Sam Presti
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Sam Presti has built the Oklahoma City Thunder into the best team in the NBA.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are playing in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup on Wednesday night. They will host the Phoenix Suns, giving them a chance to extend their win streak to 16 games. At 23-1, Oklahoma City is far and away the best team in the league, and it is not by accident.
Each season, The Athletic (subscription required) asks league executives to rank the best front offices in the NBA. Executives ranked their top five, with the point system being similar to the MVP voting. A first-place vote is worth 10 points, a second-place vote is seven points, a third-place vote is worth five points, a fourth-place vote is worth three points, and a fifth-place vote is worth one point.
When the 36 league executives — general managers, assistant GMs, presidents, and vice presidents — returned their votes to Fred Katz and The Athletic, Oklahoma City blew the rest of the league out of the water.
The Thunder garnered 31 first-place votes, while the next closest team had just two. Additionally, Oklahoma City received three second-place and two third-place votes.
The Thunder Have Built a Powerhouse
The Thunder are coming off an NBA Finals championship, which turned out to be one of the most exciting series in recent memory. In fact, it was the first time the Finals went seven games since the 2015/16 season.
The Championship was inevitable. Oklahoma City earned the top seed in the Western Conference in 2023/24, but they fell short in the WC semifinals. Oklahoma City powered their way through the playoffs last year during their Finals run. This season is setting up to be an even more dominant run for the Thunder.
But how did Oklahoma City build such a strong team? Sam Presti, the president of basketball operations, has laid out the blueprint. However, it is not an easy plan to follow. He has helped the Thunder build a young and talented roster, all while acquiring a substantial amount of draft capital.
“The best-ever job of acquiring future assets while dominating in the present. Usually, those two are a little exclusive when you’re talking about championship-level teams. Presti is just the preeminent GM in the league,” One league executive told Katz and The Athletic.
Oklahoma City has three first-round picks in the next NBA draft. Two are protected, but it is possible for the Thunder to have as high as the fifth pick in the stacked 2026 draft. The team also has three first-round picks in 2027.
Presti has not only built a powerhouse team, but he has also made sure the Thunder can be successful for a long time.
Oklahoma City Could Have a Record Year
The Thunder, as mentioned, are 23-1 this year. They are riding a 15-game win streak heading into Wednesday, and have shown no signs of letting up. Oklahoma City ranks first in net rating (+15.9) and defensive rating (104.1).
During their win streak, the Thunder are scoring 123.5 points per game, while allowing just 104.6. That gives them an average margin of victory of 18.9 points. Their dominance is impressive to say the least, and there is a real chance Oklahoma City passes the Golden State Warriors for the best record in NBA history.
For what it’s worth, the Warriors failed to win the Finals that year. But 74 wins will give the Thunder the NBA record, and they are already a third of the way there.