Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Poll: Do Thunder Need Upgrades To Win In 2016?

March 27th, 2015 at 4:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kevin Durant is done for this season thanks to the broken foot that had already limited him to just 27 games, leaving just one season for Durant to help the Thunder to a title before his contract expires. There’s little clarity on whether he’s leaning toward re-signing with the team or not, so uncertainty clouds the summer of 2016, when the salary cap is projected to jump to near $90MM, with most teams possessing enough cap flexibility to lure Durant with a max offer.

What is clear is that the Thunder aren’t trading Durant out of fear that he’ll leave them, with GM Sam Presti having recently referred to the idea as “ludicrous.” That signals that the Thunder will keep trying to build around him, as they’ve done for the past several years to mixed results. The Thunder made it to the Finals in 2012 with a core of Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka, but the decision to trade Harden before the next season began has turned out poorly, and Oklahoma City hasn’t been back to the Finals since.

Harden has developed into an MVP candidate, but so has Westbrook, and Durant won the MVP last season. The Thunder went over the tax threshold to acquire Dion Waiters in January, and while that move hasn’t exactly been a revolutionary upgrade, Presti kept tinkering, sending out Reggie Jackson for fellow soon-to-be restricted free agent Enes Kanter and bench help at the deadline. Kanter’s performed well offensively and on the boards, having put up 17.6 points and 10.8 rebounds in 16 games as a member of the Thunder. Oklahoma City will have to pay to keep the young big man, who turns 23 in May, and with more than $78MM in guaranteed salary already committed for next season, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders shows, the cost of keeping the Thunder together is high.

So, too, would be the psychological and historical cost to the franchise if Durant leaves without having delivered a Larry O’Brien trophy. The Thunder have 13 players on guaranteed contracts for next season, an unusually large number. It would be easy to re-sign Kanter or match another team’s offer sheet for him, bring back everyone else and make a run at the 2016 title with a healthy Durant. But the Thunder probably wouldn’t be the favorites to win it all if they did that, not with LeBron James leading another supercharged Cavs team and the Warriors well-positioned to keep on winning.

So, perhaps Presti should get aggressive this summer. There are trade rumors surrounding DeMarcus Cousins, so maybe the Thunder should see what it would take to shake him loose from Sacramento. The past two No. 1 overall picks and the reigning Rookie of the Year have all been traded with the past seven months, so elite young talent could be available. The Warriors were similarly capped out in 2013 when they worked a sign-and-trade that netted Andre Iguodala, who’s one of the keys to a roster that’s the best in the Western Conference this season. So, the Thunder aren’t necessarily out of the mix for this summer’s top free agents.

Tell us what you think. Should Presti bring back Kanter, keep the rest of the team intact and prepare for one more run with a largely unchanged cast? Or should he be bold and make a play for a better complement to Durant before the star forward’s contract runs out? Let us know, and elaborate on your choice in the comments.

Central Notes: Middleton, George, Jackson

March 23rd, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Khris Middleton refuses to bring up the subject of his impending restricted free agency even with his agent, as he tells Grantland’s Zach Lowe. “It’s a little awkward” to share an agent with Bucks coach Jason Kidd, Middleton also admits. The forward’s agent is Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports Management, while Kidd’s relationship with Excel founder Jeff Schwartz has been a flashpoint for controversy. Union executive director Michele Roberts indicated in November that she would take a tougher stance on a rarely enforced rule that bars agents from representing both coaches and players. Kidd also has a significant measure of player personnel control for the Bucks. There’s more on Middleton amid the latest from the Central Division:

Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird tells Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com that he expects George will play for the Pacers at some point this season, adding that he believes George has received medical clearance to do so (Twitlonger link).

