Kendrick Perkins didn’t just like what he saw from Oklahoma City on Tuesday night. He was so impressed by the Thunder’s roster construction that he jokingly suggested Sam Presti should be investigated.
After the Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs, Perkins spent part of ESPN’s NBA Today marveling at how stacked Oklahoma City still looks even after losing three rotation players over the summer.
“Sam Presti needs to be investigated, because it has to be a crime what he is doing and how he is running circles around the rest of the GMs around the league,” Perkins said. “How the hell do you lose three key guys - Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, and Lu Dort - and you come in, and you still, after Game one, have the deepest roster in the NBA. The depth is there.”
"Sam Presti needs to be investigated. ... He's running circles around the rest of the league."@KendrickPerkins says the Thunder still have the "deepest roster" in the NBA 👀 pic.twitter.com/1K9ops1bkN
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 21, 2026
Presti’s track record has turned into the blueprint for this Thunder build. During the rebuild that eventually helped Oklahoma City land two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander before his second NBA season, the front office kept turning draft capital into real players. Jalen Williams arrived in 2022, and Aday Mara was added in this year’s draft.
The Thunder also climbed up in the 2023 draft to grab Cason Wallace at No. 10, a move made with the future in mind. That came after Oklahoma City used its own pick on Chet Holmgren at No. 2 in the same draft that saw Williams go No. 12.
The asset stacking didn’t stop there. From the Paul George trade with the LA Clippers that brought in SGA to the future picks used in a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers for Jared McCain, Presti kept finding ways to stay aggressive and stay ahead.
Perkins also tied Gilgeous-Alexander’s night to the league’s new focus on offensive fouls involving push-offs. He said the Thunder star took the scrutiny personally and used it as fuel in a 32-point outing against San Antonio.
“You know why Shai had those emotions yesterday? It wasn't just because they were playing against the San Antonio Spurs,” Perkins added.
“Who's the most scrutinized player last year in the playoffs? It was SGA because of his flopping.
Then, all of a sudden, Adam Silver and the NBA come out, and they put in a rule of what? The push-off.
We know they were talking to SGA. He had it on his mind.
He went out there and took it out on the San Antonio Spurs in good fashion. That was a message to the NBA and Adam Silver.”
Gilgeous-Alexander backed that up with a strong all-around line, going 13-for-27 from the field and hitting three 3-pointers. It was the third straight season opener in which he scored 30 or more points. He finished with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks in Oklahoma City’s 116-104 win.
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The sequence left both teams waiting on the whistle before play could settle back in, and the officiating crew wound up sorting through a messy scene with a flagrant foul and a handful of technicals. For a Thunder team trying to set the tone early in the season, the dustup added another layer of edge to a matchup that was already carrying plenty of opening-night energy. [Read more 🡒]
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Midway through the third quarter, with Oklahoma City already in control, Mara helped deliver one of the nights best sequences. He swatted Victor Wembanyama near the rim, then turned around and finished an alley-oop from Ajay Mitchell, a burst of rim protection and finishing touch that gave Thunder fans a real glimpse of why the organization is so intrigued by him. [Read more 🡒]
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Opening night between the Thunder and Spurs took a sharp turn when Chet Holmgren found himself on the floor after a hard sequence involving DeAaron Fox, and both benches quickly emptied in response. What had been an early-season showcase between two teams with plenty of buzz became a chippy, physical scene in a hurry, with the officials moving in to calm things down before play could continue.
Once order was restored, the game resumed with San Antonio still chasing Oklahoma City in the second quarter. The incident added an edge to a matchup already rich with intrigue, especially with Victor Wembanyama on the floor and the Thunders young core right in the middle of the fray, a reminder that this rivalry may not need much time to boil over again. [Read more 🡒]