OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti comments on potential new…

OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti comments on potential new arena

The biggest offseason storyline surrounding the Oklahoma City Thunder has happened off the court.

After initially bringing up the need for a new arena last summer, OKC Mayor David Holt expedited the process this offseason as he announced a fully-detailed proposal that will be up for vote on Dec. 12.

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In his 2023-24 pre-season press conference, Thunder GM Sam Prestipresti officially talked about the new arena proposal for the first time since it was announced.

Being essentially the face of the franchise since the Thunder relocated in 2008, Presti is often linked with the organization through the public eye.

In his comments, Presti applauded the collaborative effort between the Thunder ownership and OKC to get a new arena built to secure the long-term future of the franchise.

“Again, like one thing that I’m — first of all, I’m biased. I can’t hide that. So I don’t even know that my opinion is like that valid in this case.

I would say this: It’s like a political component — it’s a political issue. I’m not a politician. I don’t want to say anything that could be misinterpreted because I’m out of my depth on that kind of stuff, and I’m happy to admit it.

Warren Buffett says we have a circle of competence. This is very far outside my circle of competence.

Other than to say that I think the history of the city and the team working together is a very unique one, and I do really applaud Mayor Holt’s vision, because I think his vision is not necessarily a vision of the Thunder, it’s a vision for Oklahoma City, and I think like the way he’s expressed that in a very proactive way, I think he’s done a good job of articulating that.

But I’m also a huge believer that everyone’s voice matters, and the people will vote on this, and that’s the way it should be, and there should be discourse because I think that’s healthy.

We live in a world where if somebody has a different opinion than you, you tend to just assume that you disagree with them on everything and that they’re wrong. In reality, the discourse is what makes things healthy, but ultimately it will be decided by the community, and I think they’ve done that for years here. It’s how they’ve built the city, and they’ll do it again.

Obviously we’ll see where that lands us.”

The negotiation process between OKC and Thunder ownership on a new arena puts Presti in a tough position as he only deals with the basketball operations side of things, but he gave a great answer for a delicate situation.

If a vote is approved in December, then that will accomplish a significant milestone that secures the approval of a new arena that will open by the 2029-30 season.