Earlier updates:

Middleton told Lowe for the same piece that he loves living in Milwaukee but expressed reservations about the Bucks‘ deadline-day trade that sent out Brandon Knight and Kendall Marshall and netted Michael Carter-Williams, Miles Plumlee and Tyler Ennis. “Yeah. It was tough, man,” Middleton said about learning of the trade. “We had things rolling before the All-Star break. We thought we’d just get back on track rolling after the break, too. But it’s a business. They thought it was a good trade for the team, so, I mean, we’ll see.”
The Bucks prevailed upon the Pistons to include Middleton in the 2013 Knight/Brandon Jennings trade, and the experience of getting traded left Middleton with some painful feelings at first, as Lowe also details.
Paul George insisted today that there is no timetable for his return as he continues to recover from his broken leg, and he denied a report that the Pacers were targeting this week for his comeback, tweets Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star.
Reggie Jackson says Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is “making it easy” as he’s turned him loose for Detroit, observes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Jackson hinted that he would have been OK with staying on the Thunder, who have a better shot at the playoffs, but he’s glad that his duties are more well-defined on the Pistons, notes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. “It’s good,” Jackson said of knowing his role. “That’s one less monkey on my back. Wherever I got my shot was where I was going to get my shot. I was just vocal about what I wanted my shot to be, and some people were mad about that. Some people understood where I was coming from. But it’s always been about getting out there and competing.”

Western Notes: Durant, Harden, Redick

March 22nd, 2015 at 6:01pm CST by Will Joseph

Staying with the Thunder presents the best opportunity for Kevin Durant, who becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2015/16 season, to win the NBA championship, opined columnist Howard Beck of Bleacher Report on Bleacher Report Radio (audio link). Beck cited the Thunder’s myriad of injuries has the reason for the down season and added that this year should not erase the franchise’s recent run of success.

“The Thunder have not failed and they have not failed Kevin Durant,” Beck said. “The requisite talent to win championships is there. If you want to finish your career where the best talent is, where your best shot at winning championships is, that’s still Oklahoma City.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Rockets have had a very hard time winning games this season when star guard James Harden has had an off night, notes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The Rockets are 6-11 in games when Harden has been held to less than 20 points. The team is 40-12 when Harden totals at least 20 points. The Rockets have been without Dwight Howard since early February. The team didn’t bolster its roster with any major deals before the trade deadline, outside of acquiring rookie guard K.J. McDaniels and veteran guard Pablo Prigioni in two separate deals.
J.J. Redick is enjoying a career year and has been especially solid this month (21.2 PPG), writes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The eighth-year veteran is in his second season of a four-year, $27MM deal he inked with the Clippers.

Central Notes: Nash, Cavaliers, Jackson

March 22nd, 2015 at 4:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers were interested in signing Steve Nash if he had reached a buyout with the Lakers, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Cleveland made it clear to Nash’s agent, Bill Duffy, that it had interest in Nash after the trade deadline if he could strike a deal with L.A. Cavaliers’ GM David Griffin and Raja Bell, the team’s director of player administration, are both fans of Nash and were interested in having him play some backup minutes to Kyrie Irving. However, Nash’s response was that he only wanted to come back as a Laker.

There’s more from the Central Division:

After a slow start, the Cavaliers‘ David Blatt has proven he can handle the challenge of a high-profile team, writes Moke Hamilton of SNY.tv. Hamilton points out that Blatt isn’t coaching the team he expected to when he was first hired. The acquisitions of LeBron James and Kevin Love changed the equation, as did an injury to Anderson Varejao and the trade of Dion Waiters. After a 19-20 start brought rumors about his job security, Blatt led the Cavaliers to a turnaround that has them second in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Pistons have said they want to hold on to free agent guard Reggie Jackson, but Susan Bible of Basketball Insiders isn’t sure that’s the best move. Jackson, who was acquired from Oklahoma City in a deadline-day trade, has shown displays of individual brilliance since the deal, but the Pistons have struggled, losing 10 in a row at one point. Jackson praises Stan Van Gundy, Detroit’s coach and president of basketball operations, saying he can “help me on this journey to be one of the best point guards ever,” but Bible worries Jackson may be too focused on individual goals rather than team ones.

Western Notes: Howard, Thunder, Nuggets

March 22nd, 2015 at 2:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets expect to have Dwight Howard back on the court soon, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. Howard hopes to play on the upcoming road trip, either Monday in Indiana or Wednesday in New Orleans. Howard said, “That’s a big step” when told his status had been updated from out to doubtful for the Pacers game. (Twitter link). Howard said he hasn’t “circled a day” for his return, but told Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, “It’s going to depend on how I feel … after the workout I just had.” (Twitter link). Coach Kevin McHale offered little indication about Howard’s return, saying, “As I said to you, I’ll talk to you about (Howard) when I see him out on the floor with us.” (Twitter link). Howard has been sidelined since January 23rd because of ongoing pain in his right knee.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

