Chris Paul, Steven Adams, and Danilo Gallinari might not be the only members of the Oklahoma City Thunder organization that are rumored to be available.
Executive Vice President and General Manager, Sam Presti, could be as well.
Although clearly not a trade, Presti’s name has been mentioned previously in conjunction with the front office of the New York Knicks, and now, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Presti’s relationship with Thunder owner Clay Bennett is such that Bennett would be “unlikely to block Presti” if he wanted to move on from Oklahoma City.
People close to Sam Presti believe his relationship with Thunder owner Clay Bennett is such that if he wants to leave for the Knicks or another organization he’ll be allowed to even while under contract. Bennett and Presti have worked together for 12 years.
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) December 12, 2019
Bondy hinted at the Knicks’ interested in Presti back in November, and said that should James Dolan move to fire then head coach David Fizdale that “president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry would then find themselves in the crosshairs”.
Fizdale was fired on December 12.
According to Sports Illustrated, both Bondy and Ian Bagley of SNY have stated that Dolan’s first choice for the front office would be Raptors General Manager, Masai Ujiri, however, if Ujiri can’t be lured away from Toronto, Presti could be their next target.
Presti has been the general manager of the Thunder since 2007.