Thunder roster

Sam Presti talks like the roster is stable, but the Thunder may look different next season.

Iwalked out of Sam Presti’s postmortem news conference Monday not quite ready for the angst that awaited. Readers, fans, people back at the office, everyone seemed dismayed at Presti’s message that the Thunder had had a good season and through natural development could improve next season.

That’s close to what Presti said, but that’s not what people heard. What they heard was, the Thunder roster wouldn’t change much. Which, of course, is counter to the season’s common theme,

that Russell Westbrook needs more help.

But everyone can relax. The next Thunder roster won’t look like the most recent Thunder roster. Through trade, through signing, through exodus, through osmosis, things will be different.

Even if Presti didn’t and couldn’t say so. Instead, Presti talking glowingly of his players.

How Enes Kanter averaged 33.1 points per 100 possessions and can still get better, perhaps as a 3-point marksman.

How the Thunder was a top-10 offense and a top-10 defense after the February trade for Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott.

How Semaj Christon did an “excellent job” as Westbrook’s backup.

Various shades of truth in such statements. Kanter indeed can score. The Thunder was better after the Chicago trade. Christon was solid defensively.

But what else is Presti supposed to say? He has no reason not to build up players that conceivably could be back next season or could be trade fodder.

“Will we go out and look at every opportunity? Yes, we will,” Presti said. “Because, you know, that’s what we’ve done over the course of time. But unless somebody is willing to give us exactly what we want, for limited return or for return that we feel comfortable with, we have no alternative other than to continue to be head down, sleeves up, working to get better with this group of players.”

That kind of talk petrifies fans, who want instant gratification and assurances that things are going to change. Thunder fans became quite spoiled in the Kevin Durant era, evidenced by discontent over a 47-35 season without Durant. But this season indeed proved that the Thunder sits on solid cornerstone.

And Presti is always dickering. This time last year, who saw the draftnight trade that eventually turned Serge Ibaka into Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis and Jerami Grant?

So of course the roster will undergo changes — big changes, if Presti has his way. Kanter absolutely is on the trading block, not because the Thunder has grown disenchanted with Enes the Menace, but because he’s got some value (remember, 33.1 points per 100 possessions played) and OKC is overstocked on big men. The Thunder absolutely is in the market for a backup point guard. And literally every team in the league covets versatile wings.

Even without making a move, moves could be made on the Thunder. It’s not likely that both Andre Roberson and Taj Gibson are back. If you believe it’s 50-50 on each free agent being retained by the Thunder, that’s just a 25 percent chance that BOTH are back.

Maximum-contract free agents aren’t likely. Presti admitted that finding payroll cap space requires much adjustment. “We’re not in a position where we’re going to be a cap space team, per se,” Presti said. “We’ll look at every opportunity that we can, but it’s not a matter of us necessarily extending offers to people. It’s basically people extending interest to us, you know what I’m saying, and then we can work from there.

“We’ll make every single phone call to every single team, and the players that everyone I think probably thinks about and fantasizes about. You know, if we can make those players be here, they would probably be here by now. Otherwise, we’re going to have to like kind of do our job and keep getting better and go from there.”

That means drafting well (the Thunder has the 21st pick), that means trading with teams that don’t have a clue or have a specific need), that means free agent shopping in the bargain bin or the pre-owned rack.

“Short of somebody calling us up and offering us exactly a player we would like to have and add, we’re going to have to find other ways to get better, and that’s generally the way the majority of the NBA operates,” Presti said.

But that doesn’t mean this Thunder roster will be the next Thunder roster.