The Thunder lose key pieces, but Sam Presti sends a warning: "This team has another level"

The Oklahoma City Thunder face a new season after seeing their attempt to repeat as NBA champions fade in the playoffs. A series of injuries affected their path in the final phase, and the final blow came in the seventh game of the Western Conference Finals when the San Antonio Spurs eliminated the defending champion on their home court.

The summer brought several important changes. Oklahoma City decided to part ways with Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins, three players who had played a significant role within the rotation. These moves also had a clear economic component and allowed the franchise to reduce its payroll by more than 300 million dollars.

Sam Presti, executive vice president and general manager of the Thunder, acknowledged that last season's team still had room to grow before injuries and elimination by San Antonio ended their journey.

"I think last year's team had another level. I think we could have reached another level," Presti explained. However, the executive believes that the current group still has a very high ceiling if they can stay healthy and accumulate time together.

"Over time, this group of players, if they stay healthy, if they have time together, has the opportunity to be as good, if not better, than any of the teams we've had," he added.

A young core with three stars

Presti's confidence is mainly based on the three big pieces on which Oklahoma City has built its project: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams.

Gilgeous-Alexander is 28 years old and comes to this stage of his career as a player already well-established at the elite level of the NBA. Holmgren is 24, and Williams is 25, so the Thunder believe there is still room for growth around their star.

Presti emphasized this combination during his press conference. "We have three players, two of whom are not even in their prime yet, who are All-NBA players, and the other is a two-time MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander, who is also improving at his peak," he noted.

Jalen Williams's physical condition will be especially important after a season marked by physical issues. The player only participated in 38 games, and a left hamstring injury particularly limited his participation during the playoffs against the Spurs.

Presti, however, conveyed optimism about his recovery: "He looks fantastic. He is doing great. He is playing very well. We're looking forward to seeing him be himself again."

The Thunder lose experience within the rotation

The departures of Dort, Joe, and Wiggins were not minor decisions from a sports perspective. Presti acknowledged the importance the three had during the project and described losing them as "certainly disappointing."

Together, they accumulated approximately 10,000 minutes of play over the previous two seasons, so Oklahoma City will need to find a new way to distribute those minutes and responsibilities.

"We need to give ourselves time to figure out the best way to position this team because those players played a lot. They were great influences in many ways. We are going to have to learn a new way, and that's a healthy thing," Presti explained.

The Thunder, therefore, begins the season with a very recognizable core, but with a different rotation around their star players. Adaptation will be one of the central issues in the first months.

Presti focuses on finances

During his appearance, Presti also dedicated an important part of his speech to explain how the new economic rules of the NBA are influencing the construction of rosters.

The second apron, one of the economic limits set in the NBA collective bargaining agreement, has become an increasingly important element in making decisions about contracts and rosters. However, Presti rejected the idea of analyzing its consequences in the same way for all franchises.

"When people talk about the aprons, everyone talks about them from a very narrow point of view because they affect each one differently depending on your starting point and your team’s schedule," he explained.

For Presti, the economic impact of decisions depends on each organization's specific situation. The executive believes there is no one formula that can be applied to all NBA franchises.

In the case of Oklahoma City, he also pointed out that the fundamental problem lies not only with the aprons but with the finances themselves.

"The ghost in the machine is the finances, not so much the aprons. I've probably been saying that for three years," he stated.

Presti also recalled that the NBA has previously undergone significant changes in its economic structure and that franchises have needed time to adapt. His conclusion is that the rules will continue to evolve and that teams will have to learn to coexist with them.

"It's always going to change. You have to figure it out and adapt," he explained.

After a summer marked by the departures of several important players and a reduction of more than 300 million dollars in payroll, the Thunder now face the challenge of demonstrating that the changes do not alter the potential of their core players. Presti remains confident in Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Williams and believes that, with health and continuity, this group can still reach a higher level than shown last season.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Los Thunder pierden piezas clave, pero Sam Presti lanza un aviso: "Este equipo tiene otro nivel"