The craziest part of the Paul George trade is that (I'm pretty sure) the only first round pick that had been used from that trade by OKC so far is JDub
Don’t sell Sam Presti short. He may not have any rings as a GM, but he earned 3 rings with the Spurs (‘03, ‘05, ‘07) and played a pivotal role in drafting HOFer Tony Parker.
When it comes down to it, the reason the Thunder are doing so well is because they have a key personnel from the Spurs. You can look around the league and see the influence the Spurs have had like Kerr with the Warriors.
The reason the Presti has focused so much on picks is because when KD, Russ and Harden got good, they got good FAST. Basically the goal was they needed 1 more year to get a lottery pick, but ended up being too good to get one to go with their young core. The war chest was empty when they needed one more big piece and couldn’t get it. Free agents rarely come to OKC, so they develop in the draft, and needed just one more shot on the lottery, but were ahead of schedule.
Was watching the game just a couple nights ago …. In Dec. 2024 …. Thunder has -Caruso -Dort -Joe on the floor ….. we’re flourishing : that’s two undrafted & one released player …… then substituted in our own 55th pic …Sam is unbelievable at spotting talent & the culture in OKC is simply wonderful at developing these players and becoming OKC citizens !!! This current team is truly 12 deep & every single one of them contribute !! Let’s not forget coach D …..who had been paramount to the teams success ….. Thunder way up kidz ….. we look to be on a very fun ride ❤
Sounds to me like James Harden trashed his career over $4.5M. He could’ve had 2 or 3 chips over the next five years and then gone and done his thing. But he’s always come across as the selfish type.
You’re saying that as if the James Harden we seen in Houston is the same James Harden we seen in OKC. They could have gave him the money, I get what you’re saying, though. However, the honest should be on them, not him for wanting his just due
@ Is that how you see it? Harden would have been part of a “Big Three” that would have won championships. That’s completely different than some random employee cleaning the locker rooms. Try again. And that would’ve been $4.5 million over 3 or 4 years. So yeah, lots of players have done that to make the team better in multiple sports. He’s just always been in it for himself.
@@kingdollaz302 Well your comment actually supports MY point. OKC didn’t know what he would become. They just knew how he played in his current role. He was a 6th man at that time, not a superstar. He just choked in the playoffs, understandably. So, it would seem the onus was on Harden to earn the big payday, not on OKC to project that onto him.
What it really comes down to in the end is the Spurs drafting culture effecting the Thunder via Sam Presti. The Spurs coaching culture effected the Warriors. And many more teams around the league that have had great success in the last 10+ years have personnel from the Spurs.
Spurs are not responsible for other organizations draft rooms. Just because the executives come from the same tree doesn’t mean it’s the reason. Sam Presti is the mind behind the rebuild
@@808bboarderthank you i hate people who just act like oh they came from there that means that the team is automatically attached to their accomplishments like they couldn’t have done it without said origination
No. Everybody and their cousin and ofc the front office knew Harden > Ibaka. Thats why the front office offered James Harden as much as they did but wanting to stay below the salary cap. The hindsight should be, they should have paid the tax.
They could’ve re signed Harden and later amnesty’d perkins. They should’ve done anything they could to at least keep harden for one more contract of 4 - 6 years. The kicker is that the tax wouldn’t have been that bad due to how the cap increased. No one knew that at the time though but imagine the cap being 6 mil and the thunder laying the repeater tax in the 2nd smallest city in the nba. Still should’ve found a way to keep harden and make it work.
@@beckayyysolos Everyone PRAISE him as if he's Phil Jackson or something (Smh) I can't wait to watch him Drop the 🏀 With this 2025 Draft class because Danny Wolfe/Queen and a few others Should be Drafted early
Still can’t believe people deny that OKC is the next dynasty, yes they haven’t won anything yet but I don’t think i’ve personally ever seen a team this we’ll set up for the future.
