OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -With five first-round draft picks in the past two years, general manager Sam Presti has been able to create a young nucleus to work toward the grand vision he has for Oklahoma City’s new NBA team.
In talking about his plans to revive the soon-to-be-renamed SuperSonics after their worst season in franchise history, his focus was on building continuity and not the league’s ongoing free agent signing period.
But don’t count on him to be sitting on the sideline for one of the most volatile times for player movement on the NBA’s calendar.
“There’s always a possibility that something can happen in the NBA. That’s part of the business,” said Presti, who is also helping to oversee the team’s move from Seattle. “Going forward, we feel like we made some additions through the draft that are going to help bolster us in some areas of need and added some players that we feel like are good fits for us long term.
“At the same time, we are a team that has to continue to get better, so we’re going to explore those avenues. If something pops up that we feel like will improve our team, then we won’t hesitate to make a decision on that.”
Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant, the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft, provides a nice building block for the franchise and Presti added another piece only a few picks later with fellow forward Jeff Green. This year’s draft brought in point guard Russell Westbrook at the fourth overall pick and forward D.J. White in a trade after he was taken 29th.
While No. 24 pick Serge Ibaka, a center, is expected to remain overseas, the other four were all together at summer league in Orlando, Fla., this week to jump-start the building process.
“Philosophically for our team, our focus is on chipping away every day … walking out of the gym a little better and continuing to develop the group that we have,” Presti said.
Adding a high-priced free agent might not be a part of that philosophy, particularly as Elton Brand, Baron Davis and other top players continue to find homes outside Oklahoma City.
“In a free agency period, there’s always conversations. That’s part of our responsibility and our job is to always be looking to find ways to make the team better. That’s part of the process of free agency,” Presti said.
“It’s the same when the trading deadline is around, the draft. There’s just certain points in the year where there’s going to be active conversations because you’re always looking to find a way to improve the team. It doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s anything that’s pending or imminent.”
Presti said the strategy for the future is threefold: develop the team’s young talent, make wise front-office decisions and make the most out of the flexibility and assets he’s acquired by stockpiling future draft picks and trade exceptions.
The result, he hopes, will be improvement on the defensive end and steady progress toward embracing the team identity he has conjured up in his mind. If a player fits into that mold, Presti has the resources to pounce.
“We’re looking for guys that will play both ends of the floor, but you can’t have a team that’s made up of only defensive players. There needs to be balance to everything you do,” Presti said. “We want guys that will compete. We want players that are going to fit the plan that we’re looking to execute.”
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