Nothing continues to happen in the NBA. Expect that to remain the case for at least one more month. After all, it’s the slowest part of the year. That said, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Training camp kicks off soon. Before you know it, the 2025-26 regular season will start as the marathon begins.
The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to enjoy their NBA championship. They had one of the greatest seasons ever with a 68-14 regular-season record and a Larry O’Brien trophy. It’s been a quiet offseason as they will run it back with mostly the same roster.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren all signed contract extensions this past offseason to keep them in OKC for the foreseeable future. To reflect on their championship run and look forward to their repeat chances, Thunder Wire conducted a 16-question fan survey.
One question was about Sam Presti. Thunder fans were asked to grade the job Presti has done. After being regarded as one of the best general managers over the last two decades, he finally brought home a championship roster.
Thunder fans seem to ride the high of that all-time accomplishment. 87.6% of 615 voters handed Presti an A grade. Easy to see why, too. He accelerated a small-market franchise’s rebuild and built a second title contender similarly to the first.
While Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t technically homegrown, his superstar trajectory has happened on the Thunder. Meanwhile, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren were homegrown talents added in the 2022 NBA draft. That trio rounds out arguably the best in the league.
The rest of the roster is filled with players added by Presti’s savvy moves. Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins and Jaylin Williams have all outplayed their draft position. Kenrich Williams and Isaiah Joe were awesome finds after forgettable first stints elsewhere.
In their first offseason as buyers, the Thunder added seamless veterans in Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein as the final pieces of a championship roster. Both helped OKC in its playoff run and were home-run additions from a team that historically sits out free agency.
Presti also took a risk with Mark Daigneault. He was a relative unknown when he was hired as head coach in 2020. Since then, he’s graduated into a household name and is widely regarded as one of the brightest minds. He is the rare NBA head coach who coached through a rebuild and a championship.
The Thunder have been one of the winningest teams since Presti took over as GM in 2007. After years of flirting with a championship, he finally had the chance to hold the Larry O’Brien trophy. Of course, his approval rating is an all-time high in OKC.
