#Sam Presti

Depending on who you ask, the Oklahoma City Thunder are in year two or three of their rebuild, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that the early returns on the Thunder's investment in the draft is paying off sooner than expected, even though two of their top picks in the 2022 NBA Draft haven't played much or at all. According to Basketball…

The Oklahoma City Thunder are waiting patiently for their prized pick to return to the hardwood after selecting Chet Holmgren with the second-overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Holmgren has been sidelined since August and will not play this season. While this season has gone better than many thought it would for the Oklahoma City Thunder, as they…

It was a common belief by analysts, oddsmakers, and fans that the OKC Thunder would be among the group known as'tankers' in 2022-23. That was a fair assumption given the prospects in the 2023 NBA Draft. Two youngsters are considered franchise changers - - Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson. Plus, there are a further six that analysts believe…

Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti was clear this off-season that he's going to allow this Thunder roster to fully compete and see where they're at. From that judgement, the team's brass can decide the overarching direction of the season. OKC is currently projected to be one of the NBA's worst teams, according to Vegas. The Thunder have the…

The first month of the 2022-23 NBA season has gone by. This is the time when teams begin to assess where they are and what pressing roster concerns they may have. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, any chance they have to upgrade the roster is one they need to seriously consider. General manager Sam Presti may have a plan in place to acquire plenty of…

The NBA regular season has hit the quarter pole. Almost every team is at 20 or 21 games played, which means the time for saying "it's early" is drawing short. It also means the teams who are positioning for NBA Draft Lottery ping pong balls are starting to come into focus. Whether you call it "Winless for Wemby", "Victoryless for Victor" or…

The NBA Finals are in full swing, and we all know what that means: It's time to think about the NBA Draft. OK, fine. That's not true for everyone, but for diehard fans of lottery teams, it's hard not to look at the incoming draft class, watch the Finals, and ask yourself "Which of these guys can get us there?" With the Rockets selecting third,…

NBA trade rumors concerning Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are still alive. During the offseason, reports suggested that the Toronto Raptors were interested in trading for the fifth-year guard. Nevertheless, a trade package never materialized. After Chet Holmgren - the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft - suffered a…

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the worst teams in the NBA over the last two seasons. Sam Presti decided to go on a complete rebuild after trading Chris Paul in 2020. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is being developed as the franchise cornerstone of the team, with Chet Holmgren, Josh Giddey, and Luguentz Dort also forming the nucleus of…

With less than 48 hours remaining before the 2022 NBA Draft, the landing spot of the top three prospects is generally deemed a conclusion. The Orlando Magic and Jabari Smith chatter has been too loud, for too long, so it's probably safe to conclude that he will be taking up residency in Orange County. The noise surrounding the Oklahoma City…

Al Horford's had a career many players would envy, but all signs point to him being in regression, facing a poor matchup tonight in Cleveland. See why the Cavs should expose the aging Celtics big in our NBA betting picks. The ESPN headliner for Wednesday, November 2 is a rematch of one of the young NBA season's early contenders for game of the…

With two recent sizzling performances by projected number-one NBA draft pick Victor Wembanyama, it's clear that he's the best NBA draft prospect in the last 20 years, possibly ever. A 7'4 center who can attack off the dribble, nail threes, defend on the perimeter, and shut down the paint with his rim protection, all make him the perfect player to…

I shall quote the relevant Woj audio from the above snippet, which, if proven to be true, should lead to plenty of high comedy, basketball ineptitude and self-sabotage to keep us all entertained during the marathon of an 82-game NBA regular season: "One GM told me the other day, we are going to see a race to the bottom like we've never seen before…

For a Thunder organization that has had a variety of identities since Kevin Durant departed in 2016, and for fans who grudgingly become accustomed to downwardly adjusted expectations, the drafting of Chet Holmgren felt so positive. For two years, there had been more focus on Oklahoma City's deep stack of draft-pick chips than on most of the players…

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has faith in his team succeeding in the coming seasons. However, he never specified exactly when. During a podcast interview with Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic, the fourth-year guard opened up about expectations and trade rumors during the 2022 offseason. "I know what I signed up for when I…

With the second pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, there's likely just four players the Oklahoma City Thunder are seriously considering. While some would consider the top tier of this class being a race between three players, a fourth prospect is beginning to emerge. With just over three weeks until the 2022 NBA Draft, the top four players appear to be…

In the modern NBA, draft picks are simply the currency of the league. In fact, it's become more common over the past few years for teams to demand full control of a franchise's future draft selections in exchange for a star player. With that in mind, a good chunk of the NBA's pool of draft picks over the next seven years are being stashed by just a…

Lu Dort won the 2021-22 exit interview award voted on by the committee of one (me, note: not a real award) for all the content he produced for those of us in the media during his exit interview portion following the 2021-22 NBA regular season for the Oklahoma City Thunder. On top of his pending contract negotiations, as the defensive star becomes…

The upcoming 2022-23 NBA season will kick off in less than two months. It will begin the third season of the Oklahoma City Thunder's official rebuild, as the team has missed the playoffs two years in a row. Oklahoma City spent the offseason signing its existing players to new contracts, while also being extremely active in the draft. The Thunder…

Following a second-straight season with less than 25 wins, the Oklahoma City Thunder were set to take a huge step forward in the 2022-23 campaign. They selected three players in the lottery of the 2023 NBA Draft, including Chet Holmgren with the No. 2 overall selection. Following a season-ending foot injury for Holmgren, the outlook for the…

As we officially put the finishing touches on "Bet Week" here onBasketballNews.com, NBA over/under win total projections have beenreleased for every team. Which numbers stand out most to hammer one way or another from abetting perspective? In this piece, I unveil my over/underpredictions for every team in the Western Conference. All odds…