Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest QO Decisions: Waiters, Motiejunas, Jones

June 30th, 2016 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have issued a qualifying offer to Dion Waiters, making him a restricted free agent, according to RealGM.com’s transactions log. While the move doesn’t come as a real surprise, the odds of Waiters returning to Oklahoma City appeared to take a hit when the club acquired Victor Oladipo last week, so it wasn’t a lock that Waiters would get a QO.

There’s little to no chance that Waiters will sign the one-year qualifying offer, worth about $6.778MM, since he should have no problem finding more lucrative multiyear offers on the open market. So from the Thunder’s perspective, there’s probably no harm in extending that QO. Even if OKC ultimately rescinds the offer or declines to match an offer sheet Waiters signs with another suitor, making him a restricted free agent gives the club some extra flexibility for now.

Meanwhile, the Rockets have extended a qualifying offer for one power forward, but not another, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, who reports (via Twitter) that Donatas Motiejunas got a QO, but Terrence Jones didn’t.

Houston’s decision means that Motiejunas will remain on the team’s books for now, with a qualifying offer worth $4.434MM, and the Rockets will have the right of first refusal, giving the team the ability to match any offer sheet for Motiejunas. Jones, on the other hand, will become an unrestricted free agent, free to sign anywhere he likes. Although he has struggled with consistency and has battled injuries over the past couple seasons, Jones will likely intrigue teams in the market for a power forward with some shooting range.

For a breakdown of which players eligible for restricted free agency have received qualifying offers, check out our full list of 2016 free agents.

Durant Has "Raved To Friends" About Oladipo

June 30th, 2016 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

Within a piece on Kevin Durant‘s free agency, Royce Young of ESPN.com passes along a handful of interesting tidbits, writing that Durant has privately “raved to friends” about newly-acquired Thunder guard Victor Oladipo. Young also suggests that, after finishing this past season with the NBA’s third-highest payroll, the Thunder still “have plenty of cash stashed away to keep on paying.”

According to Young, Durant built a strong connection with Billy Donovan during the coach’s first year in Oklahoma City, which is a positive sign for the Thunder. As Young explains, Durant is a big believer in the importance of coaching, and has wanted the sort of long-term relationship with a coach that Tim Duncan has with Gregg Popovich. Donovan – whom the Spurs previously considered as a possible eventual successor to Popovich, according to Young – is a candidate to become Durant’s Popovich, assuming KD remains with the Thunder.

Thunder Considering Pursuit Of Al Horford

June 30th, 2016 at 7:35am CST by Luke Adams

If the Thunder re-sign Kevin Durant, adding him back to their current roster, the team won’t have any cap space to use for 2016/17. However, that isn’t stopping Oklahoma City from considering a run at another one of the top free agents on the market. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, the Thunder have been making calls around the NBA looking to clear cap room, and rival executives believe the club is intent on pursuing Al Horford to go along with Durant.

As Windhorst details, the Thunder have made calls exploring the possibility of sending players like Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler to teams with the cap room necessary to absorb their salaries. The team could also save nearly $11.8MM in 2016/17 salary by cutting Ersan Ilyasova and Anthony Morrow, whose salaries aren’t guaranteed yet. Of course, if the Thunder want to avoid guaranteeing Ilyasova’s salary, that will require a quick decision — his $8.4MM becomes guaranteed tomorrow.

Even if the Thunder kept Ilyasova, they could clear plenty of salary by dealing Kanter and Singler, and waiving Morrow — that would move nearly $25.5MM off the team’s books. Remove Dion Waiters‘ qualifying offer and that would leave Oklahoma City with only about $46.6MM in team salary. Both Durant and Horford are eligible to earn maximum salaries of about $26.6MM, so depending on where the salary cap lands, some additional maneuvering may be required to make a Horford signing a reality for the Thunder, unless he and/or Durant were willing to take less than the max.

Horford’s interest level in the Thunder isn’t entirely clear, but he has a connection to head coach Billy Donovan, having played for him as a Florida Gator, and the two men remain close, according to Windhorst.

