Sam Presti Comments on Second Apron, Repeater Penalties for OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the talk of the town after clinching their first NBA Championship just three weeks ago. The confetti, celebration and congratulations are still flowing.

Though, OKC is also the topic de jour of the NBA. After issuing max extensions to superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams and rising star Chet Holmgren, league circles discuss how the new second apron and restrictive CBA will hurt the Bricktown ballers.

At his end of season press conference a week after clinching the title, Thunder top executive Sam Presti was asked directly about the CBA and second aprons.

"Well, I think the number one thing on this question is we're in the very early stages of the CBA, and I think I've been around for four CBAs, maybe five, I can't remember, and what's clear is the way people respond and react in the first few years is not the way that the team or teams ultimately end up engaging with the CBA or the rules as it unfolds," Presti said. "Great example or parallel would be we're limited by our experiences. Well, there's a limited amount of experience that teams have with these new rules because we only have a few that have been in situations where they're really impacting them, and then how many of those teams are similar versus the context that future teams might be engaging with these rules, and what else is going on around the league."

No team is better set up to navigate these CBA restrictions than Oklahoma City. They still sit on a mountain of draft assets, have increased revenue streams and a team that hasn't peaked yet despite reaching the mountain top.

"So I wouldn't be too quick to predetermine, oh, this is the way this works. You kind of have to see how every team interacts with it. Certainly very mindful of it. Trying to study it and learn. But I don't think, like, we have a hard-and-fast way in which people are going to be interacting with this set of rules." Presti continued.

It is hard to know exactly what the fallout will be from these mega contracts, what moves on the margins will need to happen to keep the Thunder chugging along. Though a big help for them will be a continuation of cashing in these draft picks for ready-made players. This issues OKC cost-controlled talent to flank its big three.

"Now, for us specifically, the taxes and things, those things have always been in place for years. The repeater tax was conveniently introduced in 2012, as was the Rose rule and a lot of different things. The way we reacted wasn't necessarily the way people were ultimately reacting because people were learning and getting introduced to the different experiences," Presti explained. "But as constituted right now, we wouldn't face the repeater penalties until the next CBA. So we're far from that. The aprons, remains to be seen how we interact with those. But we'll have to learn as we go along."

Despite the fearmongering from the National Media, the Thunder aren't going anywhere. With its big three locked up, sure tough decisions will need to be made but the biggest penalty of them all is the repeater tax –– which OKC will not hit until the next CBA that will change plenty of how the NBA cap works.