Exclusive: Why Andrew Slater left the OKC Thunder to become NC State’s GM under Will Wade

Although he’s been involved in basketball for more than two decades, Andrew Slater had butterflies for the first time before tipoff as he sat inside the Paycom Center ahead of Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers this past June. Slater, who was sitting in Thunder General Manager Sam Presti’s guest seats for the pivotal matchup, had his fingerprints all over Oklahoma City’s rebuild. The longtime talent evaluator and scout helped retool the Thunder into a contender post the Russell Westbrook and Paul George era, so the culmination of his work resulting in a possible championship left Slater emotional.  By the end of the 103-91 win over the Pacers, however, the integral member of the Thunder’s front office was overjoyed. “It was a sense of relief and accomplishment all in one,” Slater told TheWolfpacker.com in an exclusive interview inside his first-floor office of the Dail Basketball Center Monday afternoon.  But as Slater watched the Thunder claim the title, he wasn’t there as a member of the organization. He departed Oklahoma City for NC State when Will Wade was hired by the Wolfpack as one of the 42-year-old head coach’s first additions to his staff.