Latest news with #SamPresti
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Doc Rivers Claims The OKC Thunder Will Have To Break Up Their Supertalented Team In A Few Years
Doc Rivers Claims The OKC Thunder Will Have To Break Up Their Supertalented Team In A Few Years originally appeared on Fadeaway World. The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the cusp of winning their first championship after taking a 3-2 lead over the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals. While the Thunder look primed to be a dominant force in the years to come, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers stated on The Bill Simmons Podcast that tough decisions will have to be made soon. Advertisement "They also have some things coming up called max contracts and paying guys," River said. "What Sam (Presti) has done is amazing when you think about it... But next year, after this season or in a year, they're going to have to start paying guys. And then all of a sudden, they probably won't be as deep as they are now, because they're going to have to make some tough decisions." Rivers admitted that having to hand out max contracts is the only thing that is going to slow down this Thunder team, which won 68 games this season. With all the success they're having, the players are in line for huge deals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP this year and is eligible to sign a five-year, $380 million contract extension in 2026. It will be the largest contract in NBA history. For some context on just how big of a jump that will be, Gilgeous-Alexander made just $35.8 million this season. Before Gilgeous-Aleaxnder puts pen to paper on that deal, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who are currently on rookie deals, will get massive contracts of their own. Williams and Holmgren are eligible to sign five-year, $246 million rookie extensions this offseason. The figure could rise to $296 million if MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or All-NBA honors are negotiated into the contracts. Advertisement In a couple of years from now, Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Holmgren will make over $170 million between them a season. As Rivers pointed out, you're not going to be able to have as much depth as the Thunder have now when these three are eating up so much cap space. It would have been possible in the past, but these apron rules in the new CBA will cripple the Thunder. Being a second-round team leads to harsh penalties, like the loss of any mid-level exception in free agency and not being allowed to aggregate contracts in trades. The Thunder having a boatload of draft picks would lessen the blow a little bit, but it just won't be feasible to hold on to all of their key pieces around the three stars. There is next to no chance that Alex Caruso, Lu Dort, and Isaiah Hartenstein are all on this team in a couple of years. Maybe all three of them might be gone. So, the Thunder certainly need to capitalize when their big guns are making next to nothing by NBA standards. They look set to win the title this year, especially now with Tyrese Haliburton suffering a calf strain. If they do win it all, they'll then attempt to do something that hasn't been done in quite some time, which is repeat. Advertisement The Golden State Warriors were the last team to do it in 2017 and 2018. When you look at the current landscape of the NBA, the Thunder would be in a great position to defend their title. Draymond Green had stated that the Warriors would be the last dynasty in the NBA because of the CBA, and it will be interesting to see if the Thunder can at least become a mini-dynasty of sorts. Related: Charles Barkley Claims Thunder Have Sealed the NBA Finals After Game 4 Win This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sam Presti 'Milk Money': 'Pablo Torre Finds Out' about Thunder GM's jazz-rap album
Sam Presti is as good as it gets when it comes to constructing winning basketball teams. OKC's executive vice president and general manager has led the franchise to nine 50-win equivalent seasons since its inception in 2008. He has also helped the Thunder reach the NBA Finals this season for the first time since 2012. Advertisement But before Presti began his illustrious front office career, he dabbled in making music. In a recent episode of his "Pablo Torre Finds Out" podcast, Torre unearthed an old jazz-rap album by Presti titled "Milk Money." The eight-track project was written and produced by Presti under Relativity Records. The label previously included notable artists such as Common, Fat Joe and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Presti has openly discussed his love for music on multiple occasions. He grew up playing the drums, and he shared in a 2019 interview with Emerson Today that he even considered going to music school at one point. Torre has acquired a copy of the album, although it is not available to listen to anywhere online. Now, those on social media are calling for its re-release. Advertisement "Sam Presti, I know you aren't reading this," one X user posted. "But this is f— cool as hell. Don't be ashamed of it. Bring the band back together. One more concert. For charity." More: Mussatto: How Sam Presti, architect of OKC Thunder rebuild, followed through on blueprint Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder GM Sam Presti's jazz-rap album discovered by Pablo Torre
