Latest news with #Presti
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
After NBA Finals berth, Mark Daigneault reflects on relationship with Sam Presti
After NBA Finals berth, Mark Daigneault reflects on relationship with Sam Presti The Paycom postgame scene was a little different than usual. Instead of fans filing out, they stayed put. The Oklahoma City Thunder let the final seconds tick off to finalize their 124-94 Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves to punch their ticket to the 2025 NBA Finals. As ESPN rolled out the red carpet and presented the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP trophy to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the OKC trio of Clay Bennett, Sam Presti and Mark Daigneault grouped together as the team donned out in shirts and hats. The ownership-GM-coach vein might be the most critical part of an NBA franchise. Not being on the same page at any level will eventually create chaos that boils over to the on-court product. That's why the Thunder's synergy has resulted in one of the winningest franchises since they relocated in 2008. Presti beats Daigneault in tenure length with the franchise, but the two have been tied at the hip for years. The latter was handpicked and turned into the OKC GM's personal coaching development project. From the G League's OKC Blue coach to the NBA Finals, safe to say the gamble paid off. After Presti and Daigneault reached the pinnacle of their era, the OKC coach was asked about his long journey with the GM. He kept the self-reflection minimal as the Thunder still have the NBA Finals to play for but praised the front office guru for the culture built. "We're in it every day. There's not a lot of reflection going on in any part. I'm incredibly grateful to him. As we all should be. Every single person that's here. The day before they got here, he made the decision to bring them here. It's unbelievable," Daigneault said about Presti. "We all get to benefit from this environment that allows us to do our best work. He's been the architect of that very quietly over time. Has assembled an unbelievable group of people, starting with our locker room. He prioritizes the type of person we bring in." The Thunder are one of the most successful NBA franchises. Sans two rebuilding years, they've always been in the title picture. The cast of characters might've changed over time, but the Gilgeous-Alexander era has already reached the same heights as the Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook era. It's now about climbing that final rung on the NBA ladder with a championship. "He deserves. He works tirelessly. No one is more determined. No one is more relentless in their day-to-day," Daigneault said about Presti. "He'll never make it about him but obviously he's a huge part of this. He and Clay."
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti named NBA Basketball Executive of the Year for first time
Oklahoma City Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti was named the NBA Basketball Executive of the Year, the league announced Tuesday. It's the first time Presti, who is in his 18th season with the Thunder franchise, has won the award that an executive from each team votes on. Advertisement Presit oversaw the rebuild of the Thunder for a second time, which led to this season's franchise-best 68-14 record and No. 1 overall seed in the postseason. The 68 wins were the fifth-most in a single season in NBA history. OKC also posted a 12.9-point scoring differential and won 54 games by double digits, both the largest in NBA history. The Thunder was also 29-1 against the Eastern Conference, the best record against an opposing conference in league history. With 68 wins, Presti also became just the fourth head of basketball operations in NBA history to build 60-win teams with two entirely different rosters, joining Red Auerbach, Jerry West and Pat Riley. More: OKC Thunder squanders Game 1 vs Denver Nuggets and Chet Holmgren knows he must 'be better' Advertisement "First and foremost, this is an organizational and community-driven award," Presti said in a release. "As with all NBA organizations, ownership is central to everything that happens with the Thunder. On behalf of our entire staff, I want to thank Clay Bennett and our entire ownership group for their continuous support and belief in our vision for basketball in Oklahoma City and as a community accelerator. "An award such as this is really the result of our players and their commitment to our program. They push themselves in all capacities for the good of the team. I'm fortunate to work with this particular collection of men, and I do not take their professionalism for granted. "We have an incredible coaching staff and support staff, many who have been here for over 10 years as the team behind the team, and I see their excellence day to day, in ways that are invisible but invaluable to a sustainable organization. "I am deeply grateful to the many front office members that I have been privileged enough to work with and learn from throughout my experience with the Thunder. There are too many people to thank, but I am aware that I'm simply a representative of our front office and our commitment to improve one another. Advertisement "Lastly, I'm extremely humbled to be recognized by my peers, it is a privilege to be a member of such a talented group of basketball executives that work in the NBA today and I'm thankful for the relationships I've enjoyed with many of them over the years. We are all fortunate to have had people come before us who once served the position such as Donnie Walsh, Wayne Embry, Kevin O'Connor, Jack McCloskey, Rod Thorn, Sam Schuler, Jerry Colangelo, Mitch Kupchak, John Paxson, Mark Warkentien, John Gabriel, Bob Whitsitt, Danny Ferry, Carroll Dawson, Scott Layden, Bryan Colangelo, Geoff Petrie, Jerry West, Jerry Krause, and others who helped define the role that we are all now privileged to serve." More: How Russell Westbrook helped steal Game 1 for Nuggets against Thunder in NBA Playoffs This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder GM Sam Presti named NBA Executive of Year for first time
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why is it so hard to find an affordable single-family home in Massachusetts?
