OKC Thunder – Top 10 moments of 2008-2009 season

Scared money don’t make none

Sam Presti, you dog.

Presti had made moves already that would affect the OKC Thunder down the road, such as trading Ray Allen away, kicking off hashtag-the-process in earnest. But, the 2008 draft was the first time he was truly operating under the assumption that this was a decision for Oklahoma.

Although there were rumors that the then-Sonics had interest in Russell Westbrook with the fourth pick, none of the most popular mock drafts had him going any higher than sixth to the Knicks. Most of them had the pick down as Brook Lopez, a player that OKC has long had interest in. How different the Thunder could have been.

But Sam Presti, shooter of shots, has never been one to adhere to prediction. Instead of taking Lopez, or Love, or Augustin, or the other Lopez, Presti took Russell Westbrook, and the rest is current events.

Building

Kevin Durant was already in the bag, and James Harden was yet undrafted. But this draft, the first in OKC history, is still the one with the largest current implications. In addition to taking Russell Westbrook with the fourth pick, Presti also selected Serge Ibaka with the twenty-fourth. Those two picks established 40 percent of the Thunder starting five for the next half-decade.

Russell Westbrook then became the one who stayed, showing loyalty that Thunder fans always assumed someone else would. A declining and expiring Serge Ibaka was traded for Victor Oladipo and the 11th pick in the 2016 draft, Domantas Sabonis, who were then flipped for Paul George, he who is also here to stay.

Sam Presti took the best player in the 2008 draft with the fourth pick, and then took Paul George with the twenty-fourth. In Presti we trust.