Sam Presti is the one NBA government to draft three future MVPs, and he did it in three consecutive drafts. It was a wild stroke of luck and a take a look at of danger/reward, alternative and foresight. By doing so, Presti assured the short-term success of the Seattle SuperSonics, which was about to maneuver to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder. The brand new franchise will function within the league’s smallest market and can want outsized star energy to keep up their funds and competitiveness. Presti drafted Kevin Durant second total in 2007, Russell Westbrook fourth total in 2008 and James third total in 2009 ·Harden. Whereas that is an epic accomplishment, Presti hasn’t drafted one other participant to earn All-Star or All-NBA honors, or another participant, since 2009. . Whereas he deserves credit score for getting the Thunder began, he is been embarrassingly poor at discovering expertise since Harden.
However first, the good things. Durant received the MVP in 2014, Westbrook received the MVP in 2017 with the Thunder, and Harden received the MVP in 2018 with the Houston Rockets. This is one of many best scouts in NBA historical past, deciding on three gamers who not solely turned MVPs, however have been among the many prime 75 gamers in NBA historical past and certain to be first-ballot Corridor of Famers. The three have a mixed 33 All-Star choices, 26 All-NBA choices, 9 scoring titles and 5 season help titles. Nonetheless, although Durant received two championships with the Golden State Warriors, Presti failed to offer the mandatory assist in the course of the three years the three performed along with the Thunder and the 11 years Westbrook performed for the workforce. The workforce brings any championship. It was one of many worst losses in sports activities historical past. However look intently and you will find one other one.
How every part fell aside
Now that we have acknowledged Presti’s historic run of two consecutive top-four picks in future NBA drafts, we will take a better take a look at his post-draft efficiency. From 2008 to 2016, this workforce was too good to get picks within the draft lottery with Westbrook and Durant, so Presti sycophants (Thunder followers) Lots of them) will level out that Presti must make main changes to win. However the Thunder have solely reached the Finals as soon as, in 2012, dropping to 3 superstars, after which two extra. Even when Harden takes on a backup function and wins the Sixth Man of the Yr award, he is a famous person in ready, able to taking on video games on his personal. The long run legacy of failing to resign Harden and commerce him to Houston stays one other foil for Presti.
From 2011 to 2017, Presti obtained a first-round choose in each draft besides 2016. It took what a Thunder intern known as a “massive swing.” That is essential as a result of he continued that dropping streak in Thunder 2.0, taking first- and second-round misses whereas making an attempt to construct round future MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, his largest draw of the twenty first century. Caught him. Listed here are Presti’s first-round picks from 2011 to 2017.
2011: Reggie Jackson, twenty fourth
2012: Perry Jackson, 28 years outdated
2013: Steven Adams, twelfth
2014: Mitch McGarry, twenty first
2015: Cameron Payne, 14th
2017: Terrence Ferguson, twenty first
There are numerous busts apart from Adams. I am not going to waste time going over each participant Presti might select, perhaps a safer or higher match round Durant and Westbrook. However simply take a look at a man like Ferguson and you may see how dangerous Presti’s eye take a look at was within the 2010s. And it continues into the present reconstruction.
Lou Dort was the undrafted participant Presti chosen in 2020 and subsequently paid him a five-year, $82.5 million contract extension that included $65 million assured. His largest lottery whiff is 2021 No. 6 choose Josh Giddey. This season, Giddy is accused of getting intercourse with an underage lady, and he avoids additional issues when her mother and father refuse to cooperate. On the courtroom, he averaged profession lows in factors (11.4), assists (4.4) and rebounds (6.1). Presti welcomes again rising star Chet Holmgren in 2021, who ought to fulfill his potential if he stays wholesome. Presti additionally snagged the twelfth total choose in that draft, together with Jalen Wilms, which made his draft-day commerce to the New York Knicks very unusual. The Thunder traded three future protected first-round picks to the Knicks on draft day for the No. 11 choose and chosen long-term challenge Ousman Dieng, who has opted out of the Thunder’s Rotate the lineup. In hindsight, this head-scratching transfer was pointless, particularly contemplating these picks have been initially acquired by the Thunder in the course of the draft after which traded for Alperon Sengunen in 2021. Presti’s worst draft-day transfer was one he would remorse.
Of the instances Presti has entered the lottery (2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2021, 2022 (twice) and 2023), he has been chosen seven instances (Durant , Westbrook, Harden, Adams, Holmgren, Williams and Wallace)) and missed three video games (Cameron Payne, Gidi, Dieng). This has been a reasonably steady ratio over the previous 15 years. However past that, Presti has been horrible on the subject of much less sure choices. Of the 18 instances he selected (and saved) between the fifteenth and sixtieth picks, he hit simply twice in his whole profession: Serge Ibaka with the twenty fourth choose in 2008 and Reggie Jackson, the twenty fourth choose in 2011.
What draft-day trades has Presti made since taking the job? He has misplaced each one. Have a look:
2010 (misplaced): The Clippers obtained the No. 18 choose (Eric Bledsoe) in alternate for a future protected first-round choose. The Thunder later included the choose in a commerce with Boston that resulted in middle Kendrick Perkins.
2018 (Loss): The Memphis Grizzlies acquired the 2019 No. 21 (Brandon Clark) and No. 23 (Darius Bazley) picks in addition to a future second-round choose from the Thunder. Bazley not performs within the NBA.
2020 (failed): The Minnesota Timberwolves traded the No. 25 choose (Immanuel Quickley) and the No. 28 choose (Jaden McDaniels) to the No. 17 choose (Alexey Pokusevski). )’s Ricky Rubio. Poku was laid off earlier this month.
2021 (failed): The Houston Rockets acquired the No. 16 choose (Alperon Sengun) from the Wizards and Pistons for 2 extremely protected future first-round picks. These picks shall be packaged to pick out Deion in 2023.
2022 (to be decided): Dallas trades the No. 10 choose (Carson Wallace) for the No. 12 choose (Derek Vigorous). Whereas Wallace is an elite defender and three-point shooter, Vigorous is precisely the form of rebounding massive man they should again up Holmgren. The Thunder at present rank final within the league in rebounding.
The Thunder waived Poku earlier this month. Quickley and McDaniels each began for his or her respective groups. To make issues worse, Presti drafted Sangon, a present Most Improved Participant candidate, in 2021, solely to commerce him on draft evening for future protected picks in a commerce with the Knicks Use Dion. Sangun is averaging 21.1 factors, 9.3 rebounds and 5 assists per recreation this season. Sangon’s waste will not be solely Presti’s worst draft choice ever, it is also one of many worst draft trades of the twenty first century.
That is to not say Presti is not among the finest executives the small market has ever seen. His acumen in constructing a workforce from the bottom up is one thing few can match. The Gilgeous-Alexander commerce stays the most important rip-off of the fashionable period. However his expertise within the draft was largely attributable to his two consecutive future MVP choices within the late 2000s. Since then, he is turn out to be one of many worst gamers within the NBA at swinging round within the lottery, particularly within the late first and second rounds to search out gamers with respectable careers. However because the Presti fools wish to say, “Fearful cash does not earn a living.” Properly, apparently, it does not win championships both.
