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Atlantic Notes: Raptors, SGA, Porter, Sixers, Hartenstein

September 28th, 2022 at 8:08am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors were repeatedly tied to big-name trade candidates this offseason, rumored to be possible suitors for Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Kevin Durant. Toronto ended up having a relatively quiet summer, making only minor tweaks to its roster, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, who says the club is counting on internal growth from its own players, including Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes.

Still, while the Raptors didn’t take a big swing in the last few months, that doesn’t mean they’re not willing to make a major trade at some point to move closer to title contention. A league source tells Lewenberg that one situation the Raptors are “closely monitoring” is in Oklahoma City, in case Thunder star and Toronto native Shai Gilgeous-Alexander eventually seeks a change of scenery.

The Thunder have only won a total of 46 games in the last two seasons and appear headed for another lottery finish in 2022/23, but there’s no indication Gilgeous-Alexander is seeking an exit ramp out of town. He said this week that he knew what he was getting into when he signed a five-year extension with OKC a year ago and that he doesn’t think the team will keep losing for much longer.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • When he became a free agent and was weighing his options this summer, Otto Porter Jr. got in touch with forward Thaddeus Young to seek his opinion on Toronto, tweets Lewenberg. Young helped convince his former Bulls teammate to sign with the Raptors. “He’s one of my better friends in the league,” Young said. “He asked me questions and I said, ‘Come on through, sign the deal and let’s go.'”
  • Head coach Doc Rivers is pleased with the moves the Sixers‘ front office made this offseason, telling reporters this week that the team addressed the holes it was hoping to fill. “We had a targeted summer, and we hit pretty much what we’re looking for,” Rivers said, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “… We have to learn how to become a team first, and if we do that, I love who we are.”
  • Center Isaiah Hartenstein explained on Tuesday that he signed with the Knicks as a free agent this summer because they made him feel “wanted” and because he believes his ability to shoot and make plays from the center position will add a new dimension to the team. “I felt like I can bring something that they didn’t have, to help them win,” Hartenstein said, according to Zach Braziller of The New York Post.
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Thunder Trade Vit Krejci To Hawks For Maurice Harkless, Pick

September 27th, 2022 at 9:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

9:02pm: The trade is official, according to a Hawks press release. While also confirming the trade in their own press release, the Thunder provided more details regarding the picks involved.

The second-rounder headed to Oklahoma City is Atlanta’s 2029 pick. The Thunder will also receive amendments on the conditions of a previously traded 2025 second-round pick from the Hawks. The amended 2025 second-round pick will now be top-40 protected. Previously that pick was top-55 protected.

4:31pm: The Thunder are trading Vit Krejci to the Hawks in exchange for Maurice Harkless and a second-round pick, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

After signing a multiyear contract ahead of the 2021/22 NBA season, Krejci appeared in 30 games in his first NBA season, averaging 6.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 1.9 APG. He posted shooting splits of .407/.327/.864.

An early 2020 second-round pick, Krejci underwent an arthroscopic knee procedure in April. His $1,563,518 salary for the coming season is only 50% guaranteed for now.

The 6’8” Krejci, who turned 22 in June, could work his way into a rotation spot with Atlanta. However, the deal is primarily a cost-cutting move for the Hawks. The team drops from $1.7MM over the luxury tax line to $1.3MM below it by swapping Harkless for Krejci, Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype tweets.

The Hawks will also create a trade exception worth $4,564,980, the amount of Harkless’ outgoing salary.

Harkless, 29, has been in the league since the 2012/13 season. He spent last season with the Kings, appearing in 47 games (24 starts) while averaging 4.6 PPG and 2.4 RPG. He has also played for Orlando, Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers, New York and Miami. Overall, Harkless has appeared in 621 NBA games and averaged 6.9 PPG and 3.5 RPG in 22.6 MPG.

Harkless, who has an expiring contract, was traded from Sacramento to Atlanta in the Kevin Huerter deal earlier this offseason. It’s uncertain whether the Thunder plan to keep him or waive him.

Oklahoma City applied for a disabled player exception in late August worth $4.95MM in the wake of Chet Holmgren‘s season-ending injury. Harkless’ contract will slot into that exception, which was granted last week, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. That allows the Thunder to complete the deal without matching salaries, since Krejci’s $1.56MM cap charge isn’t big enough to match Harkless’ $4.56MM salary.

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SGA Expects Winning Team Soon

September 26th, 2022 at 9:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who begins a five-year, $179.3MM extension this season, believes that the Thunder are ready to turn the corner, he told Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic. “I know what I signed up for when I signed a five-year extension… and I don’t think we’re going to be losing for much longer,” he said. “I believe in this team.”
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Ty Jerome Not Participating In Camp With Thunder

September 26th, 2022 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

Former first-round pick Ty Jerome won’t be taking part in training camp with the Thunder, according a team spokesperson (Twitter link via Royce Young).

The Thunder and Jerome’s representatives are said to be working collaboratively to determine next steps for the fourth-year guard, which suggests that his days in Oklahoma City may be numbered.

