Adding Ideal Fits Continues to be Priority for Sam Presti, OKC Thunder

Having patience for the right players has put the Thunder in a nearly perfect position.

Mar 3, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) looks to pass in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma City has become one of the best teams in the NBA, and meticulous roster-building has played a significant role.

After earning the No. 1 seed in the West last season, the Thunder have had a busy offseason in trading for Alex Caruso and making three picks in the draft. They also made the biggest free agency splash in team history, bringing in Isaiah Hartenstein on a three-year, $87 million deal. 

While Hartenstein does not fit the exact mold of most of the Thunder’s recent additions, his abilities more than make up for a lack of creation and shooting. As a great interior defender and rebounder, Hartenstein also has a solid offensive game, particularly as a screener. Considering his overall game, he was the perfect player for GM Sam Presti to pursue this offseason.

“He's going to help us in some areas that we've wanted to improve, but I think in his ability to do that, he's not taking away from some of the things that we do well,” Presti said. “That's pretty rare.”

The Thunder made some attempts to address their rebounding woes last season with the midseason addition of Bismack Biyombo. Considering Biyombo’s age and play style, he was not an on-court fit for the Thunder and did not play much. While the Thunder could have given him a role to aid the rebounding issues, his lack of shooting could have caused disruptions for one of the league’s best offenses.

“You can oftentimes just go out there and look to fill a need with the lowest common denominator or what's available at that particular time,” Presti said. “You can feel good about that in a moment, but shortly thereafter you'll see that there could be two or three other things that have now become problems that weren't in the past.”

That ideology also explains why the Thunder did not look to make a move to address their rebounding issues at the trade deadline last season. Along with wanting to assess the team in the postseason before making any major moves, the Thunder adding a player such as Andre Drummond to address rebounding could have led to worse results in other areas.

Instead, Presti and the Thunder waited until the offseason to make a significant move. After nearly making the conference finals last season, the Thunder’s newest moves have made them a championship favorite in 2024-25.

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