After helping the Oklahoma City build one of the best rosters in the NBA, two of the Thunder's scouts are leaving the organization.
First, Andrew Slater was reportedly hired as the general manager at NC State, joining the Wolfpack's next head coach, Will Wade.
Prior to his time in OKC's front office, Slater worked as an independent scout in the North Carolina region, building relationships with coaches and trainers in the area.
For people that have been in this business for a while, they know how big of a hire Andrew Slater is for Will Wade and NC State.
Slater knows everything and everyone in the recruiting world. He is as connected as you can get with that landscape.
— Justin Byerly (@JustinByerly) March 22, 2025
According to Technician, NC State's student newspaper, "Slater will focus primarily on evaluating high school and college players, identifying potential transfer portal targets and building relationships with coaches and programs. He’ll work closely with Wade to target the right fits and anticipate roster needs."
Slater, who's hire has garnered positive reactions from NC State fans on social media, isn't the only Thunder scout to be plucked from the team's front office in the past two weeks, thouguh. On Monday, Cincinnati announced the hire Corey Evans, another one of Oklahoma City's scouts, to fill the Bearcats general manager position.
Welcome to Cincinnati, Corey Evans!
📝: https://t.co/h0mprzc9n0 pic.twitter.com/IaaH72gXXB
— Cincinnati Men’s Hoops (@GoBearcatsMBB) March 31, 2025
Evans was hired by the Thunder in 2020 after a stint at Rivals working as a recruiting analyst. During his time in the Modern Frontier, Evans helped scout players like Jalen Williams, Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace, according to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Per Cincinnati's press release about the hire, "Evans' roles with the Thunder included player evaluations and intelligence work on all pre-draft prospects worldwide. He also helped in the hiring processes of entry-level coaches and interns."
Evans graduated from Old Dominion and created a website called Roundball Rundown Report before being hired at Rivals.
Slater and Evans' hires as GM are the latest in what has become a popular position in college basketball very quickly with changing NIL and transfer portal rules. Also on Monday, the Oklahoma Sooners announced the Trae Young will be the team's assistant GM, filling a similar role to Steph Curry at Davidson.
As the college sports landscape continues to change, more NBA front office staff will likely be hired by programs for GM or assistant GM positions. Of course, losing two capable scouts is not ideal for the Thunder, but having one of the best general managers in the sport already at the helm alleviates any concerns that could arise from Slater or Evans' departures.
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