The OKC Thunder braintrust says it isn’t sweating ahead of the most important summer in franchise history—general manager Sam Presti is cool as a cucumber when it comes to trying to convince Kevin Durant to re-up with the only team he’s played for in the NBA.
Sam Presti on Kevin Durant ignoring free agency chatter this year: "A tremendous example of a franchise player putting his franchise first."
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 6, 2016
Sam Presti says he'll give KD time before free agency convo, but it's "a continuation of a dialogue that's been going on for 8 or 9 years."
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 6, 2016
Sam Presti on KD: "I think it's important for him to take his time and get away from things." Called him an intelligent and rational person.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 6, 2016
Presti says that KD and the Thunder have a “bright future together.”
The four-time NBA scoring champion and 2014 MVP will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Per the AP:
“We have the opportunity to sit down with him and talk about what looks like an incredibly bright future together,” Presti said Monday. “I think you have to embrace that. You have to really lean into that in an excited way without knowing what the outcome might be. But I don’t see any reason to shy away from that.”
“When those conversations occur, it’s really just a continuation of a dialogue that’s been going on for eight or nine years,” Presti said. “It’s a chance to reflect and recognize that relationship and continue the conversations that we’ve had on going.”
Presti said ideally, Durant would decide quickly because it helps with other roster decisions, but the superstar has earned the right to be patient. […] “I think it really is important for him to take his time, get away from things,” Presti said. “Look, Kevin is a highly, highly intelligent person. He’s a mature person. He’s a rational person, and he’s going to work through the decision in a way that will help him do what he feels is best for him. We’ll react accordingly once we have that information, and we’ll try to be as prepared as possible.”
