presti.
I’d go into the entire repository of draft picks he’s stockpiled, but I think we all know that story. He’s completely rebuilt the team with young, promising talent while also having the most draft capital of any team in the NBA.
His transactions in the last nine months have resulted in OKC compiling guys like Ty Jerome, Tony Bradley and Svi Mykhailiuk. Additionally, on draft night deals, he landed rookies Aleksej Pokusevski and Theo Maledon.
With the most flexibility and perhaps the brightest long-term future of any team in the NBA, Sam Presti continues to solidify himself as one of the best General Managers in the NBA. It’s no wonder teams around the league look to pry him away from Oklahoma City every season.
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Derek Parker’s Grade: A-
There are few GM’s in the league I’d feel more comfortable with handling OKC’s vast stockpile of assets than Sam Presti.
The eccentric Oklahoma City general manager has made a name for himself with bold managing style over the years.
In terms of trades, Presti’s moves during the 2020-21 season lacked the usual flash that come along with a ‘Presti’ trade. He shipped off a slew of players for the likes of Ty Jerome, Tony Bradley and Svi Mykhailiuk.
Despite not receiving any major names back, Presti still had several hits, namely Jerome, who was a breakout bench player for OKC.
The 2020 Draft draft went well for Presti, hitting on two players, Theo Maledon and Aleksej Pokusevski, who exceeded expectations in numerous areas.
This offseason will be one of the most pivotal in terms of the Thunder’s future.