Although adding Horford would require several steps, and may be a long shot for the Thunder, the fact that the team is exploring such a possibility could be a selling point for Durant. Oklahoma City is set to sit down with its superstar forward today, and while the two sides technically aren’t permitted to discuss contract terms until July, the Thunder could present the Horford plan to Durant as one of several avenues to improving the roster. Playing for a perennial championship contender is a top priority for Durant, so OKC’s pitch figures to center on how the team can remain in contention for a title for years to come.

As for Horford, he’ll have a ton of suitors outside of the Thunder. The Hawks will work hard to re-sign him, and the Lakers, Rockets, Magic, Pistons, Wizards, Celtics, Heat, and Nets are among the other teams expected to have some interest. A Wednesday report suggested that Atlanta is hesitant to offer Horford a five-year deal, and if the team maintains that stance, it could risk losing him.

Latest On Kevin Durant

June 30th, 2016 at 7:10am CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 7:10am: Stein fills in the rest Durant’s schedule, tweeting that he’ll meet with the Clippers on Friday and the Celtics on Saturday. So KD’s full lineup of meetings will look like this:

June 30th: Thunder
July 1st: Warriors and Clippers
July 2nd: Spurs and Celtics
July 3rd: Heat

WEDNESDAY, 11:17am: Durant’s meeting with the Heat will occur on Sunday, according to an ESPN.com report from Broussard and Stein.

11:00am: Kevin Durant‘s schedule for the next several days is beginning to take shape, with a handful of reporters filling in the details on the star forward’s free agent tour. According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard (via Twitter), Durant will have his first meeting with his current team, sitting down with the Thunder in Oklahoma City on Thursday.

Once free agency officially begins on Friday, Durant will head to the Hamptons in New York for the rest of his meetings, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Per Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Durant will meet with the Warriors on Friday afternoon in the Hamptons. Meanwhile, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that the Spurs’ pitch to the former MVP is scheduled for Saturday.

In addition to meeting with the Thunder, Warriors, and Spurs, Durant also has sit-downs lined up with the Heat, Celtics, and Clippers, and those meetings will take place over the first few days of July, says Broussard (via Twitter). The ESPN reporter adds (via Twitter) that the Knicks are still receiving consideration for a meeting, while the Lakers won’t get one. There’s no mention of the Hawks, who are also trying to “wedge their way” into the Durant sweepstakes, but it doesn’t look like Atlanta will get an audience with KD.

Durant has said that his top priority for his next destination is competing for a championship, and being able to do so immediately. Wojnarowski recently reported that the 27-year-old has plans to go on a publicity tour starting on July 9th, so he’ll likely make a decision before that date.

While a two-year contract with an opt-out after the first year makes the most financial sense for Durant, who could land a much larger max contract in 2017, there have been increased rumblings that he’s not eager to go through the free agent process again in a year, so it’s possible he’ll sign a long-term contract with the team he chooses.

Kyler’s Latest: Durant, Conley, Whiteside, Rondo

June 28th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The prevailing wisdom heading into free agency has suggested that Kevin Durant is likely to sign a two-year contract with a second-year player option this summer. After all, opting out a year from now and signing a long-term deal at that point figures to be the best way for the star forward to maximize his earnings.

Still, we’ve heard whispers that Durant may prefer to simply sign a long-term pact now to avoid having free agency looming over him for another year, and Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders cites sources close to the former MVP who echo that sentiment. According to Kyler, Oklahoma City remains the frontrunner for Durant, but the free-agent-to-be will hear out and consider all his suitors, and could make a long-term commitment to the team he signs with, whether that’s the Thunder or another club.

