Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Stotts, Monroe, Waiters, Mitchell

October 16th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The future of Terry Stotts is unresolved beyond this season, as the Trail Blazers have yet to pick up the team option on his deal for 2016/17, but Blazers players, including Damian Lillard, are fully supportive of the coach, as The Oregonian’s Jason Quick details.

“As long as I am here,” Lillard said, “I would like him to be here.”

Lillard signed a five-year extension this summer that will run through 2020/21, and the Blazers are making him the centerpiece of their retool, but time will tell if Portland retains Stotts as one of its building blocks. See more on the Blazers amid the latest from around the Northwest Division:

Greg Monroe narrowed his choices to the Bucks and Trail Blazers before selecting Milwaukee in free agency this summer, according to Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports, who recounts Monroe’s decision making that led up to his three-year max deal with the Bucks. That means he first eliminated the Knicks and Lakers, who, as Lee notes, also met with him.
The Thunder aren’t worried about making too many commitments to middling talents that would be tough to build around if Kevin Durant bolts next summer, and instead they’re focused on building a stable supporting cast around Durant for the long term, writes Royce Young of ESPN.com. That, plus Oklahoma City’s penchant for rewarding players who want to stick around, helps explain the team’s reported willingness to explore an extension for Dion Waiters, as Young examines.
Sam Mitchell didn’t feel a burning desire to coach again when Flip Saunders called to offer him a job with the Timberwolves last year, Mitchell tells Sportsnet’s Michael Grange. Saunders nonetheless made a convincing case, and Mitchell joined as an assistant, which led to his promotion to interim head coach when cancer treatment forced Saunders to take a leave of absence. “He thought I did a good job in the media — I thought I did an excellent job — but he said to me ‘you’re always going to be a basketball coach,’” Mitchell said of his conversation with Saunders.

Thunder, Dion Waiters Explore Contract Extension

October 15th, 2015 at 3:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Thunder and shooting guard Dion Waiters are actively exploring a contract extension, league sources have informed Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The two sides have until November 2nd to come to an agreement or Waiters would be eligible to become a restricted free agent after the 2015/16 campaign, which is just in time for the anticipated jump in the salary cap. Waiters, 23, has been enthusiastic about working toward a deal with the Thunder, Wojnarowski notes, and he is eager to compete on a contender as well as comfortable with his growth in a strong atmosphere for player development like Oklahoma City provides. He is set to earn $5,138,430 this season, the last of his rookie scale deal.

Oklahoma City already has $59,056,672 in guaranteed salary on the books for 2016/17, and that figure doesn’t include Kevin Durant, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent come the end of this season. Any dealings by the franchise this season will certainly be done with Durant’s pending free agency in mind, which could potentially hinder the two sides in reaching an accord by the league’s deadline. For his part, Durant believes Waiters will remain in OKC for the long term, telling Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter link), “He feels like he belongs here. He’s not going anywhere.”

The Thunder acquired Waiters as part of a three-way trade last January and he had averaged 10.5 points in 23.8 minutes while shooting 40.4% from the field and 25.6% from 3-point range prior to the deal last season. With the Thunder, he notched 12.7 points in 30.3 minutes while shooting 39.2% overall and 31.9% from long range. He regressed from his second year averages of 15.0 PPG, 43.3% overall shooting and 36.8% on three-pointers. His ESPN Hollinger PER rating of 10.93 last season was well below the league standard of 15.0 and 59th among shooting guards, as Hoops Rumors’ Dana Gauruder noted in his extension candidate piece on Waiters.

Western Notes: Durant, Donovan, Grizzlies, Barnes

October 13th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Thunder GM Sam Presti carries an upbeat attitude as his team enters the final season of Kevin Durant‘s contract, but he understands the stakes, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com details. Presti acknowledges plenty of competition will exist for the former MVP, and when Shelburne asked his thoughts on the rising salary cap that will give more teams a shot to sign Durant, Presti simply pointed to a magnet on his wall that reads, “Forget It, Jake, It’s Chinatown.” The question remains about whether Durant and Russell Westbrook can lead the team to the championship as a united force in perhaps the last season they’ll play together, Shelburne writes.

“We are not going to bury our head in the sand,” Presti said, “and pretend that’s not going to be in the air.”

