Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Buyout Market, Summer League, Dunk Contest, Cap Room, Risacher

February 11th, 2024 at 10:44am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of veteran point guards have already been plucked off the buyout market, with Spencer Dinwiddie officially signing with the Lakers on Saturday and Kyle Lowry lining up a deal with the Sixers. What other notable players could hit the buyout market in the coming days and weeks?

John Hollinger of The Athletic explores that topic in depth, identifying Delon Wright, Troy Brown, Marcus Morris, and Cedi Osman as several of the most intriguing options while acknowledging that some of those players likely won’t be waived.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The NBA has confirmed the dates for the 2024 Las Vegas Summer League, announcing that it will take place from July 12-22 (Twitter link). That’s a few days later than the event typically begins and ends.
Celtics wing Jaylen Brown, who signed the largest contract in league history last summer, is the most accomplished player to participate in the NBA’s dunk contest in several years. He hopes to set an example for other stars, per Souichi Terada of MassLive.com (Twitter link). “I wish more top players (and) athletes decided to compete in the dunk contest,” Brown said. “I grew up watching that, and that’s what I love. Hopefully that comes around.”
Danny Leroux of The Athletic takes a look at where each team’s cap situation stands heading into the 2024 offseason, identifying the Pistons, Magic, Sixers, Jazz, Raptors, and Thunder as the teams with the ability to generate the most cap room.
Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com (Insider link) have updated their list of 2024’s top prospects, moving French wing Zaccharie Risacher into the No. 1 spot for the first time. Risacher is the fourth different player to sit atop ESPN’s ’24 big board since the start of the college season in November, signaling that there’s no clear-cut top prospect in this year’s draft class.

Thunder Sign Bismack Biyombo For Rest Of Season

February 10th, 2024 at 7:52pm CST by Luke Adams

7:52pm: The signing is official, the Thunder announced in a press release.

12:22pm: The Thunder have bolstered their frontcourt depth by signing free agent center Bismack Biyombo for the rest of the season, reports Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). It’s a minimum-salary deal for Biyombo, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A 13-year veteran, Biyombo signed a one-year, $5MM contract with the Grizzlies earlier this season to help fill in at center following Steven Adams‘ season-ending knee surgery. He started 27 of 30 games he played for the team, averaging 5.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 23.9 minutes per night.

Memphis originally signed Biyombo using an extra roster spot that was granted during Ja Morant‘s 25-game suspension. The Grizzlies hung onto the big man following the star guard’s return, waiving Kenneth Lofton in order to create room on the roster for him, but eventually let Biyombo go when Morant suffered a season-ending injury of his own and the team’s focus shifted away from pushing for the playoffs this season.

Biyombo, 31, will become the veteran voice among a group of Oklahoma City centers that also features second-year big men Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams. He may not play regular rotation minutes, but he’ll provide important injury insurance for a team on track to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

The Thunder traded three players for Gordon Hayward on deadline day, creating two open spots on their 15-man roster which they’ve already filled by promoting Lindy Waters and signing Biyombo. The club still has one vacant two-way slot.

Northwest Notes: Hayward, Morris, Jazz, Strawther

February 10th, 2024 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Gordon Hayward has battled injuries for the past several seasons and is no longer playing at the same level as he was back in 2017 when he made his first and only All-Star game. But Hayward is the sort of big wing who has real value on a playoff roster, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, who notes that the price the Thunder paid to acquire the veteran forward – three matching salaries and a pair of second-round picks – was relatively modest.

Hayward may end up being no more than an insurance policy for the Thunder, Mussatto acknowledges, but in a best-case scenario, he’ll become a regular rotation piece and perhaps even a player who could be part of closing lineups. And, as Mussatto points out, the three players Oklahoma City gave up for Hayward (Davis Bertans, Tre Mann, and Vasilije Micic) almost certainly wouldn’t have been playoff contributors.

Hayward, who has been sidelined since December 26 due to a calf injury, appeared to be nearing a return for the Hornets, but he won’t play until after the All-Star break for Oklahoma City, tweets Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman.

