Awards Outlook: Making Sam Presti's Case for Executive of the Year

The NBA regular season has not yet started, but Sam Presti has already secured great EOTY chances thanks to his offseason moves.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti speaks during an introductory press conference for the 2024 Thunder draft picks at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center in Oklahoma City, Saturday, June 29, 2024. / SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

As the NBA calendar moves into October, with training camp in full swing and a preseason game just a few days away, Thunder players, staff and fans are all eagerly anticipating another NBA season.

With 82 regular season games come award races, which last season's team became very familiar with. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the Most Valuable Player runner-up, Chet Holmgren was the Rookie of the Year runner-up, Sam Presti was the Executive of the Year runner-up and Mark Daigneault won Coach of the Year.

If any award has already been decided, it is the one that depends on planning, phone calls and agreements rather than balls going through the hoop. Many previous Executives of the Year effectively sealed their wins in the summer, from Bob Myers signing Kevin Durant in free agency to Daryl Morey and James Jones trading for Chris Paul to catalyze massive win improvements.

After years of meticulous roster construction to obtain the Western Conference's No. 1 seed last year, Presti and his staff can check off another successful offseason. The Thunder acquired guard Alex Caruso from the Bulls in a one-for-one swap for Josh Giddey and signed center Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $87 million contract, the largest free agent deal in team history. They also re-signed Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins to four and five-year deals, respectively.

Those four moves stack up well on paper compared to Executive of the Year winners in the last decade.

Season	Winner	Team Record	Notable Transactions
2014-15	Bob Myers, Warriors	67-15, +16 wins	Klay Thompson extension, Shaun Livingston FA signing, Leandro Barbosa FA signing
2015-16	R.C. Buford, Spurs	67-15, +12 wins	Aldridge FA signing, Leonard extension, Danny Green extension
2016-17	Bob Myers, Warriors	67-15, -6 wins	Durant FA signing, Zaza Pachulia FA signing, Javale McGee FA signing
2017-18	Daryl Morey, Rockets	65-17, +10 wins	CP3 acquired in trade, Harden extension, P.J. Tucker FA signing
2018-19	Jon Horst, Bucks	60-22, +16 wins	Brook Lopez FA signing, Pat Connaughton FA signing, Nikola Mirotic acquired in trade
2019-20	Lawrence Frank, Clippers	49-23, +.095 WP	Leonard FA signing, George acquired in trade, Ivica Zubac extension, Patrick Beverley extension
2020-21	James Jones, Suns	51-21, +.243 WP	CP3 acquired in trade, Jae Crowder FA signing, Jevon Carter extension
2021-22	Zach Kleiman, Grizzlies	56-26, +.155 WP	Steven Adams acquired in trade, JJJ extension
2022-23	Monte McNair, Kings	48-34, +18 wins	Malik Monk FA signing, Keegan Murray drafted, Kevin Huerter acquired in trade
2023-24	Brad Stevens, Celtics	64-18, +7 wins	Porzingis acquired in trade, Holiday acquired in trade, Brown extension

Among these winners, Presti's offseason transactions have been most similar to last year's victor, Brad Stevens. The Celtics won 57 games in the 2022-23 season, the same number as the 2023-24 Thunder, and supercharged their great core by trading for Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. A seven-win increase for Oklahoma City would almost certainly make the final decision a formality.

The Thunder's most difficult task lies ahead, as repeating and/or improving on their 57-win output will be anything but straightforward. Only Bob Myers won the award in the last decade with fewer wins than the prior year, and he completed a move that guaranteed multiple championships. Regardless of how the season plays out, though, Presti has earned full marks for maximizing his team's championship chances. He will be in the Executive of the Year mix when the season comes to a close.

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