Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti believes his championship core has not yet reached its ceiling, even after another deep postseason run.
“I think the team last year had another level to it,” said Presti. “I think we could have got to another level. But I think in due time, like I said earlier, this particular group of players, if we stay healthy, if it has time together, it has a chance to be as good if not better than any of the teams we’ve had.”
Oklahoma City’s title defense ended with a Game 7 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
The offseason that followed brought significant changes, with Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins traded in moves that cut more than $300 million from the payroll.
Despite those departures, Presti remains confident in a foundation built around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
“We have three guys, two of which are not even in their prime, that are All-NBA players, and also the other guy that’s a back-to-back MVP [Gilgeous-Alexander], and he’s only getting better as well in his prime,” said Presti.
Williams was limited to 38 games last season because of injuries and also dealt with a hamstring issue during the playoffs. Thunder general manager offered an encouraging update on his condition entering the new campaign.
“He looks fantastic,” said Presti. “He looks great. He’s playing great. We’re looking forward to him being himself again.”
He also addressed the NBA’s second apron, arguing that its impact cannot be viewed the same way for every franchise.
“When people talk about the aprons, everybody is talking about it from a very small point of view because it affects everybody differently based on your starting point and the timeline of your team,” said Presti.
For Oklahoma City, he suggested the larger challenge is simply managing the financial cost of maintaining an expensive roster rather than the apron restrictions themselves.
“For us, the ghost in the machine is the finances, not so much the aprons. I’ve said that for three years probably. And sure, it’s a changing dynamic, but in 2012, they introduced the Rose Rule and the repeater tax, and that was a disruption. It took time for people to accommodate and acclimate to that. It’s always going to change. You have to kind of figure it out and adapt to it.”
