The president officially admitted his mistake in a press conference.
Oklahoma City Thunder President Sam Presti held a press conference on Monday to wrap up the season.
“This season has been a great success,” Presti said, expressing general satisfaction. However, he also shared some of the things he wasn’t happy with.
He admitted that the Gordon Hayward trade was a failure. “The Hayward trade was a failure. It’s totally my fault. But I learned from it. I’m watching and trying to help the team every day. 먹튀검증 I think I misjudged what the team wanted in this case.”
It’s rare for an NBA president to publicly admit wrongdoing. Admitting failure can be damaging to the player. Hayward is a free agent after this season. Oklahoma City will likely not re-sign him. Presti”s public statements are proof of this.
Oklahoma City has been one of the biggest upsets of the season. Led by ace Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and featuring young players like rookie Chet Holmgren and second-year player Jaylen Williams, the Thunder have been a force in the Western Conference.
They had a good mix of offense and defense, and a clear ace in the hole. The only gaps were at the forward position and the lack of veterans.
Oklahoma City president Presti made the decision to acquire Hayward at the trade deadline. In return, they received Davis Bertans, Trey Mane, Vasilije Micic, and a number of draft picks.
The idea was to shore up the weak forward position with Hayward’s experience while adding younger players, but the problem was that Hayward had deteriorated too much. He was no longer the player he was with the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics. His mobility had diminished significantly, and he was a hole on defense.
There was no place for Hayward in Oklahoma City, a team that was looking to play younger, more athletic basketball. Hayward was completely removed from the rotation, and he wasn’t even on the court during the playoffs.
Presti has executed the rebuild to perfection, but the final touches were lacking, and Oklahoma City still has a young and potent roster. That’s why we’re excited to see what Presti does this summer.