Kevin Durant yesterday announced he is leaving the Thunder to sign a two-year deal with the Warriors, and Thunder GM Sam Presti "took the high road with a concise but comprehensive salute to Durant" following the announcement, according to a front-page piece by Berry Tramel of the OKLAHOMAN. Presti in a statement said, “Kevin made an indelible mark on the Thunder organization and the state of Oklahoma as a founding father of this franchise. We can't adequately articulate what he meant to the foundation of this franchise and our success." Thunder Chair Clay Bennett issued his own statement, saying, "Kevin's contributions to our organization during his nine years were profound, on and off the court. He helped the Thunder grow and succeed in immeasurable ways and impacted the community just the same." Tramel notes those sentiments are "in sharp contrast" to the "acid-laced letter" to Cavaliers fans from Owner Dan Gilbert after LeBron James left for the Heat in '10 (OKLAHOMAN, 7/5). In Tulsa, Bill Haisten notes Bennett following Durant's announcement sent a letter to season-ticket holders that conveyed the message, "We deeply appreciate your support and loyalty." Haisten wonders "what happens now" with the team, as the "selling of 14,000 season tickets was easy" for the Thunder with both Durant and G Russell Westbrook. In advance of the '16-17 season, the Thunder have a "streak of 256 sellouts at Chesapeake Energy Arena" (TULSA WORLD, 7/5).
CONTINGENCY PLANS IN PLACE: ESPN.com's Royce Young noted with Durant "coming off their books, the Thunder can get to the neighborhood" of $20M in cap space. Presti said that the team "had contingency plans in place, should Durant exit." He added that the team "won't react quickly but will instead take a few days to process its options" (ESPN.com, 7/4). Presti: "We're going to take a step back, look at those carefully, try to make quality, thoughtful decisions. We've never been impulsive. We've never been reactionary. We've never been careless with putting this franchise in the best possible position to be strong and be healthy and be competitive" (OKLAHOMAN, 7/5). However, in N.Y., Harvey Araton wonders "what choice does Presti have but to trade" Westbrook if he does not sign a long-term deal "before he reaches free agency after next season?" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/5).
TROUBLE AHEAD? THE VERTICAL's Chris Mannix wrote the Thunder are "in trouble," as the franchise cornerstone now "is gone, and any hope of competing for anything more than a second-round playoff exit left with him." Mannix: "It’s hard to watch Oklahoma City crumble. This is an organization that did everything right." The inability of league owners to "foreshadow the type of cap spike the new television deal would yield during collective-bargaining negotiations created this climate," and the NBPA's "unwillingness to agree to the league’s cap-smoothing proposal rubber-stamped it" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/4).