Here’s more from Kyler on a few of this summer’s top free agents:

Mike Conley is expected to listen to some free agent pitches, but will likely give the Grizzlies the last word, writes Kyler. Conley would like to see Memphis be aggressive about adding talent to fortify the roster if he’s going to return. If the veteran point guard decides to go elsewhere, the Mavericks, Rockets, Spurs, and even the Nets are among his potential landing spots, per Kyler.
The Lakers, Mavericks, Celtics, and Hornets are some of the teams expected to make a push for Hassan Whiteside if the Heat waver on offering him a max contract, says Kyler.
Kyler identifies the Heat as a potential dark horse in the Al Horford sweepstakes, if Whiteside does leave Miami. Horford is believed to be the next target on the team’s wish list, and that interest may be mutual, Kyler writes.
There’s mutual interest between Rajon Rondo and the Nets, who could be the favorites to land the point guard. However, according to Kyler, Rondo wouldn’t want to be Brooklyn’s only high-profile addition this summer, so the Nets might have to make a commitment to another notable free agent if they hope to lure Rondo.
Dwight Howard could end up being a primary target this offseason for teams like the Bucks, Trail Blazers, and Hornets, who aren’t necessarily expected to get involved with many top-tier free agents, per Kyler. Sources close to Howard and the Magic indicate to Kyler that the odds of D12 returning to Orlando are slim, despite the fact that the team expects to be active on the open market.
Kyler adds the Lakers and Grizzlies to the list of teams with interest in Ryan Anderson, and notes that there’s mutual interest between Anderson and the Wizards. Sources also tell Kyler that Anderson would prefer to land with a playoff team.

Sixers, Kings Interested In Dion Waiters

June 28th, 2016 at 5:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Sixers and Kings are teams in need of backcourt help and both franchises may make a run at Thunder shooting guard Dion Waiters, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (on Twitter). Waiters will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer, provided Oklahoma City submits a qualifying offer worth $6,777,589. Otherwise, Waiters will hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent and OKC would not have the ability to match any offer he were to ink.

It’s unclear if the Thunder intend to re-sign Waiters this summer and his fate may very well be linked to the free agency decision of Kevin Durant. If Durant re-signs with the team, OKC won’t have enough cap space to ink a suitable replacement, which would markedly increase the likelihood of the team retaining Waiters. But, if Durant departs, the team may not be willing to commit to Waiters on a long-term pact. The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater has speculated that Waiters could command a salary in the range of $12MM to $16MM range annually on his next contract, which may be too rich a deal for the Thunder to commit to if they need to begin rebuilding in the wake of a Durant departure.

The Sixers would be an interesting fit for Waiters given their need for backcourt scoring. The guard, who hails from Philadelphia, has said in the past that he would be interested in playing for the Sixers, which would certainly aid the team’s recruitment efforts if true. Sacramento’s backcourt could also use an influx of talent, though I don’t necessarily view Waiters as much of an upgrade of Ben McLemore, who currently sits atop the Kings’ depth chart at the two.

Waiters made 78 appearances for the Thunder this past season, including 15 starts. He notched averages of 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds an 2.0 assists in 27.6 minutes per outing while shooting .399/.358/.713.

Six Teams Solidify Meetings With Kevin Durant

June 27th, 2016 at 11:04pm CST by ChrisCrouse

8:08pm: Durant will not meet with his hometown Wizards, J. Michael of CSNMidatlantic.com reports. The Wizards have already moved on with their free agency plans, as league sources told Michael that the idea of returning home “doesn’t resonate” with Durant.

MONDAY, 12:41pm: Durant and his representatives have now scheduled meetings with the Celtics, Clippers, and Heat, bringing the total number of meetings on tap for KD to six, reports ESPN’s Chris Broussard. A meeting with the Knicks also remains in play, but hasn’t yet been confirmed.

FRIDAY, 10:44pm: The Warriors, Spurs and Thunder will be the first three teams to land face-to-face recruiting meetings with Kevin Durant, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein adds that the meetings will take place next week and more teams are expected to be granted an opportunity to make a pitch. Durant’s representatives are working to solidify meetings with the Celtics, Clippers and Heat in addition to the aforementioned teams, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports.

Both the Warriors and Spurs are planning on having key members of their respective organizations in attendance, Stein adds. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will be among the attendees for Golden State’s pitch, while San Antonio will have Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan among the attendees at its meeting. Sources tell Stein that the Warriors believe their chances of landing Durant have increased as a result of losing to the Cavs in the NBA Finals. Earlier this week, a source suggested to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that the Warriors appear to be the biggest threat to land the 2013/14 MVP should he leave Oklahoma City.