Sam did acquire Gordon Hayward last year so he's not perfect but it was kind of a long shot trade because he got Hayward pretty cheap. If it didn't work out, which it didn't, it wouldn't hurt the team at all going forward. ⏩
No the whole reason he acquired Gordon was to empty out the salary, getting rid of players like tre Mann, pokusevski, and that euro league mvp guy was pivotal in being able to afford hartenstein
@YallknowMaxi they also got him because they hoped that he could be an extra big if he was able to show any kind of game which he doesn't have anymore. Hayward's had such a disappointing career because he was really good once. He also almost beat Duke by himself back in college. He was a long 3-pointer away from making history. He's definitely one of those guys in that pool of players who could have been really at the top of the league but just couldn't stay healthy. Maybe a little bit less than the top of the league but still he could have been really good.
At 5:00 where u stated he left because of Westbrook is simply untrue. He has stated countless times it was because the thunder failed to ever put any scoring peices behind them, so there was no one else carrying the offensive load
Literally in the starting line up’s in the KD days we literally had wings like Andre Roberson, Sefolsha, Kevin Martin when he wasn’t good, an old Derick fisher, Jeremy lamb, Perry jones, Anthony morrow, dj Augustin, Doug McDermott, Caron butler at end of career, Ronnie brewer and our big men don’t get me started we had Kendrick Perkins as a starter for how many years
It's crazy how the Phoenix crazy moneyman who is desperate to avoid the luxury tax to build a bunch of max contract guys, doesn't just tell Presti "I'll triple your salary to come work for me" The guy will hemorrhage his back end in luxury tax when there's a guy who can build a roster and massively lighten your luxury tax bill and maybe win you something... And that goes for any team in the league 😂 Just hire Sam Presti...
Isiah joe is not a home grown talent we got him from Philly, he was about 35.7% from 3 but since then he’s around 43% since coming to us, cause we gave him a chance and doubled his minutes basically, wiggins we did draft he was a 55th pick
As a die-hard thunder fan I saw the whole harden era for what it was. Don't get me wrong, I love Westbrook but I saw Russel as a ball hog who kept it from Durant. If they swapped harden to his spot, I saw a championship. Then my heart was crushed. Now we're better than ever 😊
@@9999nadiahis 10 APG really fool people thinking he’s a good passer. All he does is drive and kick. Someone who is actually an elite all-time great passer is somebody like Trae Young or Steve Nash we’re also both better scorers than Westbrick
Westbrook was not the entire team in 2017. He had 2 all other all nba players on that team but he didn’t pass the ball and made them corner sitters, and I don’t wanna hear anybody say they were young because they made it the following season after leaving him. 😂😂😂 Westbrook a loosing player
Meanwhile, he's doing really good in Denver. And then on top of it, managed to get out of the first round AFTER leaving OKC. That's not the player, that's the coaching. Now ask yourself this question: How is Chicago doing right now?
I think it's going to be a rowdy playoffs this year. It's so early in the season that we don't know how things are going to turn up. No one saw Cavs at #1, nor the success of a few other teams.
They have the best net rating in the league. After tonight’s game, They have 292 steals and 282 turnovers, for a +10 steals to turnover ratio. Miami is the next closest with a -82 steals to turnover ratio. Their defense may be the best in 20 years.
Westbrook is not top 10. Guys better than him: Cousy, Big O, Magic, Isiah Thomas, CP3, Steph Curry, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Jrue Holiday, Gary Payton, John Stockton, hell Kyrie Irving, Tony Parker, and Kyle Lowry are all ahead of him.
@@StainMastersindividually, but to win a championship I’d take many many players over Westbrook. Having Westbrook means you are guaranteed not to win a ring. He will shoot 36% in the playoffs
The craziest part of the Paul George trade is that (I'm pretty sure) the only first round pick that had been used from that trade by OKC so far is JDub
I stand corrected, Tre Mann was also a Clippers pick
@@callumsmith5819 even still corrected, they drafted a guy named Dillon Jones with a Clippers
@@peterakinrinade5170 wasn't that through trading up with their own pick next year or am I thinking of what they did for Ajay Mitchell?