See more on the Thunder amid our look at notes from the Western Conference:

The atmosphere around the small-town Thunder offers new coach Billy Donovan the chance to concentrate on the X’s and O’s of basketball, and it’s clear that success on the court will be more important than Donovan’s ability to manage egos, as Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding believes.
The Grizzlies didn’t add a shooter in the offseason, but as long as Zach Randolph and Tony Allen have prominent roles in the rotation, there’s little the team can do improve in that area, argues Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal, writing in his “Pick and Pop” column.
The trade that netted Matt Barnes didn’t cost the Grizzlies much, so if his situation with Derek Fisher becomes too much of a distraction, the team wouldn’t be making too much of a sacrifice, all told, if it decides to part ways with Barnes, Herrington opines in the same piece.

Cavs Lead With 16 Free Agent Signings

October 12th, 2015 at 5:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavaliers have drawn plenty of attention the past few months for a free agent they haven’t signed, but even though Tristan Thompson lingers in free agency, Cleveland has taken care of more free agent business than any other team in the league during the 2015 offseason. They signed 16 free agents, three more than the Spurs, the team that recorded the next most free agent signings. The Cavs just made their latest signing this weekend, replacing Michael Dunigan with Dionte Christmas on the camp roster.

It might be easy to presume a direct correlation between free agent activity and success, given the teams at the very top and bottom of the list below. The Cavs and Spurs are strong bets to win their respective conferences this season, while the Jazz, Timberwolves and Sixers are nowhere near the title picture. The presence of the Warriors and Thunder on the bottom half of the list and the Kings and Nets close to the top debunk that theory, however. It has more to do with the fact that the Cavs had only four players signed for 2015/16 when they ended last season, while the Jazz had 13. Cleveland simply had more jobs to hand out.

Still, other factors are at play, since free agent signings don’t encompass draft picks, draft-and-stash signings, trades or waiver claims. The Trail Blazers made significant changes to their roster, but they did much of their work via trade instead of free agency. The Rockets had 10 players under contract on July 1st, but they still wound up making 11 free agent signings.

Here’s a look at the number of free agent signings for each team. Click the team’s name to see the names of each of their signees via our 2015 Free Agent Tracker.

Northwest Notes: Nelson, Durant, Payne, Neto

October 7th, 2015 at 11:36am CST by Chuck Myron

Nuggets coach Michael Malone was impressed when Jameer Nelson organized and footed the bill a team getaway to his hometown of Philadelphia this summer, and Nelson has a positive feeling about Denver after initial trepidation, reports Matt Moore of CBSSports.com. Nelson re-signed with the Nuggets this summer after a midseason trade brought him to the team last season.

“[When I was first traded to Denver], I didn’t know if I wanted to come here,” Nelson said. “I wanted to stay on the East Coast with my family. I had conversations with the GM, my agent, but also with my wife. I was like ‘I don’t want to go.’ I’ve never been in that situation. You don’t know what you’re going to do until you’re in that situation. I gave myself about 10 minutes to think by myself and I’m like, ‘Well, there’s no reason for me not to go. I’m a professional. This is my job, and they’re giving me an opportunity to play.'”

Nelson told Moore that after the Nuggets promised that they wanted him and had a role in mind for him, “everything has come true” and the organization kept its word. The 33-year-old has quickly become the team’s most prominent leader and a mentor for No. 7 overall pick Emmanuel Mudiay, as Moore details. See more from the Northwest Division:

Thunder assistant coach Monty Williams has already made a strong connection with soon-to-be free agent Kevin Durant, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who writes in a piece examining the unusual circumstances surrounding new head man Billy Donovan‘s introduction to NBA coaching.
Lottery pick Cameron Payne is making a strong impression on the Thunder so far, as The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater chronicles. “He’s better than I imagined,” Durant said of this year’s No. 14 selection. “A great addition.”
Conversely, Jazz coach Quin Snyder is trying to temper expectations surrounding his team’s rookie point guard, observes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Draft-and-stash signee Raul Neto dazzled in his preseason debut, and with Dante Exum hurt and Trey Burke coming off a rough season, Neto’s quickly become a fan favorite. “It’s a long year,” Snyder said, “and I don’t want us to get ahead of ourselves — for his sake.”

