The Oklahoma City Thunder have been the model citizen franchise for long-term success. Since general manager Sam Presti took over in 2007, they’ve been a perennial contender through two different iterations of the franchise. Now, even his colleagues in other sports hope to emulate his blueprint.

While there’s no direct NBA to MLB comparison, the Washington Nationals hope to become baseball’s version of the Thunder. A small-market franchise that wins on the margins to sustain a contender through smart roster decisions and impeccable player development.

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Since the Nationals won the World Series in 2019, it’s been a sharp descent into the bottom of the league’s standings. They haven’t won more than 71 games in the six seasons since Juan Soto carried the hot team to a championship.

After a poor 66-96 2025 season record, the Nationals had a change in leadership. Paul Toboni was named as the new head of baseball operations. The 35-year-old rapidly climbed the ranks within the Boston Red Sox as an assistant GM. He was regarded as one of baseball’s brightest minds, ala Presti in 2007.

Talking for the first time since he was given the keys to the Nationals, Toboni won the press conference brownie points. He broke down his philosophy and explained how he’s ready to start from the ground up. A strong drafting record at the Red Sox shows he has an eye for talent.

That’s especially crucial in baseball, considering the importance of farm systems for player development. Multiple layers of developmental leagues serve as the starting point for high school, college and international players who make the jump to the MLB.

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Toboni also mentioned several cross-sports references for what he envisions in his time with the Nationals. He invoked Presti, who’s been a hot comparison since the Thunder dominated the NBA last season and brought home a championship with a mostly homegrown roster.

“I want folks to look back at us and say, ‘Wow, they are the envy of sports — how high functioning they are, how high performing they are. We wish we could have it like that,’” Toboni said. “To me, across sports, (there is) no better organization right now at that (than) the Oklahoma City Thunder.”

You’ve seen Presti’s NBA colleagues admire the work he did in OKC. While he wasn’t technically homegrown, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ascended into an MVP winner on the Thunder. Meanwhile, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren were draft success stories.

The rest of the roster is filled with players who’ve outplayed their draft slots like Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins and Jaylin Williams. Then the Thunder hit a grand slam in their rare outside addition splurges of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso.

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“I look at Sam Presti and the culture that he’s created across players and staff,” Toboni said. “They had one of the best teams in the NBA last year, one of the best teams in the history of the NBA, to be honest.”

Continuing the cross-sports reference, the Nationals are at a similar point to where the Thunder were in the early 2020s. They had the third-youngest roster this past season. CJ Abrams, Brady House, Robert Hassell III, James Wood, Dylan Crews and Daylen Lile are all 24 years old or below.

“They are still set up for so much success going forward because of how disciplined they’ve been, how patient they’ve been,” Toboni said. “But probably most importantly, the values they’ve held themselves accountable to and the quality of people and workers they’ve brought into that organization.”

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: New MLB GM hopes to follow Sam Presti’s OKC Thunder rebuild blueprint