The Thunder traded away three important rotation players this offseason. Sam Presti still believes they have a chance to be better. Oklahoma City’s longtime basketball operations chief said Thursday that last season’s team never completely reached its ceiling.
Oklahoma City Thunder basketball operations chief Sam Presti stated during his annual preseason news conference that the reshaped team can perform as well as, or better than, previous rosters if they remain healthy. The comments follow an offseason in which the defending 2025 champion Thunder traded away rotation players Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins in cost-cutting moves that yielded seven draft picks without taking on incoming salary.
Presti emphasized that core players Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren drive his confidence, noting Williams and Holmgren have yet to reach their primes. Williams is healthy after injuries limited him to 33 regular-season games last year. The roster changes also open an expanded role for Cason Wallace, while Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber will begin training camp as limited participants due to prior injuries.
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