Western Notes: Donovan, Capela, Nuggets

October 6th, 2015 at 10:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Thunder coach Billy Donovan isn’t focusing on the impending free agency of star small forward Kevin Durant, who is eligible to hit the open market next summer, because he doesn’t want it to take away from his other duties as a coach, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman tweets. “I’ve said this before that I feel that my job and responsibility each day on the court is to our staff and myself to try and help Kevin grow and get better as a player, to try to help the team grow and get better as a team, and put our focus on those things,” Donovan said. “I think for me to focus on something that’s going to be all the way down the road in June or July or during that timeframe, I think I’m taking away my focus on what we need to do. We have enough to do I think right now as a staff to try to improve and get better.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Rockets intend to utilize second year big man Clint Capela in a larger role in an effort to reduce starting center Dwight Howard‘s minutes this season, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes. “For me, it’s hard to focus on that right now because I’m really focused on the training camp, getting better every day,” Capela said. “But I think it is good for me. It is a good change. Right now, I have to focus on the right now. I’m going to get there, but I’m not there yet. I will be ready.“
The battle for the Nuggets‘ final roster spot is likely to be between second-year players Erick Green and Nick Johnson, both of whom are competing to be the team’s third point guard, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. Both players are signed to the league minimum, but Johnson’s deal is fully guaranteed, while Green’s includes a partial guarantee of $100K, though that won’t likely be the determining factor, Dempsey adds.
The Thunder‘s new offense is opening up scoring opportunities for all the players, and not just the outside shooters, Horne writes in a separate piece. “Definitely. Definitely more space,” point guard Russell Westbrook said. “Guys are in positions where they can score the basketball. The space is especially good for myself and it’s also good for guys that shoot the basketball really well, roll to the basket, whatever it is, can use their strengths really well.”

Western Notes: Thunder, Booker, Stephenson

October 5th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Center Steven Adams and shooting guard Andre Roberson are working with the Thunder’s first unit, Anthony Slater of NewsOK.com reports. That puts two other prominent players, center Enes Kanter and shooting guard Dion Waiters, on the team’s second unit, Slater continues. New head coach Billy Donovan confirms that it’s no accident Adams and Roberson are playing alongside Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka in training camp practices and scrimmages, Slater adds.

In other news around the Western Conference:

Rookie Devin Booker has shown maturity beyond his age in the early stages of the Suns’ training camp, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. “The kid knows how to play,” Suns coach Jeff Hornacek told Coro. “Most of the time defensively, he’s in the right spot. Offensively, he makes the little plays. Eighteen-year-olds sometimes get sped up and the game comes at them fast and the speed of these pro guys is a big adjustment for them. But when you watch him play, he’s in control.” Booker, the No. 13 overall pick from Kentucky, is battling Sonny Weems and Archie Goodwin for the backup shooting guard spot, Coro adds.
Lance Stephenson is off to a slow start with the Clippers, Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times reports. Stephenson went scoreless Sunday during the Clippers’ 93-73 exhibition loss to the Raptors and has made two of 14 shots in two games. The second unit has no chemistry right now and that’s part of the problem, Bolch adds. “We’re struggling right now and we’re just getting to know each other and get in a groove,” Stephenson said to the team’s beat reporters. “I just have to take it slow, figure out my place and we all will figure out each other and I think everything will fall in place.”
Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons is entering a pivotal season in his career, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News opines. Sefko believes that Parsons must show that he’s capable of making his teammates better as well as himself. Parsons will either take that step forward or settle in as a 15-point, 5-rebound role player, Sefko adds, with Parsons’ health being the determining factor. Parsons underwent a microfracture procedure on his right knee during the offseason.

Kevin Durant Brushes Aside Lakers Rumors

October 2nd, 2015 at 2:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:14pm: Smith, in his response to Durant, identifies the Thunder and the Lakers as well as the Heat, Wizards, and Knicks as the teams he’s heard Durant is considering (Twitlonger link).

FRIDAY, 12:25pm: Durant made it clear that he finds no truth to the rumor, as he explained to The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater. “I don’t talk to Stephen A. Smith at all,” Durant said to Slater. “No one in my family [or] my friends do. So he’s lying.”

THURSDAY, 8:20am: Kevin Durant would prefer the Lakers over other teams in free agency next summer if he is to leave the Thunder, as ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith hears (YouTube link; transcription via Glenn Erby of BlackSportsOnline), and as Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports 1 corroborates. Smith also hears that the possibility of Durant teaming up with Kobe Bryant to join Carmelo Anthony is in play, though he suggests that the notion is a long shot. It’s not entirely clear whether that scenario would play out on the Knicks or the Lakers.

Most of the executives who spoke with Ken Berger of CBSSports.com this summer told him they expect Durant will re-sign with the Thunder, with the Lakers, Mavericks and Wizards among the few alternatives with a legitimate chance at the former MVP and the Knicks on the fringe of the picture. Durant said this week that he’s “hit it off” with new Thunder coach Billy Donovan, adding to the idea that the incumbent Thunder are the favorites to put pen to paper with Durant this coming July. Rumors are sure to fly between now and then, but Durant put out a word of caution in August, saying that he’d only be discussing his future with a tight circle of advisers and that if reporters drew from other sources, the information wouldn’t be reliable.