Durant is expected to have his agent Rich Kleiman and a few family members and friends alongside him during the initial meetings. The meetings are expected to take place in New York, according to Wojnarowski, although teams are still awaiting official word. It was reported last week that the meetings would take place in Los Angeles, where Durant owns a home.

The Knicks and Lakers remain hopeful about getting a meeting, Stein adds. Despite no definite report of a future meeting with Durant, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets that the Knicks are expected to get one.

The Rockets are not expected to get serious consideration, as was previously reported, and Stein adds that the Wizards are not optimistic about their chances of landing Durant.

Durant’s top priority for a destination remains competing for a championship and doing it immediately. A source tells Wojnarowski that Durant has plans to go on a publicity tour starting on July 9, and he expects to make a decision before that date.

Wall: Durant Turned Off By Wizards' Fans

June 26th, 2016 at 6:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

John Wall thinks fan overreaction may have discouraged Kevin Durant from considering the Wizards in free agency, relays J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Because Durant hails from the Washington, D.C., area, the Wizards were once thought to have a chance at landing him, but they aren’t among the seven teams expected to meet with Durant after free agency begins on Friday. “A lot of people will be devastated. But at the end of the day he never promised us anything,” Wall said. “Every day, everybody said KD-to-DC, coming to our games wearing all the Kevin Durant stuff, he didn’t like it at that time because you should cheer for the team that you got.”

There’s more news out of the Southeast Division:

Of the Hornets‘ five free agents, Nicolas Batum is most likely to return next season, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Bonnell sees a 70% likelihood that Batum remains with in Charlotte, and GM Rich Cho has said keeping him is the team’s top offseason priority. Bonnell believs the Hornets will need to offer a five-year deal at more than $20MM per season to be sure of re-signing Batum. For the rest of the team’s free agents, Bonnell puts the chances of keeping Marvin Williams at 50%, Jeremy Lin at 40%, Al Jefferson at 25% and Courtney Lee at 20%.
The Magic made good on their promise to be aggressive in trying to acquire veteran help when they pulled off a deal for Serge Ibaka, writes Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders. The trade may have been necessary because of the impending free agency of shooting guards Evan Fournier, who will hit the market this summer, and Victor Oladipo, who was shipped to Oklahoma City in the deal and will become a free agent in 2017. The Magic didn’t expect to re-sign both, according to Taylor, and didn’t want to lose them without getting something in return.
French shooting guard Isaia Cordinier, who was taken by Atlanta with the No. 44 pick in the draft, will probably play next season in France and join the Hawks for 2017/18, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Givony says Cordinier had a draft promise from a team in the late 30s or early 40s, but that team changed its mind and took someone else (Twitter link). Cordinier was expecting to join that franchise immediately and had asked other teams not to draft him (Twitter link).

Latest On Durant

June 26th, 2016 at 4:59pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Lakers and Wizards are not expected to be granted a meeting with Kevin Durant once free agency begins, reports Sam Amick of USA Today. Amick adds that New York is back on Durant’s radar as a result of the Derrick Rose trade. The Knicks are expected to sit down with the 2013/14 MVP, as are the Spurs, Warriors, Celtics, Heat, and Clippers in addition to the Thunder.

Thunder Still Favored To Keep Durant

June 25th, 2016 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Oklahoma City remains the favorite in the Kevin Durant free agency sweepstakes, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. The Thunder have a significant advantage in the amount they can offer Durant, Slater notes, as he can make $229.5MM over the next six seasons if he opts out of a two-year deal next summer and signs a five-year max contract. OKC can also offer a guaranteed contender, as the Thunder just fell one game short of reaching the NBA Finals. Slater rates the Warriors, Spurs and Celtics as having the best chance to take Durant away, with the Heat and Clippers as long shots and the Wizards and Rockets as “delusional pipe-dreamers.”

Durant gave at least his unspoken approval to the draft-day trade that sent Serge Ibaka to the Magic, writes Sam Amick of USA Today Sports. Given the uncertainty surrounding Durant, Amick says the Thunder never would have made such a major deal if they didn’t know he was on board with it.