@@callumsmith5819no they traded like 5 second rn picks for d jones
j dub has been pretty solid i don't even think they would trade j dub straight up for pg rn, if were not talking about matching the salaries
Sam Presti has always been OKC's greatest player.
When kd left and i didnt know if russ was gonna stay, i still had hope cuz we had presti. That man has always been the don of this club
Don’t sell Sam Presti short. He may not have any rings as a GM, but he earned 3 rings with the Spurs (‘03, ‘05, ‘07) and played a pivotal role in drafting HOFer Tony Parker.
When it comes down to it, the reason the Thunder are doing so well is because they have a key personnel from the Spurs. You can look around the league and see the influence the Spurs have had like Kerr with the Warriors.
We've been spoiled in OKC but we still have the hunger to get over that hump
Agreed. I really want a championship, though. We've got basically everything else at least one
The reason the Presti has focused so much on picks is because when KD, Russ and Harden got good, they got good FAST. Basically the goal was they needed 1 more year to get a lottery pick, but ended up being too good to get one to go with their young core. The war chest was empty when they needed one more big piece and couldn’t get it. Free agents rarely come to OKC, so they develop in the draft, and needed just one more shot on the lottery, but were ahead of schedule.
I love OKC glazing videos. What a time to be a fan.
Sam Presti needs to have a 30 for 30!
Was watching the game just a couple nights ago …. In Dec. 2024 …. Thunder has -Caruso -Dort -Joe on the floor ….. we’re flourishing : that’s two undrafted & one released player …… then substituted in our own 55th pic …Sam is unbelievable at spotting talent & the culture in OKC is simply wonderful at developing these players and becoming OKC citizens !!! This current team is truly 12 deep & every single one of them contribute !! Let’s not forget coach D …..who had been paramount to the teams success ….. Thunder way up kidz ….. we look to be on a very fun ride ❤
Sounds to me like James Harden trashed his career over $4.5M. He could’ve had 2 or 3 chips over the next five years and then gone and done his thing. But he’s always come across as the selfish type.
You’re saying that as if the James Harden we seen in Houston is the same James Harden we seen in OKC. They could have gave him the money, I get what you’re saying, though. However, the honest should be on them, not him for wanting his just due
Would you take a big pay cut to make the company you work for better?
@ Is that how you see it? Harden would have been part of a “Big Three” that would have won championships. That’s completely different than some random employee cleaning the locker rooms. Try again.
And that would’ve been $4.5 million over 3 or 4 years. So yeah, lots of players have done that to make the team better in multiple sports. He’s just always been in it for himself.
@@kingdollaz302 Well your comment actually supports MY point. OKC didn’t know what he would become. They just knew how he played in his current role. He was a 6th man at that time, not a superstar. He just choked in the playoffs, understandably.
So, it would seem the onus was on Harden to earn the big payday, not on OKC to project that onto him.
James harden made the right decision. He’s worth more than what’s he was getting paid in Houston.
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What it really comes down to in the end is the Spurs drafting culture effecting the Thunder via Sam Presti. The Spurs coaching culture effected the Warriors. And many more teams around the league that have had great success in the last 10+ years have personnel from the Spurs.
Spurs are not responsible for other organizations draft rooms. Just because the executives come from the same tree doesn’t mean it’s the reason. Sam Presti is the mind behind the rebuild
@@808bboarderthank you i hate people who just act like oh they came from there that means that the team is automatically attached to their accomplishments like they couldn’t have done it without said origination
No. Everybody and their cousin and ofc the front office knew Harden > Ibaka. Thats why the front office offered James Harden as much as they did but wanting to stay below the salary cap. The hindsight should be, they should have paid the tax.