Phil Jackson recently raised the idea of Bryant playing with a team other than the Lakers after this coming season, as Smith points out, but Bryant put the kibosh on that, telling Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports recently that, “I bleed purple-and-gold” and, “I am a Laker for better or worse.” Bryant, 37, is also considering retirement at season’s end. Anthony, the Knicks star, is the only one among himself, Bryant and Durant who isn’t a free agent after this season, as his contract doesn’t allow him to elect free agency until 2018. ‘Melo could waive his no-trade clause if he wants to join the Lakers, though both Jackson and the Lakers would have to agree to a deal for that to happen, a prospect further complicated by the 15% trade kicker on Anthony’s contract that the Knicks would have to pay in the event of a swap.

Durant’s projected maximum salary for 2016/17 is $24.9MM, a figure the Thunder can exceed the cap to pay because they have his Bird rights. The Lakers have less than $20MM in commitments for next season against a projected $89MM cap, and the Knicks have about $55MM, meaning both teams are poised to have enough room to make Durant a max offer.

Where do you think Durant ends up? Leave a comment to tell us.

Northwest Notes: Miller, Kanter, Harkless

October 2nd, 2015 at 2:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey won’t back down from the notion of making the playoffs as a goal this season, saying the same is true for all 30 teams, as The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman relays via Twitter. Still, player development is also a priority, Olshey said, as Freeman notes in a full piece.

“Same way we always do,” Olshey said of the way the team will measure its success this season. “Are our players getting better? Are we building a culture? Are we better at the end of the year than we were at the beginning? And does this roster have the potential to sustain excellence?”

Much has changed for the Blazers, who didn’t re-sign any of their seven free agents from last year. See more from Portland amid the latest from the Northwest Division:

Nuggets coach Michael Malone is pumped about adding Mike Miller, whom he calls a “deadly shooter” with championship experience who can serve as a mentor to the younger players on the roster, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post chronicles. Miller seemingly had other options, with the Grizzlies, Thunder and Mavericks reportedly interested in him this summer before this week’s buyout from the Blazers, but he quickly agreed to a deal with the Nuggets. “I’m excited,” Miller said Thursday about joining Denver, according to Dempsey. “I’ve always had a great relationship with this organization. I think they do a great job. The fans in Denver are fantastic, which makes it exciting. We’ve got this young team, which they continue to build, and hopefully we’ll have a successful season.”
Miller relinquished $200K in his buyout, leaving Portland with an obligation of about $3.08MM to him on this season’s books, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Miller signed a minimum-salary deal with the Nuggets, but teams often waive set-off rights when buyouts take place, so it’s unclear if the Blazers will recoup any additional money because of Miller’s Denver contract.
Both the Thunder and max salary signee Enes Kanter are focused on improving his woeful defense, and the team believes increased production for him on that end of the floor will have much to do with the rest of the team around him, as Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman details. “It was a different system for him coming in. He [was] playing in Utah, where we played a totally different defense than they played last season, so of course there’s gonna be some growing pains,” Kevin Durant said. “Now, he’s focused, he’s locked in a little bit more, and he’s learning just as quickly as we are.”
Blazers trade acquisition Maurice Harkless has looked strong during voluntary team workouts and the first days of camp, and he’s giving free agent signee Al-Farouq Aminu a run for the starting job at small forward, The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman observes. Harkless is eligible for a rookie scale extension through November 2nd, though no indication has emerged to date that the Blazers are thinking about giving him one. Harkless admits the lack of playing time with the Magic last season was a challenge, but the Blazers plan to give him plenty of opportunities this season, as fellow Oregonian scribe Mike Richman details.

The Beat: Anthony Slater On The Thunder

October 2nd, 2015 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Anthony Slater

Nobody knows NBA teams better than beat writers, save for those who draw paychecks with an NBA owner’s signature on them. The reporters who are with the teams they cover every day gain an intimate knowledge of the players, coaches and executives they write about and develop sources who help them break news and stay on top of rumors.

We at Hoops Rumors will be chatting with beat writers from around the league and sharing their responses to give you a better perspective on how and why teams make some of their most significant moves. Last time, we spoke with John Reid of The Times Picayune about the Pelicans. Click here to see all of the previous editions of this series.

Today, we gain insight on the Thunder from Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. You can follow Anthony on Twitter at @anthonyVslater, and check out his stories right here.

Hoops Rumors: Kevin Durant seems like such a low-key guy. How do you think he’s going to handle all the questions he’ll face about his future this season as next summer’s free agency approaches?