As Rylan Stiles of Locked on Thunder notes (via Twitter), head coach Mark Daigneault suggested Hayward is probably healthy enough to play today, but the Thunder want to put him through their return-to-play protocol and let him adjust to his new surroundings before he takes the court.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch is enthusiastic about having the opportunity to add newly acquired guard Monte Morris to his rotation, as Chris Hine of The Star Tribune writes. “He’s a winner. He just kind of makes the right play. Super solid, low-turnover guy,” Finch said. “He’s used to playing off of a lot of star players really well. I think it’s a fairly seamless partnership with Mike (Conley). It’s not like this other type of guard that you have to adjust to. Just his high basketball IQ, you can’t have enough of those guys.”
Morris also expressed excitement about joining the Timberwolves and said on Friday that he’s still getting up to game speed after spending most of the season recovering from a quad injury, per Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. “I was out for a long period of time,” Morris said. “Realistically, I’d say just ramp up my strength and conditioning running. I’ve played in games. I’m not dead tired, but I know there’s another notice I can get to, and I’ll get to it really, really soon.”
The Jazz‘s moves at the trade deadline signal that they continue to prioritize the long term over the short term, despite the fact that they currently hold a play-in spot, writes Andy Larsen of The Star Tribune. As Larsen observes, the departures of Kelly Olynyk, Ochai Agbaji, and Simone Fontecchio should open up playing time for rookies Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh.
Nuggets forward Julian Strawther, who was sidelined for over a month due to a knee injury, played on Friday for the first time since January 4, scoring seven points on 3-of-8 shooting in 20 minutes. According to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required), head coach Michael Malone said prior to Friday’s game that Strawther wouldn’t necessarily be assured of a consistent rotation role going forward.

Thunder Sign Lindy Waters To Multiyear Standard Contract

February 9th, 2024 at 5:18pm CST by Rory Maher

The Thunder have filled one of their two standard roster openings by converting Lindy Waters to a multiyear contract, the team announced in a press release. Waters had been playing on a two-way deal.

The 26-year-old wing must be having a bit of déjà vu, as he was also promoted from a two-way deal to a two-year standard contract in February 2023. However, his team option for 2023/24 was declined last June, making him an unrestricted free agent before he re-signed with Oklahoma City on a two-way deal in August 2023.

Waters, who grew up in Norman and played college ball at Oklahoma State, has spent parts of the past three seasons with the Thunder, averaging 5.4 PPG and 1.9 RPG while shooting 36.8% from three-point range in 87 career games (13.2 MPG). He has made 21 appearances thus far in ’23/24, with a modest average of 7.3 MPG.

Waters has also played six Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Thunder’s NBA G League affiliate (the Oklahoma City Blue) this season, filling the stat sheet with impressive averages of 22.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.8 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .484/.455/1.000 shooting in 33.3 MPG.

The Thunder had two standard roster spots open because they sent three players — Davis Bertans, Tre Mann and Vasilije Micic — to Charlotte yesterday in a trade for veteran forward Gordon Hayward. After converting Waters, OKC now has one standard roster opening, plus an open two-way slot.

Thunder Acquire Gordon Hayward From Hornets

February 8th, 2024 at 9:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

9:57pm: The trade is official, according to a press release from the Hornets. Charlotte received Bertans, Mann, Micic, and second-round picks in 2024 and 2025 in exchange for Hayward.

The Thunder announced in their own press release confirming the deal that the 2024 second-rounder is Houston’s and the 2025 second-rounder is Philadelphia’s. Oklahoma City also said it sent cash to Charlotte in the swap.

The Hornets waived guards Ish Smith and Frank Ntilikina to make room on their roster for the incoming players.

1:04pm: The Hornets will receive a pair of second-round picks from the Thunder in the deal, reports ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link).

11:17am: Oklahoma City will include Vasilije Micic in the deal for salary-matching purposes, Charania tweets. The 30-year-old point guard makes $7.7MM this season and next year, with an $8.1 team option for 2025/26. Charlotte will also receive draft compensation, Charania adds.

The trade will leave the Thunder $6.9MM below the tax threshold with two open roster spots, Gozlan notes (Twitter link).

9:54am: The Thunder are nearing a deal for Hornets forward Gordon Hayward, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Tre Mann and Davis Bertans will be sent to Charlotte in return, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Hayward’s contract includes a 15% trade bonus that will adjust his salary from $31.5MM to about $33.3MM tweets Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype. That would move Oklahoma City into luxury tax territory unless Hayward opts to waive part of the bonus, but there’s been no indication yet that he will agree to that. Gozlan notes that Hayward is eligible for an extension of up to two seasons through the end of June.

The Thunder will have to take back more money for the deal to be finalized, points out Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Bertans is making $17MM this season and Mann is at $3.2MM, which isn’t enough to match Hayward’s salary.

The 33-year-old Hayward brings a veteran presence to a young OKC team that has exceeded expectations this year. Injuries have limited him to 25 games, but he has been productive when he’s been able to play, averaging 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 46.8% from the field and 36.1% from three-point range.

Bertans, a 31-year-old power forward, is headed for his fourth team in the last three years. The veteran sharpshooter has been out of the Thunder’s rotation all season, with minimal playing time in 15 games. He holds a $5.25MM guarantee on his $16MM salary for 2024/25.

Mann, a third-year point guard, has seen limited action in 13 games this season. He was selected with the 18th pick in the 2021 draft and is under contract for one more season at $4.9MM.

