Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

James Johnson Exercises Option, Clearing Path For Trade To Thunder

November 19th, 2020 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves forward James Johnson has exercised the player option on his contract for the 2020/21 season, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The move will guarantee Johnson a $16MM salary for the coming year, but it doesn’t mean he’ll remain in Minnesota. Charania confirms (via Twitter) that the veteran will be sent to Oklahoma City as part of the Ricky Rubio trade between the Wolves and Thunder. Johnson’s expiring contract was required for salary-matching purposes.

Johnson, 33, played well with the Wolves after being sent to Minnesota in a three-team trade at last season’s deadline, averaging 13.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 3.8 APG on .500/.370/.676 shooting in 14 games (24.1 MPG). Despite that strong finish, he was never going to match his $16MM option salary on the free agent market, so his opt-in comes as no surprise.

It’s not clear yet whether Johnson will remain in Oklahoma City after being acquired by the Thunder, or if his new clubs plans to trade or release him.

Atlantic Notes: Horford, Simmons, Embiid, Harden, Celtics Draft

November 19th, 2020 at 3:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers created an $8.6MM trade exception in their agreed-upon deal that will send Al Horford to the Thunder, John Hollinger of The Athletic reports.

That’s significant, as Hollinger points out, because the front office will not have a full mid-level exception to offer in free agency since the club is in luxury tax territory. The exception can be used in a sign-and-trade this offseason or – more likely – a direct trade for a player under contract.

New president of basketball operations Daryl Morey promises he’ll make some roster moves via the free agent route, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. “They’re going to be some additions there,” Morey said of free agency, while adding “we feel very good where we’re at.”

Morey declared that he’s not interested in trading either of his top players, according to the Associated Press’ Dan Gelston. He said Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid “are going to be here for a long time.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics were advised that they shouldn’t pursue a James Harden deal with the Rockets, longtime Celtics beat reporter Steve Bulpett tweets. The front office researched the possibility of adding Harden and were urged to stay away, as the intel regarding the fallout in the Houston organization painted an ugly picture. Presumably, Harden was a part of that dysfunction.
The Celtics had three first-round picks to dangle on Wednesday but didn’t move up. It wasn’t for lack of trying, another longtime Celtics beat reporter Mark Murphy tweets. GM Danny Ainge said they explored the possibility but there was “not anything that was really tempting for us in the first part of the draft.” Boston held onto the first two picks and traded the other to the Grizzlies for two future second-rounders.

Thunder To Exercise Option For Hamidou Diallo

November 19th, 2020 at 12:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder will exercise their $1.66MM team option for next season on Hamidou Diallo, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Diallo, 22, has been a solid bench player for Oklahoma City during his first two years in the NBA. He averaged 6.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 46 games last season.

With Mike Muscala opting in earlier today, all the Thunder’s option decisions for next season have been resolved.

Thunder Acquire Schofield, Second-Rounder Krejci From Wizards

November 19th, 2020 at 11:48am CST by Dana Gauruder

NOVEMBER 19: The Thunder also acquired Admiral Schofield from Washington in the deal, which is now official, according to a tweet from the Wizards.

NOVEMBER 18: The Wizards selected guard Vit Krejci with the No. 37 but they’re trading him to the Thunder, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Washington will receive the No. 53 pick in this draft plus additional compensation, Ben Standig of The Athletic tweets.

The Wizards used that pick on Michigan State point guard Cassius Winston. Winston led the Spartans to the Final Four as a junior and averaged 18.6 PPG and 5.9 APG as a senior.

The additional competition will be a future second-rounder, David Aldridge of The Athletic tweets.

Krejci of the Czech Republic won’t be able to play in the NBA in the near future. While playing for the Spanish team Casademont Zaragoza, the 20-year-old Krejci suffered an ACL injury that required surgery in early October. He’s a member of the Czech Republic national team and projects as a 6’8” combo guard.

Mike Muscala Exercises Player Option

November 19th, 2020 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

Thunder center Mike Muscala has exercised his $2,283,034 player option for next season, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Oklahoma City signed Muscala last summer to a two-year, $4.31MM deal that included the option for the second season. The 29-year-old appeared in 47 games in his first year with the Thunder, averaging 4.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in about 12 minutes per night.

Muscala has been in the NBA since signing with the Hawks in 2013. He has also played for the Sixers and Lakers.

Thunder Expected To Sign Omer Yurtseven, Josh Hall

November 19th, 2020 at 8:37am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have reached an agreement on an Exhibit 10 contract for undrafted Georgtown big man Omer Yurtseven, sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Yurtseven, 22, began his college career at North Carolina State before transferring to Georgetown. He was the Hoyas’ starting center in 2019/20, averaging 15.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 1.5 BPG in 26 games (27.3 MPG).

Having declared for the draft following his junior season, Yurtseven wasn’t one of the 60 players selected on Wednesday night, but ranked as ESPN’s 31st-best undrafted prospect and didn’t take long to find a home for training camp.

Meanwhile, the Thunder have also reached a deal to sign free agent forward Josh Hall, an undrafted prospect out of Moravian Prep, a source tells Jake Weingarten of StockRisers.com (Twitter link). It’ll be a two-way contract, according to Weingarten (Twitter link).

The No. 5 undrafted prospect on ESPN’s list, Hall has “considerable potential” as both a shooter and ball-handler, according to Mike Schmitz’s scouting report. Schmitz adds that Hall isn’t NBA-ready, but could develop into a rotation wing with some G League seasoning.