Anthony Slater: Proactively. He’s already laid some of the ground work. At summer camp with Team USA, Durant told reporters that if sourced stories didn’t come from him, his best friend and manager Charlie Bell or his agent Rich Kleiman, then they aren’t true. Then he announced a partnership with The Players Tribune, giving him a potential outlet to handle circulating rumors and his eventual decision. That, of course, won’t stop the free agency stories from surrounding his entire season. There’s no way to avoid it. Every major market the Thunder visit, media packs will be awaiting Durant with these questions. I expect him to answer all inquiries with a “I’m focused on this season, I’ll worry about free agency when it gets here” type of approach.

Hoops Rumors: What gave the Thunder the confidence to entrust this most critical of seasons to Billy Donovan, a rookie NBA head coach?

Anthony Slater: Sam Presti loves Donovan. Raves about him. In past offseasons, he’s even hired a few guys off of Donovan’s previous staffs. I think this is a move the Thunder GM would have preferred to make a couple years ago, but Scott Brooks had a longer contract and the excuse of injuries. This May, with that health excuse still there, Presti finally decided to pull the trigger. He views Donovan as long-term fit with this organization and, I think, felt giving Durant a taste of that would help keep him here, not hurt it. Plus, to help his transition, Presti hired Monty Williams and Mo Cheeks to his staff. That’s two former NBA head coaches who both have great relationships with Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Hoops Rumors: Does a legitimate chance exist that the Thunder will sign Dion Waiters to an extension before the deadline this fall, or are both sides content to see if he can bounce back this season before making any long-term commitments?

Anthony Slater: No. I’m not sure the Thunder has even presented Waiters with the idea. Before committing to him long-term, I think OKC wants to see how he fits into a stacked lineup with better playmakers around him. How will he handle limited shots? Less minutes on some nights? Can he play better defense? Can he improve his efficiency? Waiters, due for an offseason payday, needs to show Presti and other GMs he’s willing to accept a secondary role. Because he’ll never be a star in this league. If he doesn’t, I’d guess the Thunder will use that freed up money next summer to bring over Spanish sharpshooter Alex Abrines, a 2013 draft-and-stash shooting guard prospect that they love.

Hoops Rumors: With Enes Kanter, Steven Adams and Serge Ibaka all on the interior, plus the occasions that Durant will play as a small-ball power forward and whatever playing time Nick Collison and Mitch McGary get, do the Thunder have enough minutes at the four and the five to keep everyone happy?

Anthony Slater: Besides the health of Durant, that’s one of the key questions this season. It’s a loaded frontcourt rotation and, in theory, a good problem to have. Each of the options has varying and useful skill sets. But you do have to wonder how a few of them will handle the time share. Will Kanter, a newly minted $17MM per year man, accept a bench role? Will an increasingly confident McGary be frustrated if he’s still a fringe rotation guy? If McGary does get those added minutes in his second year, will a 12-year vet like Collison happily slide to the back of the line? They are all saying the right things. But it’s preseason. Not mid-February.

Hoops Rumors: The anticipation over Durant’s 2016 free agency has largely obscured the specter of Russell Westbrook’s ability to become a free agent in 2017. Do you think Westbrook is more likely or less likely than Durant is to sign elsewhere when he gets the opportunity?

Anthony Slater: One may be linked to the other. If KD signs back for the long term, inking a five-year deal, you’d have to assume he’s been assured by Westbrook — one of his best friends — that the superstar partnership will remain in OKC for the foreseeable future. But if Durant leaves, then Westbrook may look around, realize his shot at a title with the Thunder has disappeared and follow his friend out the door. Or it’s possible that Durant does a LeBron James-type one-plus-one contract this summer, giving himself an opt out after the 2017 season and the duo enters free agency together and reassesses from there. That’s what I’d expect to happen.

Hoops Rumors: The top of the Western Conference seemed to grow even stronger this summer, with the Spurs signing LaMarcus Aldridge and David West, the Rockets trading for Ty Lawson and the Clippers adding Paul Pierce and Lance Stephenson. Should the Thunder have made a bold move to distinguish themselves from the pack, or are they better served to ride it out as just one of a handful of contenders?

Anthony Slater: The Thunder’s bold move came this past February. When they realized the Reggie Jackson situation had become toxic, they moved him in a mega-deal to land Enes Kanter, Kyle Singler and D.J. Augustin. That gave them Kanter’s and Singler’s restricted free agency rights. Already over the cap, they would’ve only had around $5MM to go out and spend in free agency, which wouldn’t have landed much in this inflated market. So they retained Singler and Kanter, even though they were forced to overpay, instead of going after the bargain bin of leftovers.