Even as scores of analysts urged the Thunder to shore up rebounding and size to prepare for a playoff run, the franchise’s GM, Sam Presti, chose veteran leadership and shooting instead.
Ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline, Presti acquired Gordon Hayward, who, after averaging 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists for the Hornets, was supposed to be the final piece to put the young Thunder over the top.
However, the trade misfired badly as Hayward played 46 minutes across seven playoff games for the Thunder, contributing zero points and three assists in the limited playing time.
During his season-ending news conference on Tuesday, Presti took accountability for the trade, admitting that he misjudged Hayward’s value to his team.
“I missed on that,” Presti said of the Hayward trade. “That’s on me. But I’m learning, I’m trying to learn this team, I’m trying to learn the pace of the team. And I’m trying to be a great observer of the team as it’s going through its paces, knowing that it’s really going to change on its own in and of itself. Our team — the last 20 games — was sigmicnally different than the first 20 games. These were the same players. Everytime someone changes, or develops, or we stumble onto something, it changes the rest of the team. I don’t think I read that [Hayward trade] perfect. I’m learning from that, in terms of brining someone in midseason.” Hayward, too, admitted that his fit with the Thunder wasn’t ideal. After the Mavericks eliminated the Thunder, he told reporters, “Disappointed with how it all worked out. Certainly frustrating. As a player, I have a lot to offer. I just wasn’t given much of an opportunity to do that.”
The Thunder’s lack of size cost them dearly against the Mavericks, with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II dominating the paint against an undersized Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams — the only two bigs that received consistent minutes from coach Mark Daigneault.
All is not lost, though. The Thunder — the youngest No. 1 seed in NBA history — are way ahead of schedule and are only a few minor tweaks away from becoming a legit NBA title contender. That said, Presti needs to prioritize size this offseason. He’d be leaving Holmgren on an island otherwise.