New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Why the Oklahoma City Thunder haven't let market size stunt their potential
INDIANAPOLIS — As the Oklahoma City Thunder sit one win away from their first NBA title, there is no shortage of reasons that serve as the backbone for their success. From the franchise-altering Paul George trade to the similarly significant 2022 NBA Draft, Sam Presti and the front office have nailed a lot of big decisions. Advertisement But there is one other thing that has helped the Thunder outrun the rest of the league: Oklahoma City, despite being in the third-smallest media market in the league, acts in many ways like a big-market team. The NBA's collective bargaining agreement sets a salary cap for all 30 teams and has made the new second apron, essentially, a de facto hard cap in the eyes of many executives and agents. That puts an opportunity cost to every dollar spent on player salary, but there is no such limitation to money spent on the rest of the organization. Team executives around the league believe the Thunder have one of the largest front offices in the NBA and are among the league's biggest spenders on its basketball operations staff. The Thunder have 88 employees in their basketball operations department, according to a publicly available media guide. As a comparison, the New York Knicks have 92. The Los Angeles Lakers have just 56. Oklahoma City also offers its top executives a kind of job security rarely seen around the league and is able to keep them for longer. That stability is a credit to the franchise's prosperous path over the last two decades but also to its ability to retain front-office talent. Thunder general manager Sam Presti has been in Oklahoma City for 18 years. Wynn Sullivan has spent 13 years with the team and Jesse Gould has been there for 16 years — both are now VPs of basketball operations. Rob Hennigan, another VP, is in his 12th season with the Thunder, bookending a stint as Orlando Magic general manager. Despite the team's success, only a few of its top front-office members have departed over the last decade. Hennigan left in 2012 and returned five years later. Troy Weaver had a 12-year run as a top Thunder executive before he left to be the Detroit Pistons GM in 2020. Michael Winger, now president of basketball for the parent group of the Washington Wizards and Mystics, spent eight seasons as Thunder assistant GM before he left for the LA Clippers in 2018. Wizards GM Will Dawkins spent 15 years in Oklahoma City, working his way up from intern to VP of basketball operations. Advertisement The organization isn't just about winning on the margins; it spends money when it needs to. The Thunder have paid $106.44 million in luxury tax since 2002, according to Spotrac, which is the 12th most among all teams in that time. By comparison, the Memphis Grizzlies, the NBA's smallest media market, have only paid the luxury tax in two seasons and not since 2005; the New Orleans Pelicans, the second-smallest market, have never paid the tax. San Antonio, the fifth-smallest market, has paid $17.51 million since 2002. The only outlier in that group that could compare is the Milwaukee Bucks, who are in the fourth-smallest NBA market and have paid $188.67 million in tax over the last four seasons. All of that spending was concentrated in a six-year period at the end of last decade, when the Thunder chased a championship during the end of the Kevin Durant era and during the last few seasons Russell Westbrook remained in Oklahoma City. When the Thunder paid $61.62 million in luxury tax during the 2018-19 season, it was the second most any team had ever been taxed up until that point. That willingness to spend big could soon become an issue as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren become extension-eligible this summer. How the Thunder navigate that may decide how long their reign could last. But if the past is any indicator, Oklahoma City won't be afraid to outspend its market size. What is the financial benefit of an NBA Finals appearance for a team? Look no further than Indianapolis last week, where the Pacers hosted a finals game for the first time in 25 years. There was plenty of energy for the team all across the city, with Pacers signage, shirts and fandom visible everywhere downtown. Maybe that's because the Pacers team store was doing such brisk business. The store had roughly $200,000 in sales on the day before Game 3, which is about 100 times the amount it usually has on a similar day in the calendar when the team is not in the finals. (Photo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Sam Presti celebrating after the Thunder won the Western Conference finals: David Sherman / NBAE via Getty Images)
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stephen A. breaks down how SGA winning it all shifts the Thunder legacy rankings: "It makes him the greatest player in the history of the franchise"