Wizards Trade Daniel Gafford To Mavericks

February 8th, 2024 at 7:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:12pm: The trade sending Gafford to the Mavericks in exchange for Holmes and a 2024 first-round pick is official, the Wizards announced in a press release.

Washington will be receiving the second-least favorable of the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’ (top-four protected), and Jazz’s (top-10 protected) 2024 first-rounders.

12:11pm: The Mavericks will be acquiring the Thunder’s second-least favorable 2024 first-round pick in order to reroute it to the Wizards, reports Stein (Twitter link). Details on that separate deal can be found right here.

10:25am: The Mavericks are nearing a deal to acquire Daniel Gafford from the Wizards in exchange for Richaun Holmes and draft picks, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Dallas has been in the market for another big man and lands a reliable rim protector in Gafford, who has been Washington’s starting center for the better part of the last three seasons. The 25-year-old is posting career highs across the board with 10.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.2 blocks through 45 games.

Gafford is under contract on a team-friendly deal at $12.4MM this season, $13.4MM next season and $14.4MM for 2025/26. He will fortify the Mavericks’ front court and will likely split time at center with rookie Dereck Lively II.

Holmes, 30, was acquired from the Kings last offseason but never established himself as part of the Mavs’ rotation. He appeared in 23 games, starting two, and averaged 3.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per night. He’s making $12MM this year and holds a $12.9MM player option for next season.

The Mavericks are trying to acquire draft assets from other teams so they can send them to Washington to complete the trade, sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). Stein adds that Dallas is close to a deal with the Thunder for draft compensation that will be relayed to the Wizards (Twitter link).

Mavs Acquire 2024 First-Round Pick From Thunder For 2028 Swap

February 8th, 2024 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks have acquired a 2024 first-round pick from the Thunder in exchange for a future draft pick swap, both teams announced today. Oklahoma City will have the ability to swap its own 2028 first-round selection for Dallas’ ’28 first-rounder.

The Mavs, in turn, will flip that newly acquired ’24 first-round pick to the Wizards in the Daniel Gafford/Richaun Holmes trade, as was previously reported.

The pick that will head to Washington by way of Dallas will be the second-least favorable of the Clippers’, Thunder’s, Rockets’, and Jazz’s 2024 first-rounders.

The Thunder projected to have multiple picks in the first round of the 2024 draft and were unlikely to use them all, so they’ll push one of those assets down the road, betting on their odds to place ahead of the Mavs in the standings in 2028 and take advantage of that swap.

Conversely, the 2024 first-round pick is more valuable to the Wizards than a 2028 swap would have been, since they’re in the rebuilding process and want to add young talent sooner rather than later.

Fischer’s Latest: Wiggins, Paul, Portis, Looney, Kuzma, Stewart, Beauchamp, Hield, Bogdanovic

February 6th, 2024 at 7:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks and Bucks are mulling whether to make a serious run at the Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reports.

Wiggins’ name has been prominently mentioned in trade rumors, due to his subpar production, the Warriors’ disappointing record and a contract that runs through the 2026/27 season.

Dallas is willing to part with either Grant Williams or Tim Hardaway Jr. for salary-matching purposes to acquire a frontcourt player who can shoot and also make a difference defensively. The Mavs are also willing to include their 2027 first-round pick for the right player, Fischer adds.

As for the Bucks, they’d have to include Bobby Portis to cobble salaries to match Wiggins’ $24.3MM. It’s a tough call for the Bucks, considering Portis’ steady contributions in recent years. Fischer notes that Portis was one of Golden State coach Steve Kerr’s favorites during the FIBA World Cup run with Team USA.

Here are several more interesting tidbits from Fischer:

Chris Paul, whose $30MM contract for next season is non-guaranteed, is unlikely to be dealt by the Warriors. Jonathan Kuminga is off limits. However, Kevon Looney and his $7.5MM contract could be swapped out, depending what need Golden State ultimately wants to target. Looney’s contract for next season is only guaranteed for $3MM.
The Wizards are unwilling to deal Kyle Kuzma unless they get multiple first-rounders for him. The Mavericks and Kings have known interest but would likely need to find a third team to facilitate such a deal. Washington has made it known it’s looking for draft capital in any trade.
Along with previously reported interest in the Hornets’ P.J. Washington, the Mavericks have their eyes on Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart. The latter signed a four-year, $64MM extension last offseason. Dallas also showed interest in Magic big man Wendell Carter but Orlando doesn’t seem inclined to move its starting center.
The Bucks are willing to include MarJon Beauchamp and the 2024 second-round pick that the Trail Blazers owe them in trade discussions. The Bucks and Sixers have also contacted teams that hold plenty of draft capital, such as the Thunder and Pelicans, regarding potential future first-round pick swaps or packages of second-round picks in exchange for extra first-round selections.
Speaking of the Sixers, they’re interested in Pacers sharpshooter Buddy Hield. Hield would upgrade their offense and his $18.5MM expiring contract wouldn’t impact their desire to have more cap space than any other team this summer. Picking up more first-round capital, as mentioned above, would facilitate their ability to acquire a wing like Hield or the Pistons’ Bojan Bogdanovic.
The Celtics are willing to use their $6.2MM trade exception for bench help. Otto Porter Jr. and Lonnie Walker are among the names Fischer has heard as potential Boston acquisitions.

