Thunder's Sam Presti Wins 2024-25 NBA Executive of the Year Award
Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti beat out the Cleveland Cavaliers' Koby Altman and Detroit Pistons' Trajan Langdon for the NBA's Executive of the Year award.
Presti received 10 first-place votes compared to six each for Altman and Langdon.
The Thunder were by far the best team during the regular season. They won 68 games and had a plus-12.7 net rating, per NBA.com.
To some extent, Presti's selection reflects moves that happened well before this year. Mark Daigneault is into his fifth season as head coach. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Lu Dort were all existing contributors.
Presti did, however, execute two transactions that made a major difference for OKC.
Center Isaiah Hartenstein, who signed a three-year, $87 million contract, averaged 11.2 points and 10.7 rebounds in 57 appearances. He has fit seamlessly into the frontcourt alongside Holmgren.
Guard Alex Caruso, meanwhile, provided the expected impact when he arrived in what was largely considered a fleecing of the Chicago Bulls. Getting him straight up for Josh Giddey is just a baffling now as it was last summer.
Caruso's 20-point, six-assist and five-steal performance in a 121-119 loss to the Denver Nuggets showed how he's a massive upgrade over Giddey in the postseason.
Somewhat surprisingly, this is the first time Presti was named Executive of the Year. The Thunder have been competitive for a lot of his tenure, and much of that success is owed to developing homegrown talent and savvy trades, such as getting Gilgeous-Alexander in the return from the Paul George swap.
Presti's reputation as a team-builder already preceded him. Now, he has the hardware to match.