They could’ve re signed Harden and later amnesty’d perkins. They should’ve done anything they could to at least keep harden for one more contract of 4 - 6 years. The kicker is that the tax wouldn’t have been that bad due to how the cap increased. No one knew that at the time though but imagine the cap being 6 mil and the thunder laying the repeater tax in the 2nd smallest city in the nba. Still should’ve found a way to keep harden and make it work.
@afroabroad exactly. Shouldnt have overthink it. Anyone else wouldve done this.
Sam Presi is such a Genius 💪
Say it with me: Clippers are dumb.
Agreed
Thunder Up! ⚡️ 🏀⚡️
Bro you don’t need to give people a blind item. Lol everybody knew the presti. But, nice work man. Keep it up.
Haha, well the casual viewer would have no clue.
FAKE BASKETBALL GENIUS Sam Presti pick Giddy over Franz Wagner/Trey Murphy/Jalen Johnson/Johnathan Kuminga and Topic over Ryan Dunn/Kel EL
@@KnowThyself47 kuminga, franz, Jalen are all different players but i agree
@@beckayyysolos Everyone PRAISE him as if he's Phil Jackson or something (Smh) I can't wait to watch him Drop the 🏀 With this 2025 Draft class because Danny Wolfe/Queen and a few others Should be Drafted early
@@KnowThyself47bro EVERY GM has missed at some point.
Reality is, his steals/wins far outweigh the occasional L.
Just hating to hate.
Still can’t believe people deny that OKC is the next dynasty, yes they haven’t won anything yet but I don’t think i’ve personally ever seen a team this we’ll set up for the future.
You have to win to be a dynasty.
Did you see the beginning of the video ?
Sam did acquire Gordon Hayward last year so he's not perfect but it was kind of a long shot trade because he got Hayward pretty cheap. If it didn't work out, which it didn't, it wouldn't hurt the team at all going forward. ⏩
No the whole reason he acquired Gordon was to empty out the salary, getting rid of players like tre Mann, pokusevski, and that euro league mvp guy was pivotal in being able to afford hartenstein
@YallknowMaxi they also got him because they hoped that he could be an extra big if he was able to show any kind of game which he doesn't have anymore. Hayward's had such a disappointing career because he was really good once. He also almost beat Duke by himself back in college. He was a long 3-pointer away from making history. He's definitely one of those guys in that pool of players who could have been really at the top of the league but just couldn't stay healthy. Maybe a little bit less than the top of the league but still he could have been really good.
Yeah that PG trade was a damn HOF Fleece job…
At 5:00 where u stated he left because of Westbrook is simply untrue. He has stated countless times it was because the thunder failed to ever put any scoring peices behind them, so there was no one else carrying the offensive load
KD lying his ass off lmao
@ if u gon do recounting type commentary stop using these casual talking points. Their 3rd leading scorer was enes kanter averaging 12 a game
Literally in the starting line up’s in the KD days we literally had wings like Andre Roberson, Sefolsha, Kevin Martin when he wasn’t good, an old Derick fisher, Jeremy lamb, Perry jones, Anthony morrow, dj Augustin, Doug McDermott, Caron butler at end of career, Ronnie brewer and our big men don’t get me started we had Kendrick Perkins as a starter for how many years
I think the value he gets out of role players like tre Mann nd Jaylin Williams(C) sets him apart from other gms too 12:01
Sam presti going from a 30 year old computer nerd looking mf to a suave near 50 year old is also pretty impresive
Sam Presti is the ultimate ball knower
westbrook never had prideful play. i wonder why you described it that way, never heard an NBA player speak about his game like that
I miss kd on okc he still looks weird asf in anything else
But the Rockets have been getting the best of these trades for over a decade now.