It’s time for the Thunder to shift their focus toward next season, argues Michael Lee of The Washington Post. With fears that Kevin Durant is done for the season and the reigning MVP’s free agency a little more than a year away, Lee contends Oklahoma City’s urgency has already moved to 2015/16. With Serge Ibaka‘s status also uncertain after undergoing knee surgery, Lee’s advice to the Thunder is to avoid rushing Durant back and save him for a run at the title next season.
With all the bad news surrounding the Thunder, Dion Waiters is providing some hope, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Waiters broke a long shooting slump Friday with 26 points in a win over the Hawks, giving the Thunder the boost they hoped for when they acquired him from Cleveland in a three-team deal in early January. “He’s a good player,” said coach Scott Brooks. “I told him we’re just going to have to keep working with you.”
The Nuggets are making no effort to hide their intentions to tank, charges Brian K. Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Far out of the Western Conference playoff race, Denver has been “resting” healthy starters, Schmitz claims, and has little interest in picking up late-season wins that might harm its draft position. The Nuggets rank eighth in Hoops Rumors’ Reverse Standings.

Southwest Notes: Rockets, Terry, Mavs

March 22nd, 2015 at 10:31am CST by ChrisCrouse

Memphis sits atop the Southwest Division with a record of 49-21. New Orleans resides in last place in the division, but sits two games back of the Thunder for the eighth seed in the Western Conference with a record of 37-32. The division could become the first since the Central Division in 2006 to have all of its teams make the playoffs.

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets have had their share of injuries this season, but the team views it as an opportunity to get other players valuable experience, writes Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. “It gives the other guys more chances to play and they have to come in the game and really make impacts,” forward Josh Smith said. “It’s a chance for us to be better as a whole.”
Rockets guard Jason Terry admires the career of Steve Nash, who announced his retirement on Saturday, writes Jenny Dial Creech in a separate piece. “He brought back the point in point guard position in our era,” Terry said. “It was a time where guards were starting to become scoring guards. He was a true general on the floor. He was never selfish. He always looked to make his teammates better and he will be missed, but his mark on history will be left.”
Dallas only has $28.06MM in guaranteed salary on the books for 2015/16 season, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors notes in his Mavs‘ Salary Commitments piece. That figure doesn’t include player options for Raymond Felton, Al-Farouq Aminu and Monta Ellis. I’d speculate that Ellis and Aminu both turn down their options and become free agents.

Western Notes: Collison, Jones, Powell

March 21st, 2015 at 4:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The salary cap could jump from $90MM in 2016/17 to as much as $105MM the year after, league sources tell Zach Lowe of Grantland.com. With all the buzz surrounding Kevin Durant, Lowe notes that the increase could give the Thunder another chance to add talent without going into the luxury tax. Although, he adds that giving Serge Ibaka a maximum salary contract on his next deal could limit their flexibility.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Thunder‘s injury woes continue as coach Scott Brooks informed reporters that Nick Collison is expected to miss at least 10 days with an ankle injury, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman relays. Collison joins Durant, Ibaka and Enes Kanter on the injured list, Mayberry notes. “One thing I do know is our guys are going to continue to fight and rally and our crowd is going to continue to support our guys because they give effort,” Brooks said. “We’ve never, ever given up and felt sorry for ourselves. Our team’s going to continue to rally around each other and help each other fight through it. We’ve had some tough moments this year. That has never stopped us from competing, never stopped us from trying to improve.”
Rockets players have missed a combined 137 games this season due to injury or illness thus far, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle notes. The latest Houston player to sustain an injury is Terrence Jones who suffered a collapsed lung during Thursday night’s contest. Jones will be out of action indefinitely as a result of his injury, Feigen relays. “Guys have to step up,” coach Kevin McHale said. “I sure wish Kostas Papanikolaou [who has been out for 13 games with a sprained ankle] was ready to play, but he’s not ready to play, either. We just have to deal with it and go.“
The Mavs have re-assigned Dwight Powell to the Texas Legends, their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release.

Reaction To Latest On Durant

March 20th, 2015 at 9:47pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kevin Durant hasn’t officially been ruled out for the season, but GM Sam Presti doesn’t sound optimistic about the forward’s injury. Despite the down season, Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com believes the Thunder shouldn’t panic and make rash decisions this offseason. The team still has the talent to contend and unless Durant himself declares he is leaving, the franchise shouldn’t think about trading its superstar.

