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What GM Sam Presti said about OKC Thunder contracts, injuries at offseason news conference
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- What GM Sam Presti said about OKC Thunder contracts, injuries at offseason news conference
Fresh off the OKC Thunder 's first NBA championship , general manager Sam Presti will meet with the media Monday morning in his annual end-of-season news conference.
Follow along for live updates:
MUSSATTO: Thomas Sorber makes sense as longterm option for OKC Thunder at center
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Sam Presti certain Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will sign long-term contract with Thunder
Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is eligible to sign a four-year, $293.4 million extension this summer — a contract in which he would earn $73.4 million annually. Or he could wait until next summer, when he would be eligible for a five-year, $379 million extension — an average annual value of $75.8 million.
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Speaking at his annual end-of-season news conference, Thunder general manager Sam Presti declined to go into detail about extension talks with his star guard, but the Thunder is certain to sign SGA to a long-term deal one way or another.
Gilgeous-Alexander is under contract for $38.3 million next season and $40.8 million in 2026-27. His extension would kick in beginning with the 2027-28 season.
—Joe Mussatto, Columnist
Sam Presti marvels at Chet Holmgren 's ability to play through pain
When Chet Holmgren suffered a right iliac wing fracture against the Golden State Warriors early in the regular season, Jaylin Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein stood by his side.
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Holmgren couldn't even manage to make it to the locker room at first. He was in too much pain.
"In all my years doing this, I've never, ever seen a player in that much pain," Presti said. "It was really tough."
Williams and Hartenstein were both injured at the time, and while Holmgren might have not noticed the presence of his teammates due to the agony, the two stayed with him until he left for the hospital.
"It was uncomfortable because when someone's in that much pain, it's hard to be a bystander," Presti said.
The Thunder general manager called this "the greatest act of team support and teammate support he'd ever seen."
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—Isa Almeida, Staff writer
Sam Presti calls Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a 'basketball artist'
In the previous era of Thunder contention, Sam Presti called Kevin Durant a basketball god, Russell Westbrook a basketball warrior and James Harden a basketball genius.
So what does the Thunder general manager call Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
"Artist," Presti said. "Basketball artist."
Why is the NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP a basketball artist?
"I just think he's got left and right brain working, and I think people that are extremely successful in what they do, they can't operate all on one side or the other," Presti said. "To me, the great people in in life, business, sports, any industry, have to have access both sides of the creative side and also very objective side. But what makes, to me, the greats great are the people that have the emotional intelligence to decide when to call on which one.
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"So you can have access to both, but the key is ... when to pull which club at what time. ... You gotta know when to use a hammer. And I think he's got that."
—Jenni Carlson, Columnist
Jalen Williams to have wrist surgery; Thomas Sorber to skip NBA Summer League
Presti confirmed Nikola Topić will play for the Thunder in NBA Summer League, but rookie center Thomas Sorber will not.
Topic, the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, sat out all of last season due to a knee injury.
Jalen Williams will have wrist surgery after playing two months with a ligament tear.
—Isa Almeida, Staff writer
'Odds are clearly stacked against' Thunder repeating as NBA champions
The last team to repeat as NBA champions was the Golden State Warriors of 2016-17 and 2017-18.
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The Thunder will try to become the next.
"Now we've got to keep going," Presti said. "We've got to keep pressing on. And the odds are clearly stacked against us…"
Presti listed "randomness, hubris and fatigue," as reasons why repeating is hard. Those, and the "silent forces" that Presti so often says work against teams.
"They knock on your door every single day," Presti said, "and they knock a hell of a lot harder once you have success."
—Joe Mussatto, Columnist
Sam Presti: 'Nothing missing in Oklahoma'
In his opening statement, Thunder general manager Sam Presti detailed the through lines he sees between the Thunder and the state of Oklahoma.
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"There's compassion on the team," Presti said. "There's cowboy toughness. A self reliance that comes from being homegrown. And an essential sense of goodness. The team is really just a reflection of the state.
"There's really nothing missing in Oklahoma. There's nothing missing here. We really didn't need a trophy to validate …"
—Joe Mussatto, Columnist
More: How Sam Presti, OKC Thunder discovered Brooks Barnhizer well in advance of 2025 NBA Draft
Mayor David Holt proclaims today to be Clay Bennett Day in OKC
Here's the full list:
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June 30: Clay Bennett Day
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July 1: Sam Presti Day
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July 2: Mark Daigneault Day
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July 7: Branden Carlson Day
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July 8: Alex Ducas Day
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July 9: Adam Flagler Day
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July 10: Nikola Topic Day
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July 11: Ousmane Dieng Day
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July 14: Dillon Jones Day
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July 15 Ajay Mitchell Day
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July 16: Jaylin Williams Day
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July 17: Kenrich Williams Day
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July 18: Isaiah Joe Day
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July 21: Aaron Wiggins Day
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July 22: Cason Wallace Day
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July 23: Isaiah Hartenstein Day
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July 24: Alex Caruso Day
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July 25: Lu Dort Day
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July 28: Chet Holmgren Day
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July 29: Jalen Williams Day
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July 30: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Day
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What GM Sam Presti said about Thunder contracts, injuries & more