Harden blew up his team for 4 1/2 million dollars. You gotta be kidding me
It's crazy how the Phoenix crazy moneyman who is desperate to avoid the luxury tax to build a bunch of max contract guys, doesn't just tell Presti "I'll triple your salary to come work for me" The guy will hemorrhage his back end in luxury tax when there's a guy who can build a roster and massively lighten your luxury tax bill and maybe win you something... And that goes for any team in the league 😂 Just hire Sam Presti...
The thumbnail is way off 😂
Wanna see how they move with the CBA. OKC has an embarrassment of riches. Good for them
Presti said in some interview that apparently the current CBA acc benefits them.
Isiah joe is not a home grown talent we got him from Philly, he was about 35.7% from 3 but since then he’s around 43% since coming to us, cause we gave him a chance and doubled his minutes basically, wiggins we did draft he was a 55th pick
True, I’m just so used to him in OKC, haha.
Everyone who lives in oklahoma and have been long time fans knew this was a longtime coming, we will be a small market dynasty
Why doesn’t this video have a comment? Like the video. Thanks & Subbed
As a 78 sonics fan I'm proud to have never jumped ship
You’ll never have a ship 😂
@levih4174 79 sonics beat the bullets for a chip and as a matter of fact since I live on the water I do have ship docked in brigantine NJ
As a die-hard thunder fan I saw the whole harden era for what it was. Don't get me wrong, I love Westbrook but I saw Russel as a ball hog who kept it from Durant. If they swapped harden to his spot, I saw a championship. Then my heart was crushed. Now we're better than ever 😊
I am 29 being an OKC fan for 18 years Now from France
I’m with ya brother. I love being an Oklahoma local. Nothing feels better than being a supporter of my city and doing what the Thunder do!
They chose Westbrook over harden 😂😂😂😂😂
KD would’ve played with someone who could pass lol and not a inefficient shot chucker
@@9999nadiahis 10 APG really fool people thinking he’s a good passer. All he does is drive and kick. Someone who is actually an elite all-time great passer is somebody like Trae Young or Steve Nash we’re also both better scorers than Westbrick
Presti is the best. Myers is overrated. He inherited Steph and Klay. Then he bailed rather than rebuild.
He inherited Steph but he did draft Klay.
@ Larry Riley drafted Klay.
Music is way louder than your voice. Can barely hear you
Noted.
You blocked your graphic of KD at 40 seconds in but all in all great video!
Westbrook was not the entire team in 2017. He had 2 all other all nba players on that team but he didn’t pass the ball and made them corner sitters, and I don’t wanna hear anybody say they were young because they made it the following season after leaving him. 😂😂😂 Westbrook a loosing player
Meanwhile, he's doing really good in Denver. And then on top of it, managed to get out of the first round AFTER leaving OKC. That's not the player, that's the coaching.
Now ask yourself this question: How is Chicago doing right now?
I like OKC but we all know that team is gonna keep getting eliminated early they to young maybe in 5-6 years
They’ll play Boston in the finals this year, and it’ll be a true toss up. They will win at least one championship in the next 2-3 seasons.
Dumb comment
I think it's going to be a rowdy playoffs this year. It's so early in the season that we don't know how things are going to turn up. No one saw Cavs at #1, nor the success of a few other teams.
They have the best net rating in the league. After tonight’s game, They have 292 steals and 282 turnovers, for a +10 steals to turnover ratio. Miami is the next closest with a -82 steals to turnover ratio. Their defense may be the best in 20 years.
Westbrook is not top 10. Guys better than him: Cousy, Big O, Magic, Isiah Thomas, CP3, Steph Curry, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Jrue Holiday, Gary Payton, John Stockton, hell Kyrie Irving, Tony Parker, and Kyle Lowry are all ahead of him.
💀💀💀
Yea, he averaged a triple double for three seasons there aren’t 10 point guards better than him.
@@StainMastersindividually, but to win a championship I’d take many many players over Westbrook.
Having Westbrook means you are guaranteed not to win a ring. He will shoot 36% in the playoffs