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Who is Sam Presti? Five things to know about OKC Thunder general manager
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- Who is Sam Presti? Five things to know about OKC Thunder general manager
A perfect storm is brewing in Oklahoma City .
For the first time since 2020, the OKC Thunder is in the NBA playoffs . OKC (57-25) is the No. 1 seed in the West, and it'll face the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round .
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The Thunder is the biggest breakout team in the league, and the man behind the magic is executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti .
Presti, 46, has been in charge of the franchise ever since it moved from Seattle to OKC in 2008. He's the longest-tenured active general manager in the NBA.
Here are five things to know about Presti:
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Sam Presti got his start with the San Antonio Spurs
After graduating from Emerson College in 1999, Presti got an internship with San Antonio .
Presti then rose from a video coordinator all the way to a vice president and assistant general manager in 2005.
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Presti is credited with recommending that San Antonio select Tony Parker with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. Parker went on to win four championships with the Spurs.
Presti was part of three of those championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007.
More: Skip Bayless claims Thunder fans sent him 'death threats' for Russell Westbrook criticism
Sam Presti became the Seattle SuperSonics' general manager in 2007
Presti became Seattle's general manager on June 7, 2007, at the age of 29. He was the NBA's youngest general manager at the time and the second-youngest one in league history.
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Presti got hired just three weeks before the NBA Draft, and he immediately made a splash.
Presti drafted Kevin Durant with the No. 2 overall pick. He also completed his first trade by acquiring No. 5 overall pick Jeff Green in a deal that sent Ray Allen to Boston .
Presti then drafted Russell Westbrook with the No. 4 overall pick in 2008. He also drafted Serge Ibaka with the No. 24 overall pick, which Seattle acquired in a 2007 sign-and-trade deal that sent Rashard Lewis to Orlando .
More: With OKC Thunder back in NBA playoffs for first time since 2020, here are 4 things to know
Sam Presti, Thunder couldn't re-sign James Harden in 2012
OKC reached the 2012 NBA Finals, but it lost a key contributor that offseason.
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The Thunder failed to sign a then-23-year-old James Harden to a contract extension. Presti reportedly offered a four-year, $55 million extension, which was $4.5 million less than the max contract Harden wanted.
With Harden set to become a restricted free agent the following offseason, OKC traded him to Houston on Oct. 27, 2012. The Thunder sent Harden, Daequan Cook, Cole Aldrich and Lazar Hayward to the Rockets for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb , two first-round picks (which became Steven Adams and Mitch McGary ) and a second-round pick (which became Alex Abrines ).
Harden went on to become a 10-time All-Star, and he won the MVP award with Houston in 2018.
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Thunder has a wealth of young talent, draft capital thanks to Sam Presti
OKC has one of the most promising futures in the NBA thanks to the work of Presti.
His biggest trade came on July 10, 2019, when he acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Los Angeles Clippers . OKC received traded Paul George in exchange for Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari , five first-round picks and the rights to swap two other first-round picks.
Presti then had success in the 2022 draft. He selected Chet Holmgren with the No. 2 overall pick and Jalen Williams with the No. 12 overall pick.
Presti has also collected a treasure trove of draft capital over the years. OKC has 14 first-round picks and 20 second-round picks between now and 2030.
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Sam Presti is still searching for his first championship with Thunder
The Thunder has not won a championship since the franchise moved to OKC in 2008.
The closest OKC came to a title was in 2012. The team suffered a 4-1 series loss to Miami in the NBA Finals.
But OKC took a huge step in the right direction this season. The Thunder is the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history for either conference.
More: Is OKC Thunder too young to win in NBA playoffs? Here's what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Who is Sam Presti? 5 things to know about OKC Thunder general manager