Lakers, Thunder Finalize Dennis Schröder, Danny Green Trade

November 18th, 2020 at 11:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

NOVEMBER 18, 11:46pm: The deal is now official, the Lakers confirmed in a press release. The Lakers received Schröder in exchange for Green and the draft rights to No. 28 pick Jaden McDaniels, who will be flipped to Minnesota in a separate trade. Green will also be moved in another deal.

NOVEMBER 15, 10:56am: The teams have an agreement in principle on a deal, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

NOVEMBER 15, 10:02am: The Lakers are expected to acquire guard Dennis Schröder from the Thunder when the trade moratorium lifts on Monday, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Oklahoma City will receive the 28th pick in Wednesday’s draft and guard Danny Green in return.

Woj adds that the trade is “well on course to be completed” and that other teams that were pursuing Schröder have moved on to different players.

L.A. owes a protected first-rounder in 2021 to the Pelicans, so the deal can’t be finalized until the Lakers make their draft pick Wednesday night, points out Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).

Schröder, 27, will make $15.5MM this season in the final year of his contract. He has spent two years in Oklahoma City and averaged 18.9 points and 4.0 assists off the bench last season. In Los Angeles, he’ll become a primary play-maker for the Lakers and could be the team’s third scoring option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Green, 33, will make $15.4MM in 2020/21, so the salaries match up for a deal. He signed with the Lakers last summer and averaged 8.0 PPG in 68 games. He has played for the last two NBA champions and will be a free agent again in 2021.

Schröder may be just the first of several veterans moved by Oklahoma City this fall — Chris Paul and Steven Adams are also considered trade candidates. Theoretically, the team could also immediately flip Green to a new team as well.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Timberwolves Trying To Acquire Ricky Rubio

November 18th, 2020 at 7:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves are talking to the Thunder about a deal to bring Ricky Rubio back to Minnesota, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The Wolves are offering the 17th pick to Oklahoma City in exchange for Rubio and picks No. 25 and 28.

Rubio, who played last season in Phoenix, is part of the trade that will send Chris Paul to the Suns. He has two years and $34.8MM left on his contract. The 30-year-old posted another productive season in 2019/20, averaging 13.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 8.8 assists in 65 games.

Minnesota became interested in bringing back Rubio as soon as the trade was announced, sources tell Krawczynski. The Wolves had hoped to pursue Rubio in free agency last summer, but he agreed to a three-year deal with Phoenix.

After learning that he was sent to Oklahoma City, Rubio and his agents at Excel Sports began searching for a deal to a team more likely to be competitive this season. After looking throughout the league and seeing the interest from the Wolves, Rubio became receptive to returning to Minnesota.

He remains close to Wolves head coach Ryan Saunders, who has been looking for another ball-handler to team with D’Angelo Russell. Rubio is also a former teammate of Karl-Anthony Towns, playing with the center during his first two years in the NBA.

Rubio began his career in Minnesota, being selected with the fifth pick in the 2009 draft. He came to the NBA two years later and spent six years with the Wolves before being traded to Utah.

Free Agent Roundup: Gallinari, Harris, Millsap

November 18th, 2020 at 7:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat could be among the teams bidding for free agent forward Danilo Gallinari, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. If Giannis Antetokounmpo accepts a super-max offer from the Bucks, there will be less incentive for Miami to preserve cap room for next summer. If the two-time MVP is off the market, Scotto hears that the Heat will extend Bam Adebayo, try to re-sign Goran Dragic and look to add a forward, possibly Gallinari, in free agency.

Oklahoma City is expected to structure the trade for Al Horford so it can retain Gallinari’s cap hold, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link).

There’s more free agent news to pass along:

A rumor circulating earlier today that the Mavericks and Thunder were negotiating a sign-and-trade deal involving Gallinari is false, at least so far, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
The Hawks and Hornets were both planning to pursue Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris, but it seems increasingly likely that he will remain in Brooklyn, Scotto notes in the same piece. Charlotte will look for more affordable guards who can give the team veteran leadership and shooting.
Nuggets forward Paul Millsap could be in line for the Trail Blazers‘ full mid-level exception if he signs in Portland, Scotto adds. The Blazers are expected to make a strong push for the 35-year-old.

Draft Rumors: Warriors, Smart, Wolves, Thunder, Cavs, More

November 18th, 2020 at 6:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors and Celtics had some discussions about a deal that would have involved the No. 2 pick and guard Marcus Smart according to Matt Moore of ActionNetwork.com. Sources tell Moore that those talks didn’t ultimately gain traction and aren’t expected to resume after the Celtics rejected a counter-offer from Golden State.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms that the Celtics called the Warriors to gauge their interest in moving the No. 2 pick and made Smart available, but talks “didn’t escalate.”

Here’s more on the draft as we prepare for what should be a fun night:

Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) is hearing that the Timberwolves will likely remain at No. 1, barring a “blockbuster” move. However, it sounds like the No. 17 pick is still very much in play. Jeremy Woo of SI.com reports (via Twitter) that the Thunder are exploring a deal for the No. 17 pick.
Isaac Okoro is rising on the Cavaliers‘ board, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), who says if Cleveland trades down to No. 8, it would likely hinge on the team’s ability to land Okoro at that spot.
The Clippers are looking to buy a second-round pick and/or trade up from No. 57, league sources tell Scotto.
The Suns could still trade down from No. 10 or use the pick in a deal for a veteran player, but they’re unlikely to move up, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7.