- In addition to his previously-reported workouts, Cameron Johnson (UNC) has auditioned for the Timberwolves, Celtics, Thunder, Sixers, and Warriors, tweets Gery Woelfel of Woelfel’s Press Box.
An MVP-caliber season from Paul George had the Thunder looking like one of the Warriors’ most dangerous challengers for the Western Conference crown for much of the year. However, with George battling a shoulder issue by season’s end, the team once again flamed out early in the playoffs, as Damian Lillard ended Oklahoma City’s season with a memorable dagger in Game 5 of the first round.
After paying a league-high $61MM+ luxury tax bill for a roster that produced a single postseason win, Thunder ownership will have to decide whether to double down or pull back for the 2019/20 campaign. The club’s front office will in turn have its offseason options impacted by that decision.
Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:
1. Will the Thunder trade any core pieces?
The Thunder’s de facto “Big Three” – George, Russell Westbrook, and Steven Adams – will combine to earn more than $97MM next season, and all three players have multiple guaranteed seasons left on their respective contracts. If Oklahoma City wants to cut costs going forward, moving one of those players would be a start.
It’s not just about shedding salary though. The Thunder haven’t won a playoff series since Kevin Durant‘s departure in 2016. Westbrook and Adams were cornerstones in each of those three seasons, while George has been there for the last two. As the sample size keeps increasing and the postseason losses keep piling up, it’s fair to question whether this core is capable of making a deep playoff run — especially since the exorbitant cost of the trio limits the Thunder’s ability to add reinforcements.
George, who will earn $33MM in 2019/20, certainly proved last season that he’s worth the price tag, and there’s no chance that the Thunder will look to move him one year after he committed to the organization long-term.
Westbrook, who will make $38.5MM in the second season of his five-year super-max deal, has a more unfavorable contract, but he’s not going anywhere either. As his efficiency numbers continue to slip, it’s looking increasingly likely that the last couple years of his contract ($44.2MM in 2021/22; $47MM in 2022/23) will be hard to swallow, but he’s the heart and soul of the Thunder, and the engine who drives the team. Oklahoma City wouldn’t seriously consider trading him unless he wanted out.
That leaves Adams, who looks like the only realistic trade candidate of the group. If the Thunder could take his $25.8MM cap charge and commit half that money to a stretch four and the other half a to a two-way wing, I’m sure they’d jump at the chance to do so. But the odds of finding a trade along those lines are slim. It wouldn’t surprise me if Oklahoma City gauges the trade market for Adams this summer, but there won’t be teams clamoring to acquire him at that price.
On Tuesday night, we relayed a pair of rumors from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who said on the network’s televised mock draft special that the Lakers, Mavericks, and Knicks are among the teams interested in pursuing point guard Kemba Walker, but also cautioned that the Lakers aren’t considered frontrunners for any top free agents.
During ESPN’s draft special, Wojnarowski offered up several more tidbits worth passing along, so we’ll round them up in the space below (all links via Sagar Trika unless otherwise indicated):
- Picking up his 2019/20 player option with the Warriors is probably a “last resort” for Kevin Durant, since he should still receive maximum-salary or near-max offers as a free agent, Wojnarowski said this morning on Get Up (video link via ESPN). We heard on Tuesday that Durant’s Achilles injury isn’t expected to deter suitors, even if it keeps him out for all of next season. Marc Berman of The New York Post confirmed today that the Knicks remain very interested in signing Durant.
- Wojnarowski identifies the Jazz, Pacers, and Celtics as potential suitors for trade candidate Mike Conley (Twitter link). Of course, Boston would only make sense as a trade partner for the Grizzlies if Kyrie Irving leaves.
- According to Wojnarowski, the Pacers are interested in bringing back Bojan Bogdanovic and would also like to re-sign Thaddeus Young, assuming the price is right (Twitter link).
- The Hawks are a team to watch on draft night and may be a candidate to move up to No. 5, in Wojnarowski’s view (Twitter links). Woj expects GM Travis Schlenk to be creative and would be surprised if Atlanta ends up using both the No. 8 and No. 10 overall picks.
- Even if the Suns and Bulls draft point guards with their first-round picks, they’d each likely try to sign a veteran in free agency, says Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
- The Thunder are in “absolute win-now mode,” and Wojnarowski believes they’ll be aggressive with the No. 21 pick in trade talks (Twitter link).
Thunder forward Paul George has undergone his second surgical procedure of the offseason, according to Cliff Brunt of The Associated Press, who writes that George’s latest surgery repaired a small labrum tear in his left shoulder.
Previously, George had elective surgery on his right shoulder to repair a partial tendon tear, as we relayed last month. At the time, it was announced that this second procedure was expected, and that the All-NBA forward would likely miss at least the start of Oklahoma City’s training camp in the fall.
While George had a career year and was named a finalist for the Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards, he was hampered by issues with both shoulders down the stretch.
His health problems didn’t meaningfully impact his counting stats, but his late-season shooting numbers reflected his limitations — George shot just 38.9% from the floor and 33.3% on three-pointers in his last 20 games, after posting respective marks of 45.5% and 40.5% up until that point.
