NBA rumors: Knicks in a 'civil war,' Durant likes Presti's OKC plan, Kerr's last run for gold

NBA Rumors: Kevin Durant emulates Sam Presti's front-office strategy on NBA 2K

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti collects draft picks the way some folks stockpile sneakers or hats. Since committing to a rebuild by trading Paul George and Russell Westbrook in 2019, later offloading Chris Paul (acquired when the Thunder sent Westbrook to the Houston Rockets), Presti has a war chest of picks that might be the largest in NBA history.

Over the next seven drafts, OKC has 14 first-round picks, 22 second-rounders and a boatload of pick swaps.

Kevin Durant served as the centerpiece for the Thunder when they were a consistent contender in the 2010s and understands that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. When Durant takes to his console to fire up NBA 2K's GM mode, he has a role model. according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

"When you simulate the GM mode in (NBA)2K, I tend to take the Sam Presti route and stack up picks," Durant said. "You got so many assets in this league, you can do so much with a team."

The interesting thing for Presti is that he doesn't have favorable AI in the game trying to help him; he's dealing with real-world NBA executives while building this enormous cache of picks.

And he's been pretty OK at mining talent, too. Franchise player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came from the LA Clippers in the George trade and three of the Thunder's starters are recent first-round picks. Josh Giddey came with the sixth pick in the 2021 draft while Chet Holmgren (second overall) and Jalen Williams (the 12th pick) came out of the 2022 class.

Meanwhile, undrafted free agent Luguentz Dort has overachieved, to put it mildly.

Presti said he's not rushing to trade for a superstar and that the Thunder have important developmental steps still to take. But when he's ready to deal, OKC won't lack for options in the return package.