Stephen A. breaks down how SGA winning it all shifts the Thunder legacy rankings: "It makes him the greatest player in the history of the franchise" originally appeared on Basketball Network. This could be the closest the Oklahoma City Thunder has come to winning a championship. Relocating from Seattle to Oklahoma in 2008, the Clay Bennett organization has enjoyed reasonable success over the years. Home to some of the finest talents and former MVPs in the NBA. Advertisement The architect behind assembling the Thunder roster, GM Sam Presti, has helped the franchise draft standout players like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. However, the people of Oklahoma have yet to call themselves champions. Making their second Finals appearance since 2012, OKC is not far away from capturing the elusive title. Finishing as the top seed in the West for the last two seasons, the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander team is on the verge of creating history for the franchise. Recently, appearing on Patrick Bet-David's "PBD Podcast," Stephen A. Smith shared his honest assessment of OKC winning the 2025 championship. The ESPN personality also addressed how Shai could impact the legacies of Durant, Westbrook and Harden. Advertisement "It makes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander clearly the greatest player in franchise history. Harden, it doesn't affect at all cause he was a reserve playing behind Russell Westbrook. He was young at that time, and they moved him to Houston. Russell Westbrook, I don't want to say, it hurts him because he was a star player, Mr. Triple-Double, three years in a row, but never delivered a championship," stated Smith. "The one that really does hurt is KD because if KD stays, you likely win a championship. Remember, they were up 3-1, they let Golden State come back. Golden State eclipses them, wins the series 4-3, and then three weeks later, he goes and signs with Golden State," he highlighted. Durant's 2012 Finals run with OKC A young Thunder team showed a lot of promise by finishing as the second seed in the West during the 2011-12 season. Punching their ticket to the Finals, the Oklahoma-based franchise was battling it out against the Miami Heat's Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Advertisement The Heatles dominated the series, crushing the Thunder's title aspirations in five games — a heartbreaking moment for the OKC trio. The roster underwent significant changes after the 2012 Finals loss, but continued with the KD-Russ duo as its core. Making the WCF in 2014 and 2016, the Thunder were handed elimination in both cases. Exercising his free agency, Durant signed with the Warriors, who had just overcome a 3-1 deficit against him. Joining the Dubs in 2016, "The Slim Reaper" won two titles in the Bay Area and pushed OKC out of the title contention. Related: "Hey, Duke boy, shut the fu*k up and sit in the corner!" - Battier reveals what really happens during players-only meetings in the NBA The face of the franchise: SGA Suppose Shai manages to bring the city of Oklahoma its first-ever championship, his name will be etched in history. The 6'6" guard has been instrumental in the franchise's newfound success. Recently crowned 2024-25 MVP and scoring champion, winning a title would make for one of the greatest individual seasons of all time for the 26-year-old. Advertisement SGA has been a game-changer for the Thunder. His numbers have been off the charts. The three-time All-Star has a certain poise and craftiness to his game. Traded from the Clippers in 2019, the Canadian native's career graph has only displayed an upward curve. Making a case for one of the greatest scorers of all time in only his seventh year in the league and the championship would be icing on the cake. Related: "Every game is a reset" - SGA doesn't think the Thunder have the momentum heading to Game 3 This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Thunder vs. Pacers NBA Finals: OKC looks uncomfortable, and now its dream season is suddenly at risk
INDIANAPOLIS — As Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti turned the corner of the concourse in the bowels of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, following a 116-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, a look of concern covered the face of one of the smartest men in basketball. This is what the Pacers do. This is what they have been doing. They make opponents uncomfortable, and the Thunder, now trailing the best-of-seven championship series, 2-1, are as uncomfortable as they have been all season. Presti's 68-win juggernaut — the one so heavily favored in this series; the one we figured for a budding dynasty — is two losses from the franchise's best season ending short of a championship. Advertisement Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault found all sorts of ways to describe this loss by his young team as "uncharacteristic," and he found even more ways to say, "They outplayed us the majority of the game." "The turnovers were uncharacteristic," Daigneault said of his team's 19 giveaways, one shy of a season high. "Obviously we're usually pretty clean there. I give them credit. I thought they played really