George is set to enter the second year of a four-year, maximum-salary deal with the Thunder in 2019/20.
Billy Donovan‘s contract runs out after next season but he’s not sweating over his tenuous status with the Thunder, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman writes. Donovan has no real desire to return to the college ranks and will likely retire or become an NBA assistant if he loses his job with Oklahoma City, Horne continues. It’s possible the Thunder will give Donovan an extension during the season but he’s not lobbying for any assurances, Horne adds. The Thunder have lost three assistants — Mark Bryant, Darko Rajakovic and Bob Beyer — due to the lack of job security in OKC.
Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, R.J. Barrett, Darius Garland, De’Andre Hunter, Jarrett Culver, Coby White, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes were the first nine prospects invited to sit in the Green Room at the NBA draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony tweets. There were no surprises on the list, as the first eight comprise Givony’s top 8 prospects and Hayes is ranked No. 11. The invites reinforce that all nine will be selected in the lottery and probably the top 10. Another 11 invites are expected to be made, Givony adds.
We have more draft news:
- Trey Mourning has a workout lined up with the Heat, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets. Mourning, son of longtime Heat star Alonzo Mourning, averaged 6.3 PPG for Georgetown last season. The 6’9” forward previously visited the Wizards and Kings, Winderman adds.
- Guard Justin Simon (St. John’s) will work out for the Thunder on Thursday, Adam Zagoria of the New York Times tweets.
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Givony’s No. 22 overall prospect, worked out for the Pistons on Friday, Rod Beard of the Detroit News tweets. The combo guard, who averaged 16.2 PPG and 4.0 APG for Virginia Tech last season, has already visited the Hornets and Celtics, Beard adds.
- Point guard Tremont Waters, Givony’s No. 49 overall prospect, will visit the Pacers and Spurs, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets. Waters will probably not do any on-court work as he’s still rehabbing a right ankle sprain suffered at the NBA combine, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post tweets.
Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver made his case to be drafted third overall during a workout today with the Knicks, relays Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Calling himself “an elite two-way player,” Culver told reporters his defensive abilities separate him from other top prospects.
“Nowadays, it’s hard to find people who take pride in defense. But I’m one of them,” he said. “I take pride in defense. Being at Texas Tech taught me a lot, so I feel like on the defensive side I’m elite.”
Most mock drafts have Duke’s R.J. Barrett headed to New York, following Duke’s Zion Williamson and Murray State’s Ja Morant off the board. Culver said he’s confident in what he has to offer and doesn’t compare himself to Barrett.
“I feel like we’re great players, both of us,” Culver said. “He has a lot of talent, I have a lot of talent. And at the end of the day it’s not our choice where we go, it’s for everybody else to choose. So we just put in the work. I know he’s working hard, I’m working hard. So it is what it is.”
Culver already had a workout with the Lakers, who hold the No. 4 selection, and he has sessions scheduled with the next three teams in the draft, the Cavaliers, Suns and Bulls.
There’s more draft news tonight:
- Central Florida’s Tacko Fall wasn’t able to participate in shooting drills with the Pacers today after rolling his ankle earlier in the workout, writes Wheat Hotchkiss of NBA.com. The injury doesn’t sound serious and the 7’7″ center made an impression by towering over his workout partners. “Whenever people see me, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s tall, but can he play?,'” Fall said. “It’s something that I had to work on. I have worked really hard. I have great people around me that have helped me become the player I am today. I just have to keep working.” Others at the session included Indiana’s Juwan Morgan, Florida State’s Mfiondu Kabengele and Clemson’s Elijah Thomas.
- Purdue’s Carsen Edwards, who worked out for the Sixers today, has also been through sessions with the Pacers, Jazz and Nets, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He has upcoming workouts set with the Bucks, Celtics and Thunder.
- Gonzaga’s Brandon Clarke has worked out for several teams already and has sessions scheduled with the Celtics, Nets, Bulls, Pistons and Timberwolves, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- With Darko Rajakovic prepared to head to Phoenix, the Thunder will have three openings to fill on Billy Donovan‘s staff, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. Mark Bryant and Bob Beyer also accepted jobs with new teams.
- Brett Dawson of The Athletic explores Patrick Patterson‘s outlook as the Thunder forward prepares to enter a contract year. Despite two up-and-down years in Oklahoma City and the possibility that he’ll be on the trade block, Patterson could be a rotation player if he returns, Dawson writes.
The Heat and Thunder project to be taxpaying teams next season based on their current salary commitments, but according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, both clubs are already mulling possible ways to cut costs.
Sources tell Charania that the Thunder have had multiple conversations with teams about the No. 21 overall pick in the draft. Oklahoma City appears to be dangling that pick as a way to shed salary and relieve some of the financial pressure facing the club. While Charania doesn’t identify any specific players the Thunder would try to move, Andre Roberson ($10.74MM) and Patrick Patterson ($5.71MM) look like potential trade candidates.
- Multiple former Thunder coaches and executives are making an impact around the NBA today, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman writes. Among the successful league officials who spent some time in Oklahoma City are Vanterpool, Adrian Griffin (Raptors assistant coach) and Monty Williams (Suns head coach).