Here’s more reaction to Durant’s latest news:

The Thunder have had major injuries in each of the last three years and Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report believes the window for Oklahoma City to win a championship is closing. Ding compares this team to another small market team, the 2004 Wolves. That team was built around Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell and considered a contender to win it all. Cassell injured his hip and Minnesota lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Lakers. The Wolves never even made the playoffs since and a few years later, they traded their star forward to the Celtics. While it’s unlikely the Thunder trade Durant, he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2015/16 season.
The burden of taking over a heralded franchise in a monster market such as New York or Los Angeles is something that may be attractive to Kevin Durant, opines Ding in the same piece. Ding cites Durant’s history in making documentaries as reason why the forward wouldn’t mind the spotlight.
Preparing for the future without Durant is something the Thunder might have to start thinking about, opines Zach Lowe of Grantland.com. By being extra cautious with Durant’s injury, the Thunder likely lost their last chance to chase a ring before the forward becomes the most talked-about pending free agent since LeBron James. A championship with Oklahoma City would go a long way in keeping the reigning MVP in town, but the buzz surrounding Durant will do nothing but add pressure to the team during the 2015/16 season.

Latest On Kevin Durant

March 20th, 2015 at 11:56am CST by Chuck Myron

Thunder GM Sam Presti wouldn’t declare Kevin Durant out for the season and the playoffs, but he said in a press conference today that’s essentially “the direction we’re headed right now,” according to Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The reigning MVP won’t be back unless the soreness in his foot abates, Presti added, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post tweets. Presti said that Durant, who had been ramping up for a return that was expected within the next week, has been removed from basketball activity, and the GM doesn’t sound optimistic about a return this season, observes Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman (Twitter link).

The high-scoring forward hasn’t played since February 19th after undergoing a second procedure that was designed to alleviate the lingering pain in the Jones fracture that he suffered in his right foot before the season. Various ailments have limited Durant to just 27 games so far in 2014/15.

The Thunder are also without Serge Ibaka for as many as six weeks, with the playoffs set to begin in a little more than four weeks. They’re just a game up on New Orleans and two and a half up on Phoenix for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and they have little recourse for upgrading their roster to help them salvage a postseason berth, as I examined. Oklahoma City has 15 players on contracts that run through at least the end of the season, and the team is already a taxpayer, making it difficult for the Thunder to waive a contract to sign someone else.

Durant is in the next to last season of his contract, which puts pressure on the Thunder to maximize their championship window. The team already has more than $78MM in commitments for next season, which doesn’t include a new contract for soon-to-be restricted free agent Enes Kanter.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Durant, Jazz

March 19th, 2015 at 8:46pm CST by ChrisCrouse

President of basketball operations Flip Saunders says signing Sean Kilpatrick came down to proximity, according to Alan Horton, who is the play-by-play announcer for the Wolves (Twitter link). Minnesota played the Knicks tonight and Kilpatrick was playing for the Delaware 87ers, the D-League affiliate of the Sixers. After a three hour car ride to New York, the Cincinnati product was in uniform for the Wolves. Minnesota had only eight healthy players active, the league minimum, in the game tonight.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

Kevin Durant had a setback at practice today and isn’t playing in Friday’s game against the Hawks, according to Royce Young of the TrueHoop Network. “Just he experienced some soreness,” coach Scott Brooks said. “I think when you go through rehab, we all know through the rehab process you’re going to have some peaks and valleys, and you just have to adjust accordingly. That’s why he was off today, and he’s definitely not playing tomorrow. That’s all part of the process with his rehab.” Durant has missed 17 of the last 23 games, including 13 straight, because of a foot injury.
The Jazz have one of the youngest rosters in the league and Ben Detrick of Grantland.com chronicles how the franchise turned itself into a team with one of the brightest futures in the Western Conference. Detrick points out that Utah’s success lately is partially a result of trading away Enes Kanter. The move cleared up a jumbled frontcourt situation and gave Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors ample playing time. Of the power forwards in the league, only Blake Griffin and Anthony Davis have a higher PER than Favors’ 22.4 rating this season.
The Jazz have recalled Grant Jerrett from their D-League affiliate, the Idaho Stampede, according to the team’s website. The Arizona product appeared in four games for the Stampede, averaging 12.8 points and 1.5 blocks per game.