With the NBA Summer League underway, the OKC Thunder are actively preparing for the 2021-22 season. Undoubtedly the busiest part of this offseason for Vice President of Basketball Operations, Sam Presti was preparing for the 2021 NBA Draft.
With six picks at his disposal, Presti had to make decisions that would affect a tenth of the prospects drafted. That kept the Thunder front office extremely busy as they scouted prospects, then met with select individuals for interviews and workouts.
Prospects were analyzed for their fit with the where OKC hopes to move the team in the near future. Factor in all the calls Presti was making to counterparts regarding his six draft picks with a view to moving up or down in the draft.
In the end, OKC kept three of their picks selecting Josh Giddey (6th), Tre Mann (18th), and Aaron Wiggins (55th). Presti packaged the 34th and 36th picks to move up to 32nd to select Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and traded the 16th pick for future picks to Houston.
While the work for these four rookies is just beginning Presti and his front office team must turn their attention to other requirements of the offseason. Unlike the draft, the OKC Thunder aren’t expected to be big players in free agency. Despite that fact, Presti and his team are still extremely busy preparing for next season.
Presti continues practice of hiring former OKC Thunder players to management
More from Thunderous Intentions
- Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
- Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
- 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
Helping move the agenda forward the Thunder bolstered their internal team with two former players at the center of those changes. Mr. Thunder – Nick Collison was already with the club functioning as a basketball operations representative. Collison was promoted to special assistant to Sam Presti.
The other former player joining the Thunder front office is Anthony Morrow who will assume the position of lifestyle services and engagement associate.
Although the Thunder are a young franchise they already have a common practice of hiring former players within management. Collison’s tenure began two seasons ago while Morrow joins Mike Wilks (assistant coach), Nazr Mohammed (OKC Blue GM, Thunder pro personnel evaluator), and Eric Maynor (player development coach).
Collison spent his entire 14 years in the NBA with this franchise (four years with the Seattle SuperSonics/10 with the Thunder) while Morrow was with the club played 182 games with OKC between 2014 and 2017.