A single-family home with a white picket fence has always been a hallmark of the American Dream. Now it's turning into something of a nightmare for some would-be home buyers. Low inventory and sky-high prices have many people wondering if owning that type of home is still in the cards for them. 'I would love to be able to afford a single-family home. Like all millennials, have a nice yard for a dog,' said 37-year-old Tina Shukar who's been looking for a home in the greater Norwood area. The sales executive is frustrated by the situation she's faced over the last two years. 'The problem is that I'm competing against companies that do home flips, and they have cash to buy properties, and can skip inspections, and all that stuff.' Although more homebuyers are having trouble finding an affordable single-family house, this problem didn't emerge overnight. 'We're facing an extreme housing shortage in Massachusetts,' explained Jesse Kanson-Benanav, executive director of Abundant Housing Massachusetts, an advocacy group focused on increasing the supply of housing. 'In the 30 years prior to 1990, we built 900,000 homes in Massachusetts,' said Kanson-Benanav. 'In the 35 years or so since 1990, we've actually built about half as many, or 450,000 homes. And that's at a time when our population has been growing steadily, our economy has been growing, and we've added thousands of jobs.' As a result, demand continues to exceed supply, so prices keep going up. The median price of a single-family home in the Boston area was $930,000 in March 2025. That's up from 900,000 a year ago, according to the Greater Boston Association of Realtors., 'No one is doing enough to meet that demand, and it's staring to impact people from all walks of life,' added Kanson-Benanav. One of the big problems, according to Realtor Marie Presti of the Presti Group in Newton and Stoneham, is 'we have very little land available for developers to buy to build big developments.' Developers are left to tear down an old house and then replace it with a bigger house. 'They have to build a big house to make the profit they're looking for,' explained Presti. 'It's out of the first-time homebuyer's price range. Architect Mike Chavez of the Social Impact Collective says overall, houses have been getting much bigger. 'In the 1960s, the average home size was about 1,500 square feet. Now it's about 2,500 square feet . . . and the interesting thing is household size has actually gotten smaller.' In fact, many single-family homes only have one or two Baby Boomers inside. Presti says more people in this demographic were expected to downsize, but they haven't moved. 'They're concerned about a couple of things. Number one, where are they going to go?' Number two is capital gains taxes. Many couples have seen appreciation beyond $500,000 on their house. That means if they sold their house, they would owe the government money. 'They'd rather just stay put so they don't have to pay those taxes,' said Presti. The Healey administration recently released a report indicating the state needs 222,000 units of new housing in the next ten years. Kanson-Benanav believes a mix of housing will be needed and that new approaches will be needed to meet that aggressive goal. He said single-family homes will always be part of that mix but 'what we're saying is that we need different tools. . .and one strategy to address that is to say perhaps you can build 2, 3, or 4 homes on a lot that previously was only allowed to have a single-family house on it.' Changes like that take time and often face stiff opposition. In the meantime, Shuker is losing her optimism that owning a single-family home will ever be in her future. 'It seems like something that I could have easily afforded just a few years ago. I can't anymore.' Presti says more of her clients are willing to accept longer commutes to get the type of home they want. She says it's also helpful if a buyer is flexible about their 'must-haves' and doesn't shy away from a property that needs some work. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oklahoma City Thunder's Sam Presti named NBA Executive of the Year
Oklahoma City Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti has been named the NBA Executive of the Year, the league announced on Tuesday. Presti got 10 first-place votes, ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers' Koby Altman and Trajan Langdon of the Detroit Pistons. Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka, who made the most impactful move of the season with the blockbuster trade for Luka Dončić, finished sixth in voting. But he received a contract extension in April and was promoted from general manager to his current position. (And for anyone who may have been wondering, Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, who traded Dončić, was not among the 13 executives who received votes.) Sam Presti earns executive of the gets a second and third place vote. — Steve Popper (@StevePopper) May 6, 2025 Presti finally won the award after finishing as runner-up in 2010, 2020 and 2024. He has been the Thunder's general manager since 2007, going back to the franchise's final year as the Seattle Supersonics. During his tenure, the team drafted superstar talent including Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, while also executing major trades, such as acquiring Paul George from the Indiana Pacers and Chris Paul from the Houston Rockets. He later traded George to the Los Angeles Clippers, which provided Oklahoma City with its current star and MVP candidate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Presti's many deals also allowed the Thunder to stock up on first-round draft picks, which have been used to build around Gilgeous-Alexander with players including Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace. Under Presti's roster construction, in addition to hiring head coach Mark Daigneault (2024's NBA coach of the year), the Thunder developed into a team that finished with the NBA's best record this season at 68-14. Affirming excellence was a trend among voters for the Executive of the Year award. Altman was the runner-up after the Cavaliers finished with the top record in the Eastern Conference at 64-18, and Rockets GM Rafael Stone built a team that was second in the West at 52-30. The one turnaround artist receiving recognition was Langdon, who hired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and oversaw the Pistons' revival from last year's NBA-worst 14-68 to a 44-38 record this season, avoiding the play-in mix as the No. 6 seed in the East. The Thunder resume their second-round NBA playoff series versus the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. Oklahoma City trails 1-0 in the series with Game 2 scheduled to tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET in OKC.
NBC Sports
06-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Thunder's Sam Presti voted NBA Executive of the Year
Thunder executive Sam Presti had already built a team that was a No. 1 seed with an elite young core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Yet, last year's playoffs exposed some holes in the roster — they needed toughness — and Presti had a great offseason filling those by signing big man Isaiah Hartenstein and trading Josh Giddey to Chicago for Alex Caruso. Those moves, leading the Thunder to a 68-win season and a team expected to come out of the Western Conference, earned Presti the NBA Executive of the Year award. This is an award voted on by Presti's peers, the other lead executives/GMs around the league. Presti got 10 first-place votes, with six second-place and six third-place votes. Cleveland's Koby Altman finished second in the voting with six first-place votes, with the Pistons' Trajan Langdon third. The Rockets' Rafael Stone finished fourth, and the Clippers' Lawrence Frank was fifth. In total, 13 executives got a top-three vote. The complete voting results can be seen here.
