Asked today about how the team might approach a potential trade for Chris Paul , Thunder general manager Sam Presti declined to get into specifics, as Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman relays.
“Those are all case-by-case things,” Presti told reporters. “We’re not really focused on the hypotheticals.”
While there are whispers that Paul, 34, may want to join a contender rather than the spend the 2019-20 season in Oklahoma City, Presti said the veteran point guard is a “hooper” and “competitor” who just wants to play basketball.
“I think this is a tremendous opportunity for both of us,” the Thunder’s GM said.
Here’s more out of OKC:
- Forward Andre Roberson, who hasn’t played in an NBA game since January 2018 due to leg injuries, is expected to be ready to go for training camp, Presti confirmed today, per Eric Horne of The Oklahoman. “We’re hopeful he’ll be seeing some preseason action as it gets closer,” Presti said. “We’ll obviously manage him closely because he hasn’t played competitive basketball in a while. He’s worked hard to get there.”
- The Thunder have hired former point guard Eric Maynor as an assistant coach for their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, Presti announced today (link via Lee of The Oklahoman). Maynor, who played for the Thunder between 2009-13, also spent multiple seasons overseas, which Presti believes “gave him a totally different perspective on the game.”
- Responding today to critical comments made by Kevin Durant about the way he was treated by the Thunder and their fans after he left OKC in 2016, Presti took the high road, telling reporters, “I have nothing but positive things to say about him and his tenure here” (link via Horne of The Oklahoman).
- According to Royce Young of ESPN.com, Presti pushed back against Doc Rivers‘ recent assertion that the Clippers knew the Thunder were looking to “break up their team” before they negotiated a trade for Paul George. “We all know that players like Paul George and Russell Westbrook are extremely hard to acquire in cities, in the smaller cities in the league, and when you have those players, you try to do everything you can to retain them,” Presti said. “… I think the thought pattern just doesn’t really line up if you just look at it logically. Probably that type of thing would have been done much earlier and it wouldn’t have resulted from a trade request from one of your best players.”
- The Oklahoman’s basketball writers discussed a handful of Thunder-related topics in a roundtable, including whether coach Billy Donovan is on the hot seat, what the Thunder could realistically expect to acquire in a Paul trade, and more.