well." The Pacers played phenomenally, mostly because the Thunder did not apply the defensive pressure that they usually do. Indiana had something to do with that, too, playing so fast that Oklahoma City could not settle into its defensive pressure. It is hard to be physical with someone when you cannot catch them. "Just the pace of their offense was sharper than our pressure and physicality tonight," said Daigneault. "That's just what it came down to. They got the ball ahead of us more easily tonight than they did in the first two games. That led to a lot of the downstream effects of their offense and our defense tonight." Advertisement Mostly, though, the Thunder were not themselves, especially in the fourth quarter, when the league's MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a machine, attempted only three shots and failed to register an assist. "It felt like they won all the 50/50 plays," Gilgeous-Alexander said of the fourth quarter. "They executed on both ends of the ball. When you give those two things up, no matter what quarter, you're probably going to lose the quarter, especially on the road in a hostile environment as the crowd is behind them." "Their overall tone was better than ours for the majority of the game," added Daigneault. "Like I said, I thought we had some really good stretches, but we just made one too many mistakes and had one too many possessions on both ends of the floor where they were more tied to their identity than we were." Even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked out of rhythm in Game 3, as Indiana's pressure pushed OKC into unfamiliar discomfort. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) Another point of evidence: The Thunder, the NBA's best free-throw shooting team, missed seven of their 30 attempts. All the coach could say to that: "It was an uncharacteristic night in a lot of ways for us." Advertisement The question, then: Why was everything about this game so uncharacteristic for Oklahoma City? Why did the real Thunder not stand up? Why, conversely, as Daigneault said, were the Pacers "in character in terms of their physicality, their pressure on defense" and "in character in terms of their pace on offense"? It is not like the Thunder did not know what to expect. This was a tied series. A championship is on the line. The Pacers did not defend them any differently, other than attacking pick-and-rolls at a higher point. "They were above the screen," said Gilgeous-Alexander. "When you come off it, you got to go backwards. It goes back to a little bit more force. If we're more aggressive setting up the pick-and-roll, then we get a better angle. Things like that usually come down to who throws the first punch. That's what that was." There it is again. The Pacers were throwing the punches. The Thunder were merely trying to avoid them. Advertisement It is curious, considering Oklahoma City lost Game 3 in its previous two series, including the Western Conference semifinals, which they also trailed to the Denver Nuggets, 2-1. The Thunder were well aware of the importance of this one, and still they took the court with a lack of force that was unrecognizable. "We've been in that exact same kind of predicament," said Oklahoma City forward Jalen Williams. "This Game 3 was a better Game 3 than the ones we've had, so we'll take that and run with it. Yeah, I mean, it's very pivotal. Obviously you don't like being down in a series. But we have been here before." Only they have not. Not at this level. "It's the Finals, so it's a little different here," said Alex Caruso, the only member of the Thunder to have reached this level before, having won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers. "You're probably just slightly more frustrated with it. You just put in so much effort to not come away with a win when you have a chance to, especially on the road, it definitely stings a little. That's part of the playoffs, part of the Finals." Advertisement It would be easy to blame this on the Thunder's youth, their inexperience at this level of basketball. But it is not like Indiana has been here before. Their superstar, Tyrese Haliburton, is only 25 years old, a year younger than Gilgeous-Alexander, and the Pacers have no more experience than OKC on this stage. Maybe, then, the Pacers are playing freer in this series — clear of the expectations that come with being one of seven teams ever to win 68 games and one of the biggest betting favorites in NBA Finals history. Whatever the reason for OKC's shortcoming, they now face the prospect of a Game 4 in Indiana, where the crowd is its own animal — where the pressure will only be more intense. The winner of a pivotal Game 3 has won the series 80.5% of the time. Should the Pacers manage to take Game 4, too, that figure would increase to 95.6%, putting them on the brink of arguably the biggest Finals upset in NBA history. Advertisement "We've got to learn from it and then tap back into being who we are in Game 4," Daigneault said of his team's poor Game 3 performance. "If we do that, I think we'll have a much better chance to win." And if they don't? If they are uncharacteristically outplayed again? Then the Thunder are in real trouble.
