Even backed into a corner, Sam Presti can make magic happen. There was a need to clear up roster spots and shed salary for the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason. The rest of the league knew it, too. Despite that, none of the trades which served to accomplish those goal eneded up being negatives for OKC.
The Luguentz Dort trade was the cherry on top for Presti this summer. After successfully finding value in the returns for shedding Isaiah Joe's $11.3 million salary and Aaron Wiggins' $9 million deal, the Thunder could once more be viewed as winners when they got rid of Dort's $17.7 million cap hit.
Shams Charania reported that Presti managed to land three second-round picks in a three-team deal that offloaded Dort to the Atlanta Hawks, and also involved the Dallas Mavericks. Jake Fischer followed up by clueing everyone in on the details of those selections.
"The three second-round picks OKC is receiving in exchange for Lu Dort, per source: 2027 Chicago via Dallas, 2031 most favorable from Atlanta, plus a 2032 most favorable from Atlanta."
Despite needing to dump all of Dort, Joe, and Wiggins to avoid second apron penalties, and operating from a position many would see as vulnerable, Presti landed the Thunder seven additional second-round picks between those three trades. That is unbelievable news for Oklahoma City.
Sam Presti turned Thunder's weakness into a major offseason positive
Considering how well set up the Thunder are for sustained success, rival teams had every reason to play hard ball and make Presti's task of ducking under the second apron a challenging one. That did not prove to be the case.
Presti shows time and time again that the title of best front office executive in basketball is firmly his.
NBA draft cap guru Yossi Gozlan pointed out the Thunder have reduced their payroll and luxury tax penalties by a ridiculous $317 million since the start of the offseason. That was accomplished while also strengthening the treasure chest of draft capital.
All of this can reassure Thunder fans that as long as Presti is running the show in Oklahoma City, the team should be poised to always feel confident about coming out on top in any trade negotiations. That much is clear even for the instances in which the situation seems unfavorable.
With Shai Gileous-Alexander's supermax around the corner, and an extension looming for Cason Wallace, the sentiment above offers comfort to Thunder fans that something will get figured out once more. Presti has more than earned that benefit of the doubt after succeeding with the three dismissals of Dort, Joe, and Wiggins.
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