Because the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder Having gone from rebuilding to title contenders, they’ll spend the following few Februarys being considered as consumers somewhat than sellers. That’s a part of the contentious territory.
The Thunder already obtained their first style final season. They acquired Gordon Hayward from the Charlotte Hornets in trade for Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, Davis Bertans and second-round draft picks. The deal was met with enthusiasm. The 34-year-old was an ideal match on paper. He can be a superb scorer and might shoot from outdoors. He was an thrilling addition that made good sense.
However sadly, basketball is performed on the court docket, not on paper.
Hayward struggled to adapt to the Thunder. He wasn’t an element within the 2024 playoffs. Sam Presti admitted in his 2023-24 exit interview that the deal was a failure. He famous that he ought to have taken extra into consideration the adjustment interval Hayward would have wanted to completely combine into OKC.
“I feel it was just a little little bit of a tricky scenario,” Presti mentioned of the deal. “Going from an everyday starter to a crew that was beginning to get stronger, that had a special manner of enjoying. He simply didn’t get to the extent he wished to. He helped us get to No. 1. He was within the rotation. He had nights the place he needed to begin. I feel he helped us bounce again so much.”
In preparation for the 2024-25 season, Presti reiterated the teachings he realized from the final commerce deadline throughout his preseason press convention. The Thunder GM talked about how final 12 months’s expertise might impression this 12 months’s deadline if OKC heads into 2025 with a transparent want.
“I’m not going to interrupt my rule, which is to remain open. However I feel we’ve executed it — like I mentioned final 12 months, we’ve realized that it’s a special crew to come back into the center of the 12 months, for positive,” Presti mentioned. “Partly due to the type of play, partly due to the event of our gamers, as a result of the crew is so younger, it modifications each 5 to 10 video games.”
He pressured that the additions of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso will likely be a high precedence early within the season. Will probably be an adjustment interval for the 2 veterans to combine with the remainder of the crew. He additionally cautioned in opposition to viewing the commerce deadline as a “get out of jail free” card.
“I feel the opposite factor about that is we have now to watch out not to have a look at each impediment or regression as a chance to make a commerce,” Presti mentioned. “I feel exterior options all the time carry numerous danger to the present crew. I don’t suppose anybody actually elements that into their calculations as a result of there’s all the time such a bias to behave.”
This philosophy aligns with what Presti did throughout his tenure because the Thunder’s normal supervisor. Even within the first iteration with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, OKC not often made big-money offers throughout the season. As an alternative, they focused gamers who might match a job.
“There’s going to be some issues that we have now to do externally, and that’s what we in the end determined to do that summer time,” Presti mentioned. “However I don’t suppose we will get into the behavior of continuous to do this, as a result of I feel it’s going to take us additional and additional away from what all people actually needs.”
This text was initially revealed on OKC Thunder Wire: OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti discusses 2025 NBA commerce deadline
