OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti’s shrewd moves at the 2008 NBA Draft ensured he built two super teams and brought three MVPs to his team.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are perhaps the most well-run NBA franchise of the last 20 years. Whenever the Thunder go out and begin a rebuild, they usually nail it.
Currently, we are living through the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander era, as the Canadian star just won his first MVP after leading the Thunder to a franchise best 68-14 record.
But the success that all three men experienced, individually and with the entire team, came down to one key decision in the 2008 NBA Draft. And it wasn’t picking Russell Westbrook with the fourth overall pick.
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
2008: NBA Draft sets foundation for OKC Thunder
Heading into the 2008 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder (then still the Seattle Supersonics) had two first-round draft picks.
GM Sam Presti was just one year into his role, and had begun his rebuild well, behind second overall pick Kevin Durant, and fifth overall pick Jeff Green. Presti acquired the fifth pick in the trade to send Ray Allen to the Celtics.
Durant had shown early signs that he was a future star in his rookie year. But the Thunder needed a young core.
Luckily, the Supersonics got the fourth pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, and had the 24th overall pick from the Suns as part of the Kurt Thomas trade.
With the fourth pick, they selected UCLA standout Russell Westbrook. But with the 24th pick, Presti took a risk and selected raw but promising big Serge Ibaka.
Little did he know at the time that he had landed not just a future MVP, but the foundational piece for two separate super teams.
2009-2016: A new era in Oklahoma City
The pairing of Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, along with 2009 3rd overall pick James Harden, became the young core of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The quartet immediately clicked, winning 50 games for the first time since 1982. Despite a first-round exit, the future looked quite bright for the young Thunder squad.
They’d improve their performance the following season with a 55-win season and a trip to the Western Conference Finals, losing to the Dallas Mavericks.
2011-12 proved to be turning point, as the Thunder won 47 games in a shortened season, vanquished the Mavericks and the Spurs en route to the franchise’s first NBA Finals since 1996.
Unfortunately, much like 1996, they’d run into a team led by a GOAT candidate. LeBron James‘ Miami Heat, much like Michael Jordan‘s Chicago Bulls, vanquished the Thunder.
A trip to the NBA Finals with a core four all under the age of 24 was mighty impressive. Unfortunately, it would be the last time this squad got there.
James Harden would join the Rockets a few months later, while Durant and Westbrook found success in the West, only to get derailed by injuries.
In 2014, Kevin Durant was named the MVP, with Serge Ibaka and Russell Westbrook being two of the players who helped him get to this point.
But the good times wouldn’t last long. Durant and Westbrook did reach another conference final in 2016, but blew a 3-1 lead to the Warriors. Ironically, Durant would leave the Thunder to sign with the Warriors the very next summer.
Read More: Kevin Durant addresses ‘real’ reason he left OKC Thunder for Golden State Warriors
2016-2019: Russ takes the wheel but can’t stop the drowning
The same summer Kevin Durant left, Serge Ibaka was also traded, leaving just Russell Westbrook from the OKC Thunder core from the 2012 NBA Finals.
Ibaka was dealt to the Orlando Magic to land two future All-Stars, who never made a name in OKC – Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis.
Russell Westbrook would take over in the 2016-17 NBA season, winning the MVP award after a historic season where he averaged a triple-double.
As for Oladipo and Sabonis, they would be moved the next summer, as the Thunder paired Westbrook with Indiana Pacers sensation Paul George. Along with a brief cameo from Carmelo Anthony.
While George was brilliant during his tenure with the Thunder, finishing third in the MVP voting two years in a row, he and Westbrook could never get past the first round.
In 2018, it was the Jazz who ended their season in a surprise. In 2019, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard hit the now-iconic ‘wave-off’ three-pointer to send the Thunder packing.
With two MVP candidates, consecutive first-round eliminations were not acceptable. Not to mention both players’ massive contracts. Sam Presti had to make some drastic decisions.
2019-2025: Sam Presti ushers in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander era
In 2019, with very few options, Sam Presti was handed a lifeline. Kawhi Leonard signed with the LA Clippers and demanded they trade for Paul George.
With all the leverage in the world, Presti traded George for young Clippers guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round draft picks, and two first-round pick swaps.
Not content with the haul there, he traded Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for the expiring contract of Chris Paul, two first-round picks, and two pick swaps.
Paul got to take Shai Gilgeous-Alexander under his learning tree for a year. While Presti focused on rebuilding the team.
There were a few misses along the way, but in 2022, the Clippers’ picks would come handy, as they used it land Jalen Williams, along with Chet Holmgren.
With the trio as the foundation of their team, the Thunder would emerge as a playoff contender in the 2023-24 NBA season, with Shai finishing second in the MVP race behind Nikola Jokic.
However, they would exit the playoffs in the second round at the hands of the eventual West champions Dallas Mavericks.
This season, the Thunder took a massive leap. They set a franchise record with 68 wins, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP award. Jalen Williams earned his first All-Star nomination.
The additions of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, two proven playoff stars, certainly made a difference, as the Thunder reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2016.
Sam Presti’s decision to draft Serge Ibaka paved the way for Durant and Westbrook to win MVPs, the Thunder to reach three Western Conference Finals, and for them to land Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. That is a phenomenal return for a 24th pick in the draft.