The 2017-18 NBA season is less than three weeks away. But before the new season kicks off, here is one final piece to commemorate the Summer of Sam

What a difference a year makes.

On July 4th, 2016, Kevin Durant left the Thunder high-and-dry, joining the Golden State Warriors. Russell Westbrook’s magical season was the perfect distraction from the fact this team was no longer title contenders. That reality set in when Oklahoma City was swiftly eliminated in five games by the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. It didn’t matter at the time Westbrook would go on to win MVP. The roster was flawed, and it looked as if there was little that could be done about it.

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The Thunder were in danger of hitting the luxury tax. For a team not competing for a championship, would it be worth it to bring back virtually the same roster at a higher price? Compared to other teams, the Thunder didn’t have nearly the same level of assets, so trading for a star seemed next to impossible.

All in all, the Thunder were stuck. As long as Westbrook remained on the roster, the Thunder would be mired in NBA purgatory. Not good enough to make a playoff run, not bad enough to get high impact NBA draft prospects. This would eventually deteriorate as Westbrook continued to get older and lose the freakish athleticism he so heavily relies on. Of course, the Thunder could have traded Westbrook, who is a free agent at the end of this season. While that could have brought back a nice haul, nothing is for certain. So how could a team stuck in quicksand get out?

Enter Sam Presti, the NBA offseason’s MVP.

Make them an offer they can’t refuse:

What Presti does so well is use leverage to take advantage of given situations and make opportunities available that normally wouldn’t be. For example, new Indiana Pacers G.M. Kevin Pritchard knew his superstar, Paul George, would not re-sign when he became a free agent next summer. Presti also knew Pritchard didn’t want to send George to an Eastern Conference foe like Cleveland or Boston.

Consequently, Presti was able to make Pritchard a limited time only offer for George that he couldn’t turn down. Victor Oladipo, who played at Indiana University, would appeal to Pacer fans. Domantas Sabonis was a decent prospect who showed signs of being a quality player his rookie season.

So a year and two days after Durant left, Presti was able to bring in Paul George at a discount price. He didn’t have to give up a future first pick, or the Thunder’s most recent first round pick, Terrance Ferguson. In addition, Oklahoma City’s two best young players, Steven Adams and Alex Abrines were not part of the package.

Free Agents to fill specific needs:

Free agency is an area the Thunder has struggled with in the past. Part of the reason is they have rarely had cap room, and part is the fact that OKC simply isn’t a free agent destination. With limited space available, Presti was able to bring in not one, but two impact players via free agency.

Big man Patrick Patterson signed a three-year 16 million dollar deal. More importantly, Presti addressed the Thunder’s biggest issue from last season, the backup point guard, by bringing in Raymond Felton on the veteran minimum. If you had stopped right there, the Thunder already would have had an A+ offseason.

Jumping at time limited opportunities:

But Presti wasn’t done. Again, he used his leverage to take advantage of a messy situation with Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks. It was no secret Anthony wanted to end up in Houston. Unfortunately for the Rockets, they didn’t have the assets to trade for him. Anthony was eventually forced to expand his trade list to include the Thunder. With the Knicks deeply expressing their desire to move on from Anthony, his already low trade value dropped even more.

As a result, the Thunder needed to give up just Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and the Chicago Bulls 2018 second pick. While Kanter was a fan favorite, and the Bulls second rounder could have ended up being the 31st pick, this was a no brainer to bring in one of the best scorers of the current generation. Once more, he was able to hold onto Adams, Abrines, Ferguson, and even Jerami Grant. Highway robbery.

The Summer of Sam nets an unequivocal A+

In an offseason defined by blockbuster trades, it was Presti who came out the biggest winner. He turned what appeared to be un-tradeable contracts and mid-level prospects into two all-star caliber players. In less than three months, the Thunder went from being a one man show, to having a legitimate “big three” and being arguably the best team equipped to beat the Warriors.

This clearly isn’t built to last, but going all in was certainly better than doing nothing. Sam Presti hasn’t been perfect during his tenure with the OKC Thunder. But as long as he continues to make incredible trades, he will get the national traction he deserves as one of, if not the best general manager in the NBA.