Sam Presti was asked if the atmosphere surrounding the Oklahoma City Thunder is refreshed with the players healthy and with new additions to the roster and at head coach.

“We have an ambition to build a great, enduring organization," said Sam Presti. "And to preserve that ideal and sustain our success, it requires us to continually stimulate progress and evolution without relinquishing the principles and standards that we are built upon. The combination of the transition to a new coaching staff, a healthy team with the benefit of seven years of experience together that is now entering its prime years, and some additions to our roster that fit our age horizon also help fortify the existing culture, and has created an organizational momentum that has everyone excited about the present but also very optimistic about the future.”

Presti was also asked if this season feels extra pivotal given Kevin Durant's 2016 free agency.

“We adopted an organizational approach in 2008 that is centered on being intentional about focusing on the present, not getting sidetracked by things we can’t control, and ensuring that all of our attention and intention is on embracing the season as it comes to us. We have seen every year as important, meaningful, and worthy of our full attention, and this season will be treated in the same fashion. This approach has served us well and our players have been excellent in terms of staying disciplined to this approach during the various circumstances we have encountered over the years.

“I really think that our standing as an organization is very much due to their ability to work in the present tense and place their attention on the quality of the work, not in the past or toward a future that has yet to arrive. If we continue to stay true to this concept, and I believe we will, it allows us to embrace the opportunities that this, like any season, presents and also allows us to continue to build an identity for the Thunder that will stand the test of time."