Nets Rumors: Bridges, Finney-Smith, O’Neale, Murray, Claxton

February 5th, 2024 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets have no interest in rebuilding as Thursday’s trade deadline approaches, which means any rumored deals involving Mikal Bridges are off the table, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Scotto’s sources confirm that Brooklyn’s front office refused to discuss Bridges when the Rockets offered to return some of the draft assets they own from the James Harden deal in 2021.

According to Scotto, the Nets view Bridges as a foundation piece with a team-friendly contract that will pay him $23M next season and $24.9M in 2025-26. With Ben Simmons‘ $40.3M salary coming off the books after next season, Brooklyn officials believe they have a two-year window to add stars around Bridges. That could eventually make him a second or third option instead of the main focus of the offense, Scotto adds.

There’s more from Scotto on the Nets:

Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale are both attracting trade interest, according to Scotto’s sources. Rival teams believe the Nets could acquire a first-round pick and a rotation player in exchange for Finney-Smith, who is under contract for $14.9M next season and has a $15.37M player option for 2025/26. The price for O’Neale, who has a $9.5M expiring contract, is viewed as multiple second-round picks, Scotto adds. Sources tell Scotto that Finney-Smith has attracted “significant interest” from several playoff contenders, including the Mavericks and Lakers, who may have lost Jarred Vanderbilt for the rest of the season. Finney-Smith played for Dallas before being shipped to Brooklyn in last year’s Kyrie Irving deal and he remains a close friend of Luka Doncic, according to Scotto. The Bucks, Thunder, Suns and Kings are other teams to watch for Finney-Smith, Scotto adds, while the Mavericks, Nuggets, Pacers, Bucks, Timberwolves, Suns and Kings have interest in O’Neale.
Scotto suggests the Nets might be open to trading for Dejounte Murray if the Hawks are willing to accept Spencer Dinwiddie and a first-round pick in return. Atlanta is currently asking for two first-rounders in exchange for Murray, and Scotto notes that he has a 15% trade kicker as part of his contract, which will pay him $120.1M over the next four seasons (give or take a few million depending on incentives and that trade bonus).
A few teams have inquired about Nic Claxton, but Scotto says many rival executives believe the Nets will try to re-sign their starting center when he becomes a free agent this offseason.

Trade Rumors: Nuggets, Thunder, Green, Caruso, Bulls

February 2nd, 2024 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

It may be a quiet trade deadline for the defending champions. As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post details, the Nuggets will explore the market in search of frontcourt depth and bench scoring, but their options are limited for a variety of reasons.

For one, the Nuggets are well above the luxury tax line and are just a few million dollars away from their hard cap, which will make it difficult to take on extra salary in a deadline deal. Because Denver’s salary is above the first apron, the team is subject to more restrictive salary-matching rules, further complicating trade negotiations. On top of that, the Nuggets can’t freely trade any future first-round picks, since they’ve already moved first-rounders in 2025, 2027, and 2029.

The Nuggets haven’t ruled out the possibility of a trade, but they’re less likely to make one this season than they were a year ago, when they moved Bones Hyland and landed Thomas Bryant, writes Durando.

Here are a few more trade notes and rumors from around the NBA:

The Thunder aren’t expected to make a major splash at the trade deadline, but they could make a smaller move, Shams Charania of The Athletic said during an appearance on The Kenny Beecham Podcast. “The one thing they could use is size,” Charania said (hat tip to Rylan Stiles of SI.com). “I have heard that they are a team that will at least look into veteran big-man play.”
Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link) shares a couple trade rumors within his latest article, citing sources who say that Rockets guard Jalen Green has “generated some trade buzz” and that several playoff teams have expressed interest in Bulls guard Alex Caruso. If Chicago were open to moving Caruso, Lowe wouldn’t be surprised to see him moved for a couple protected first-round picks.
While a Zach LaVine trade remains possible, the Bulls haven’t been seriously discussing most of the rest of the players on their roster as trade possibilities, including Caruso, says Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. That could change before the deadline, but there’s a sense that if LaVine stays put, the team’s biggest move may be something around the edges, such as an Andre Drummond deal, Cowley adds.