Sam Presti thinks Kemba Walker trade is great for both teams
In the 2020 offseason, the Oklahoma City Thunder received a draft pick along with center Al Horford, whose value was at an all-time low following a disappointing season with the Philadelphia 76ers. They helped revive his value and traded him for a first-round draft pick and a new player whose value is the lowest its been since stepping into the NBA: Kemba Walker.
They’re hoping they can successfully run this process again, and general manager Sam Presti gave some insight on how the trade with the Boston Celtics came together during a June press conference.
“The Celtics had some interest in Al. We’ve had a few different conversations,” Presti said. “When Brad (Stevens) assumed the role of running the front office, it was kind of a natural conversation that came up.”
Stevens coached Horford for three seasons, two of which the team got to the Eastern Conference Finals. They’ve struggled to find consistent big man play since Horford signed a big contract with the 76ers in free agency.
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“It made a lot of sense for both teams. I think it’s a great trade for the Celtics, I think great for us. I think it’s a pretty simple deal, I don’t think it’s super complicated,” Presti said.
“Al has been awesome for us and I think he’s thrilled about being back in Boston, so I’m glad that it worked for everybody.
Presti called Walker a high-character athlete and said that the scouting department has heard consistently positive things about the point guard.
Oklahoma City hopes the 31-year-old can begin playing like an All-Star again, and the organization received yet another first-round pick.
“The 16th pick in any draft is really, really hard to get ahold of, and getting a player like Walker, who like I said before, shot creation is at a big premium … so it just makes sense for us,” Presti said.
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