Thunder in the news: King Joffrey signed, Presti evolution

Thunder in the news is a daily post dedicated to keep OKC Thunder fans updated on the happenings of their favorite team.

We’re officially eleven days into free agency and the Thunder have one more roster spot to fill (assuming Terrance Ferguson gets signed). That player could come from within house via the OKC Blue, or it could come in the form of a trade. There’s not much Sam Presti can do in the open market with the current cap situation, which perfectly leads us to our first story.

Joffrey Lauvergne signs to the Spurs

Presti said part of the reason why he traded Joffrey Lauvergne was because he figured the big would be too expensive for OKC to keep. The financials aren’t out yet on the deal – shoutout Shams Charania from The Vertical for getting the initial scoop.

"Free-agent center Joffrey Lauvergne has agreed to a two-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs, league sources told The Vertical.Lauvergne became an unrestricted free agent on Saturday when the Chicago Bulls pulled his qualifying offer, and he received immediate interest. The Spurs considered several big men in an effort to fortify their bench."

The evolution of Sam Presti

I’m all for long-form features on the brains behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. I think Robert Mitchell is right in saying that Presti has learned from his mistakes. He needs to appease Russ so the same thing with KD doesn’t happen with the newest MVP; I trust him to get the job done.

"What happens after Russell makes it clear that rolling back the team using the slogan “internal development” as a crutch is not what he wants to ink his name to long term?Answer: Paul George is putting on a Thunder uniform for the 2017-18 season, even though he has made it publicly clear he wants to wear purple and gold; Andre Roberson (All-Defensive Second Team) is back; veteran Patrick Patterson is coming to town (as the largest FA addition in OKC history); and OKC is heading into the luxury tax."

This year’s Thunder may be the deepest of all time

Our staff here at Thunderous Intentions is killing it with the offseason coverage. Today’s special spotlight goes to Austin Sternlicht, who takes a deep dive into whether or not this year’s the Thunder is the deepest of all time. It’s an interesting read, hence why it’s featured. Funny how that works.

"General Manager Sam Presti has done an incredible job this summer making sure this team has enough manpower down the roster to compete with the elite Western Conference teams. He essentially replaced Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo with Paul George and Patrick Patterson. On Friday evening, he signed veteran point guard Raymond Felton to a one year deal. The backup point guard position was specifically a disaster for the Thunder last season. Semaj Christon and Norris Cole simply were not able to meet the demands of even a below average backup point guard."

Thanks for stopping by!! See ya tomorrow for some more terrific Thunder talk!