For years, the OKC Thunder were viewed as a promising, up-and-coming young team that, though impressive during the regular season, seemed to lack the experience necessary to successfully run the entire playoff gamut.
It is because of this that GM Sam Presti was regularly pressed by both fans and pundits to consider trading away some of his less established contributors and treasure trove of draft capital in an effort to acquire a more accomplished and seasoned performer.
From small-scale proposals that suggested swapping end-of-bench players for established veterans to blockbuster ideas that would see recent lottery-selected talents be shipped out for megastars, even this past season, the executive was regularly called upon to make and, ultimately, criticised for shying away from striking on a win-now deal.
In the end, however, it seems that Presti was right to avoid making any such moves, as his Thunder team officially won the 2025 NBA Finals on Sunday night as a result of his reluctance.
Sam Presti proven right to keep Thunder intact after winning NBA Finals
This championship team was built by the same components many were pleading with Sam Presti to part ways with in a hypothetical splashy exchange for an established star player.
After deciding to put an end to the Russell Westbrook era of Thunder basketball back in the summer of 2019, Presti went on to build up a war chest of valuable assets headlined by a slew of future first-round draft capital and a promising rookie guard who, ultimately, would end up becoming 2025's NBA MVP, NBA Scoring Champion, and NBA Finals MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Over the last six seasons, the storied executive masterfully built up one of the most menacing all-around rosters in the game today, and it's all thanks to these assets that many wished to see him use in a trade.
With their Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers to lock down the franchise's first title since 1979, many believe this Thunder team is now in the begining stages of becoming the league's next great dynasty.
Had Sam Presti had listened to the outside noise and succumbed to the pressures of the fan base to offload a few vital picks along the way, there's a chance OKC may have lost out on rostering guys like Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace... you know, guys that, right alongside SGA, made this 2025 NBA Championship possible.
At this point, the reigning Executive of the Year has officially absolved himself of any and all criticisms he has been hit with over the last several years.