Thunder GM 'pretty excited' to pitch Durant on staying in OKC

On the surface, Sam Presti doesn't sound like a man intimidated by the prospect of potentially losing one of his franchise players. The Oklahoma City Thunder general manager is welcoming the chance to sit down with free agent Kevin Durant in the coming weeks and pitch him on staying with the only NBA organization he's known.

"I think for us it's an opportunity to be pretty excited about, quite frankly, to really get excited about and lean into," Presti told CBS Sports radio, as transcribed by CBS's James Herbert. "Because we have the opportunity to sit down with not only a player but a person that has really defined the Thunder, and I would say Oklahoma City for that matter as well, for the better part of a decade."

Few would be surprised if Durant chooses to stay with the Thunder. The closest things to his public proclamations on the subject have indicated a strong degree of loyalty to the team and community. That said, Durant inferred recently that he and his representatives intend to do their due diligence with regards to the marketplace.

Related: Presti says 'We'll react accordingly' to Durant's decision

Presti seems confident that Durant's deep connection with the team will count for something.

"It's a chance to reflect on that relationship and then, I think, really get excited about what could be an incredibly bright future together," the longtime GM said. "I'd like to think that we've been preparing for these types of things and for this particular occasion for the nine years that we've been together."