Sam Presti says the Oklahoma City Thunder cheer for their former players, including Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, adding “We’re not like 5-year-olds rooting against people.”
Ever since it appeared that Victor Oladipo was going to be an All-Star for the Indiana Pacers, people began to ask if the Pacers were the ones that won that trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Indiana got Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis — who is looking very promising going into his third season — while it looks more and more like the Oklahoma City Thunder will only see one season of Paul George.
So naturally, at the Thunder’s end of season press conference, GM Sam Presti was asked about the former Thunder players development in Indiana.
"“I wasn’t surprised because we gave Victor that contract. A lot of people made fun of us when we did that and we also traded a significant player to get Domantas… I couldn’t be happier for those guys… We want players that are from Oklahoma to go on and have success in other places. We’re not like 5-year-olds rooting against people.”"
Of course, Presti would say that. He’s a professional. It isn’t a good look to be petty in his position. Players hear how you talk about players and find out how you treat them. Unless the situation is extraordinary, you’re better off giving the respectable answer.
However, we here at 8 Points, 9 Seconds, aren’t in that position. We can be petty. While we’ve mostly avoided anything more than jokes, it’s hard not to enjoy watching things play out this way considering how much the Pacers were mocked in the wake of it.
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The consensus was that Indiana got swindled. Oladipo wasn’t expected to live up to the contract the Thunder gave him, and no one talked about Sabonis all that much, even if they saw the potential.
However, I will mostly avoid pettiness here.
There is little reason to go after Presti or even the deal itself. He needed to send a message to Russell Westbrook that the Thunder weren’t rebuilding as much as they were reloading after Kevin Durant left. Russell signed an extension later in the summer after the deal was made.
Not to mention even if Presti thought Oladipo really could be this good, he knew the situation the now-Pacers star was in wasn’t conducive to getting all the Thunder could out of Oladipo. Domas was still more prospect than player after one season, so at the time, there was little reason for Presti not to take Indiana’s offer.
If that’s what it took to lock Westbrook into an extension, then that’s at least a consolation prize if George leaves for Los Angeles this summer. It was the Thunder’s best chance at remaining a playoff team out in the Western Conference. It carried risk, but if they weren’t maximizing Oladipo or Sabonis, then they weren’t worth as much to the Thunder as they’ve been to the Pacers.
I’m all for making jokes, but I respect Presti and his professionalism. Hindsight is 20/20, so even if the long-term effects of the deal are more beneficial to the Pacers, it isn’t as if everyone knew how well things would work out. There was a reason Indiana was slated to win just over 30 games.
If anything, I’m thankful. I’m thankful that Presti scouted well and saw the potential of Sabonis, even if his team didn’t put him in a role to maximize his talents. I’m glad he saw something in Oladipo when he traded for him. I’m thankful they were worth acquiring Paul George for.