When Andrew Berry faced one of the biggest decisions in Cleveland Browns history, trading Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, he turned to an unlikely source for advice: Oklahoma City Thunder executive Sam Presti.<\/p>\n
It turns out that call mattered a lot.<\/p>\n
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How Sam Presti\u2019s Advice Helped the Browns Land Jared Verse in the Myles Garrett Trade<\/p>\n
According to Albert Breer, Presti walked Berry through the thinking behind Oklahoma City\u2019s 2019 blockbuster trade for Paul George.<\/p>\n
On the surface, that deal looked like a massive draft pick haul. Five first-rounders. Two additional pick swaps. But Presti told Berry the picks weren\u2019t actually the point.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost folks on the outside focused on the four first-round picks and two additional first-round pick swaps Presti landed in the deal,\u201d Breer reported<\/a>. \u201cBut the reality was that OKC viewed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a player they were higher on than most, as the key.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Everybody knows how that turned out. SGA has since won two MVPs and anchored an NBA championship team.<\/p>\n The picks were nice. The player was the prize.<\/p>\n That lesson shaped how Berry approached the Garrett trade. The Browns weren\u2019t just going to dump their best player for a pile of future draft capital.<\/p>\n They wanted a real player coming back. And they held firm on that until the Los Angeles Rams finally blinked.<\/p>\n The Rams had been calling persistently. According to ESPN<\/a>, one source described it as a \u201cpersistent pursuit,\u201d with LA being the only team that kept pushing for a player the Browns had called untouchable.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Take a Quick Break. Run a Mock Draft! Powered by PFSN’s NFL Mock Draft Simulator<\/a><\/p>\n Cleveland\u2019s counteroffer was clear: no deal gets done without Jared Verse included. The 25-year-old pass rusher, a 2024 first-round pick with 12 sacks and 22 tackles for loss over his first two seasons, with a solid PFSN EDGE Impact<\/a> rating of 86.3 last season, had to be in the package.<\/p>\n Eventually, the Rams agreed. The final deal sent Garrett to Los Angeles in exchange for Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-rounder, and a 2029 third-round pick.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n
Before you keep reading, jump into the shoes of the GM of your favorite team.<\/p>\n