Jerome, who spent his rookie season in Phoenix, was traded to OKC in the Chris Paul blockbuster during the 2020 offseason and has appeared in 81 games (19.6 MPG) for the team over the last two seasons, averaging 8.6 PPG, 2.8 APG, and 2.1 RPG on .410/.353/.784 shooting. He’ll earn $4.22MM this season in the final year of his rookie contract.

Oklahoma City currently has 17 players on fully guaranteed salaries, plus Vit Krejci with a significant partial guarantee. That means three players on standard contracts will have to be traded or released before opening night next month. Based on today’s news, it sounds like Jerome is highly likely to be one of those three players.

Derrick Favors, Darius Bazley, Theo Maledon, and Krejci are among the other Thunder players whose roster spots for the regular season may not be locked in quite yet.

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Northwest Notes: Thunder, Micic, Grant, Tillman

September 23rd, 2022 at 8:27pm CST by Rory Maher

General manager Sam Presti said the Thunder came “pretty close” to signing Serbian star Vasilije Micic, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Micic has won back-to-back EuroLeague titles and Final Four MVPs with Turkish club Anadolu Efes.

“He’s really taken off since the time in which we acquired his rights,” Presti said, referring to the trade in 2020 that sent Micic’s rights to Oklahoma City from Philadelphia. “All I can tell you is I thought we were pretty close at one time. He is on a contract, and he’s committed over there. But I wouldn’t rule anything out. It’s probably a year-to-year thing.”

Micic’s representatives were rumored to be pushing the Thunder to trade his rights, with several teams said to be interested in his services. However, he was still under contract in Europe and ultimately decided to stay with Efes for another season.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

  • The Thunder recently announced some changes to their coaching staff for the 2022/23 season. In addition to formalizing an agreement with longtime Spurs assistant Chip Engelland, the Thunder have also named Grant Gibbs an assistant coach. Gibbs has been the head coach of the Oklahoma City Blue, the team’s G League affiliate, for the past three seasons, and will be replaced by Kameron Woods, who was an assistant with the Thunder last season.
  • The Trail Blazers need Jerami Grant to improve upon his Pistons play if they hope to contend this season, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian, who writes that Grant should see a bump in offensive efficiency playing on a more talented roster. The Blazers are interested in reaching a long-term extension with Grant, whose $20.96MM contract expires after ’22/23, Fentress adds.
  • Justin Tillman is not on the Nuggets‘ training camp roster but is still expected to play for their G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, our JD Shaw reports (via Twitter). Tillman, who is still signed to an Exhibit 10 deal, will likely be waived and replaced by another Exhibit 10 player within the next few days, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link). Tillman spent last season in the G League with the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s affiliate.
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Northwest Notes: Brown, Grand Rapids Gold, Wolves, Presti

September 22nd, 2022 at 7:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Versatile role player Bruce Brown is getting comfortable ahead of his first season with the Nuggets, writes Ethan Fuller of Basketball News. The swingman signed a two-year, $13.2MM deal with Denver as a free agent this summer.

“[Knowing my role] was huge, because you don’t want to go to a team where it just won’t work, right?” Brown told Fuller. “So I knew coming to Denver — the way they play, it’s a lot of cuts, slips [and] corner threes. And then, they got a lot of guys who know how to play the game of basketball, so the game would be a lot easier.”

Brown hopes to thrive alongside 2021 and 2022 MVP Nikola Jokic, one of the game’s best passers.

“I feel like I’m one of the best cutters in the league,” Brown said. “So I can find open spots. make the game easier for him, knock down corner threes [and] just take some pressure off.”

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

  • The assistant coaches under newly-named Grand Rapids Gold head coach Andre Miller have been announced, per a Nuggets press statement. Denver’s G League affiliate has upgraded Nate Babcock, an assistant coach under Jason Terry in 2021/22, to the role of associate head coach. The team is also adding two new assistants, Jeff Trepagnier and James Fraschilla, to its bench.
  • In a new Timberwolves reader mailbag, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic discusses Minnesota’s jumbo-sized All-Star frontcourt tandem of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, the health of Anthony Edwards‘s knee, head coach Chris Finch, and more.
  • Head of basketball operations Sam Presti addressed a variety of hot Thunder topics during a preseason press conference on Thursday, writes Joe Mussatto of the Oklahoman. Presti spoke about the timeline for star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he recovers from a left MCL sprain, the team’s decision to sign swingman Luguentz Dort to a lucrative contract extension this summer, his thoughts on draft-and-stash guard Vasilije Micic, and more.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Out At Least Two Weeks With MCL Sprain

September 21st, 2022 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won’t be available for the start of training camp and the preseason, the team announced today.

According to the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee and will be reevaluated in two weeks. Oklahoma City’s preseason schedule will tip off in 12 days.

Gilgeous-Alexander, 24, has been the Thunder’s leading scorer over the last two seasons, averaging 23.7 points per game in 2020/21 and 24.5 PPG in ’21/22. However, he has missed 63 games due to injuries over those two years and is now battling another health issue this fall. A right ankle ailment ended Gilgeous-Alexander’s season early in the spring.

