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Oklahoma City Thunder: Sam Presti recovered beautifully after losing Kevin Durant

By Brayden Baine

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 23: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts after scoring against the Houston Rockets during the first half of Game Four in the 2017 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Quarterfinals on April 23, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Oklahoma City defeated Houston 115-113 NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 23: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts after scoring against the Houston Rockets during the first half of Game Four in the 2017 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Quarterfinals on April 23, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Oklahoma City defeated Houston 115-113 NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images) /
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Taking a look into what Sam Presti has done to rebuild the Oklahoma City Thunder since Kevin Durant decided to leave in free agency last summer

July 4, 2016. The day that Oklahoma City fans will never forget.

When OKC fans woke up that morning, they probably thought that they were going to enjoy Independence Day with their family. They were probably going to have a nice cookout with their family and friends and end it with some fireworks. But that day turned into a very sad day. The unexpected happened.

That morning, Kevin Durant tweeted a link to an article he wrote on the Players’ Tribune announcing that he was going to sign with the Golden State Warriors.

The Thunder went from having one of the best duos in NBA history to just having a one man show with Russell Westbrook. Immediately, Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti went to work.

There was only one question that everyone was asking Presti. What now? What are you going to do now that you just lost one of the best players in the league to one of the best teams in the league? Well looking back now, it seems like he had a backup plan for in case the worst happened. Se he went straight to work with that plan.

Being a professional team in Oklahoma City can be tough. It can be hard to get top free agents to want to sign there because it is a small market and can’t offering things like Los Angeles or New York can. That’s why a lot of the Thunder’s success has came from players that they drafted. That’s why it was going to be tough for Presti to rebuild this once championship contender team.

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Before Durant announced that he was leaving, Presti was trying to show an initiative that he is willing to do what is needed to be done to make the team better to win a championship. So he made a huge trade during the draft and traded Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic for Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and Domantas Sabonis. This likely wasn’t a trade that was made for in case Durant left but it’s a trade that is key to their current rebuild.

Luckily, he had a team with a superstar, a few key role players, and a lot of trade assets. So he took advantage of it. The first move he did was to acquire Joffrey Lauvergne for two second-round picks.

After the season started, Presti then sent Ersan Ilyasova and a protected first-round pick to Philadelphia for Jerami Grant. Grant was a key piece on the defensive end and had one of the top three-point percentages on the team. He is also a key role player on the team today.

Fast forward to the trade deadline and Sam Presti pulled off one of the best trades of the year. The Thunder sent Cameron Payne, Anthony Morrow, and Joffrey Lauvergne to Chicago for Doug McDermott and Taj Gibson. The Thunder were the obvious winner in the trade as they traded away a backup point guard who had been struggling after missing part of the season due to injury, a center who was struggling to get playing time, and a sharpshooter who had been struggling all season from deep.

In return they got a veteran starting power forward and a scoring role player to come off the bench. If that was the last thing they did for the first year of their rebuild since Kevin Durant left then I would consider it a good first year. But they weren’t done. On June 30, 2017 the Thunder acquired Paul George from the Indiana Pacers.

Sam Presti shocked everyone in one of the most surprising trades of the year. Nobody saw it coming until it was reported by Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. In that trade the Thunder sent over Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.

The Oklahoma City Thunder went from a rebuilding team after losing Kevin Durant to a contender again within a year. You could also argue that this new Thunder team could be better than the previous teams with Kevin Durant. They have another superstar in Paul George running alongside of Russell Westbrook as well as talented role players.

Sam Presti has pulled off one the quickest rebuilds and potentially one of the best depending on how the upcoming season goes. He has arguably been one of the best general managers in the league in the past year.

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