Sam Presti prioritizes growth amid Thunder dynasty talk

OKLAHOMA CITY — Chapter 18 has yet to be written — it’s a clean slate, as Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti emphasized toward the end of his annual preseason address. After the franchise’s 17-year pursuit of an NBA championship came to an end in 2024-25, Presti sees the benefits for the champion Thunder, as it chases to repeat the glory of last year, but is wary of the unknown, considering the many NBA championship teams that have failed before them.

“We have the opportunity to be a really, really good team again. But it’s not going to happen by imitating ourselves or trying to recreate a specific outcome,” Presti read toward the end of his opening address. “If we want to pursue excellence, we have to let go of last year and start again, turning every page, stacking every day with no guarantees, and of course, no silver platters.”

According to a recent survey among NBA GMs, the Thunder were the overwhelming favorite to repeat as champions in 2026, even though no championship team has repeated in seven years. Six were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs the following season. The 2020 champion Lakers had a first-round exit in 2021.

Entering his 18th season with the Thunder — a franchise that started with its current GM at the helm — Presti enjoyed his first summer as a champion GM. However, he couldn’t shake the thought of the upcoming season and the potential hurdles that lay ahead for Oklahoma City, as the journey continues beyond his first title.

“That hasn’t been the end-all thing. Obviously, I want to win like anybody else. I know our organization wants to win like anybody else, but I’ve done this long enough to realize so much of it is random,” Presti told ClutchPoints. “There [are] things that happen that you have to overcome. You have to go through, putting yourself in position year in and year out, to have an opportunity; to me, that’s the hardest thing to do. You have to bounce back from things. You have to work through things.

“I’d like to think that every team that wins is a result of a lot of work and process that goes into that, and the outcome is a result of those things. Sometimes you can have a great process, but you don’t have a great outcome.”

For Presti, consistent improvement is still the goal.

“We have a whole new challenge in front of us,” Presti adds. “The challenge isn’t to necessarily deny ourselves of that moment. But if we’re serious about being an elite team, we have to improve, and that’s a big part of that.”

Presti addresses potential Thunder dynasty