Sam Presti has been in charge of the Thunder for 14 years and is one of the longest serving lead executives in the NBA. Only RC Buford and Pat Riley have spent more time shaping their teams into championship contenders. Presti is an elder statesman at his level, far cry from the boy wonder who was handed the keys to the Seattle Supersonics in 2007.
During this time period, Presti has presided over rebuilding teams, contending teams and teams with a puncher’s chance. In each iteration of the Thunder, his goals were different. With Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant at the helm, Presti was focused on adding the sort of supplemental pieces who could help the Thunder win a title.