Given that the Thunder have been firmly in rebuilding mode since 2020, it’s fair to wonder if the team is being overly cautious when it comes to Gilgeous-Alexander’s injuries and whether he would’ve played in more than 91 games over the last two seasons if the club was vying for a playoff spot. Still, with 2022/23 expected to be another lottery-bound year in Oklahoma City, it seems safe to assume that cautious approach will continue.

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Northwest Notes: Favors, Timberwolves, Hardy, Lillard

September 20th, 2022 at 10:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Derrick Favors‘ future with the Thunder is very much up in the air heading into training camp, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman.

Oklahoma City is three standard contracts over the limit but Favors’ expiring deal may be the most compelling reason he’ll make the 15-man roster. His $10,183,800 cap hit could prove useful in a trade.

He’s still a serviceable center and positive influence in the locker room as well, two other compelling reasons to keep him around, Mussatto adds.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • While some people wonder how Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert will fit together, the Timberwolves’ biggest issues will likely be a lack of knockdown shooters and lead ball-handlers, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. Minnesota is actually quite deep, despite all the bodies the team swapped to acquire Gobert, and Krawczynski breaks down each position in this in-depth piece.
  • The Jazz are undergoing an extensive rebuild and new head coach Will Hardy will have to earn the confidence of his players to get through it, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News writes. The front office showed its confidence in Hardy by giving him a five-year contract, knowing developmental wins will be more important than actual victories.
  • While Trail Blazers’ star Damian Lillard had already made tens of millions of dollars playing basketball, the generational wealth he’ll accumulate with the two-year, super-max extension he signed this summer was humbling, he told Marc J. Spears of Andscape.com. “Me and [my wife] talked about it. It’s a big deal. When I talked to [agent Aaron Goodwin] and everybody I talked to about it, it was a big deal. I was like, ‘What am I supposed to do? Post something on Instagram saying something crazy?’ I don’t know what I was supposed to do. It was a big deal.”
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How Potential Change To One-And-Done Rule Could Impact Thunder

September 20th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams
  • If the NBA and NBPA agree to remove the one-and-done rule for prospects, as has been rumored, there will be one super-sized draft class during the year in which players become draft-eligible out of high school. Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman explores what it might mean for the Thunder, who have loaded up on future picks, if that happens in 2024. Oklahoma City holds its own pick, the Clippers’ pick (unprotected), the Rockets’ pick (top-four protected), and the Jazz’s pick (top-10 protected) in the first round of the ’24 draft.
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2022/23 NBA Over/Unders: Northwest Division

September 16th, 2022 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2022/23 NBA regular season will tip off next month, so we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign and continuing an annual Hoops Rumors tradition.

With the help of the lines from a handful of sports betting sites – including Bovada, BetOnline, and Betway – we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.

In 2021/22, our voters went 16-14 on their over/under picks. Can you top that in ’22/23?

We’ll wrap up our series today with the Northwest division…

Denver Nuggets

Minnesota Timberwolves

Portland Trail Blazers

Utah Jazz

Oklahoma City Thunder

  • 2021/22 record: 24-58
  • Over/under for 2022/23: 22.5 wins
  • Major offseason moves:

Previous voting results:

Atlantic

  • Boston Celtics (55.5 wins): Under (56.1%)
  • Brooklyn Nets (51.5 wins): Under (64.5%)
  • Philadelphia 76ers (50.5 wins): Over (76.1%)
  • Toronto Raptors (46.5 wins): Over (65.7%)
  • New York Knicks (40.5 wins): Under (63.0%)

Central

  • Milwaukee Bucks (52.5 wins): Over (75.5%)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (47.5 wins): Over (73.4%)
  • Chicago Bulls (44.5 wins): Over (51.6%)
  • Detroit Pistons (28.5 wins): Over (51.6%)
  • Indiana Pacers (23.5 wins): Under (62.8%)

Southeast

  • Miami Heat (50.5 wins): Under (56.6%)
  • Atlanta Hawks (46.5 wins): Over (53.6%)
  • Charlotte Hornets (36.5 wins): Under (63.0%)
  • Washington Wizards (35.5 wins): Under (50.8%)
  • Orlando Magic (26.5 wins): Over (55.3%)

Pacific

  • Golden State Warriors (53.5 wins): Over (69.2%)
  • Phoenix Suns (53.5 wins): Over (60.2%)
  • Los Angeles Clippers (52.5 wins): Over (58.0%)
  • Los Angeles Lakers (45.5 wins): Under (66.6%)
  • Sacramento Kings (34.5 wins): Over (62.0%)

Southwest

  • Memphis Grizzlies (49.5 wins): Over (68.7%)
  • Dallas Mavericks (48.5 wins): Over (63.7%)
  • New Orleans Pelicans (44.5 wins): Over (61.2%)
  • Houston Rockets (24.5 wins): Under (61.8%)
  • San Antonio Spurs (23.5 wins): Under (67.5%)
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