In a rare exclusive, ESPN’s Jill Withers sits down with the new Oklahoma City Thunder GM, The Cake Bandito on the eve of his first season in charge.
JW: “You’re obviously no stranger to this business after your very successful stints in college basketball. How does this off season shape up and what are you doing differently to get ready for the big leagues?”
CB: “I’m just here so I don’t get fined”… “...always wanted to open an interview with that line. I think there are certain pressure measures that translate between the college and pro game, but the similarities end there. The personalities, the pressure, both internal and external are immense. In college, the team is only a small part of the entire sports department, let alone the whole college, whereas this entire organisation is focused purely on 14/15 players and their ability to perform.
JW: “The rumours have been rife all off-season with even the most elite members of your lineup, how seriously did you entertain moving the likes of Anthony Edwards?
CB: “When you take the reins of an established team, you have to take a hard look at every piece of the puzzle, both on the court and off. We obviously were quick to move Steph and believe that was the best move for both parties. Whilst the fan base will want to see us maintain the heights we had last season, behind the scenes we want to make sure we’re as competitive as possible for the foreseeable future. Had we kept Steph, the window would have shut very quickly, all while other teams in the west were getting stronger. To me that’s a roll of the dice too far. Given Edwards strength in the league, I think it would be foolish to not at least see what kind of interest is out there. Restocking picks will be one of the best ways to keep us in the title hunt, so understanding where and how we can return that value is important.”
JW: “You jumped straight into the fire today during free agency, how are you feeling after today’s action?”
CB: “I’m not going to lie, it was intense. Some really great players were available and it was very eye-opening to see the different teams strategies play out. Given our cap situation, I knew we weren’t hunting the big pieces, but retaining Grimes was fundamental and I think we were able to add some experienced players to round out our list. Melton, Exum and Shamet all have seven plus years in the league and bring particular strengths at their positions and are seen as role players. Batum is still scoring consistently and shows great defence as he heads into season 17. I think it took us a while to get our heads into the game and losing Waters was disappointing. We’ll work hard all season to make sure we are armed and ready when FA rolls around next year.
JW: “How are you feeling in terms of the team”s future, and have you any regrets about Steph Curry’s departure?”
CB: “Steph is always going to be a superstar and I’m acutely aware that the success of my tenure here may always be held to the decision to move him. I still stand by the decision and believe we are stronger not only for this season, but beyond. We are very short on picks in the years to come and having our teams value spread over more players was always going to give us a greater flexibility going forward.
Avdija looks set for a big year and is a great piece given his contract. We consider him central to the team’s cohesion. Fox is a great shooter and paired with Anthony’s prolific offence, I’m enthusiastic to what they can put together.
JW: “Your injury report is showing some niggles from the preseason. Are you expecting Fox and Edwards to miss many games?
CB: “Fox’s hamstring isn’t serious but I think we can afford to take our time with him. His offence will need to sharp and we want to make sure we’ll have him back for the rest of the season. For Anthony, it’s day by day. If he misses more than a few games, I’d be very surprised. We are expecting an All Star year from him, and he’ll be expecting it of himself, so he won’t be willing to sit for too long”
JW: “You were number one in the West last year, how confident are you of repeating?”
CB: “I think the West is up for grabs and I’m reluctant to make any assumptions. The Lakers, Warriors and Spurs all had impressive off seasons and eeking out wins is going to be a game by game experience. Utah was strong overnight in FA and there were some big trades, so ask me again at the All Star break.”
This article was written and produced by Jill Withers for ESPN, Nov 9, 2025
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