Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Hiring Chip Engelland As Assistant Coach

July 27th, 2022 at 9:29am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder are hiring longtime Spurs assistant coach Chip Engelland as an assistant on Mark Daigneault‘s staff, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Engelland has spent the last 17 years in San Antonio under Gregg Popovich after beginning his coaching career as a shooting consultant with the Pistons (1999-2000) and a player development coach with the Nuggets (2003-05).

As Wojnarowski writes, Engelland is widely viewed as the NBA’s top shooting coach and is thought to have had a significant impact on players like Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard during his time with the Spurs. He has a preexisting relationship with Thunder head of basketball operations Sam Presti, who previously worked in San Antonio’s front office.

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report tweeted earlier this month that Engelland was leaving the Spurs “at the conclusion of his contract” — while Fischer’s report didn’t make it clear, it sounds as if Engelland’s contract expired this offseason, clearing a path for him to accept a new position in Oklahoma City.

The Spurs and Engelland, who has long been one of the NBA’s highest-paid assistants, couldn’t agree to terms on a new deal, Wojnarowski explains.

In his new role, Engelland will have the opportunity to work with a promising young Thunder core that includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, and Ousmane Dieng, among others.

Contract Details: K. Williams, J. Green, Nembhard, Minott, Rivers

July 23rd, 2022 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

Kenrich Williams‘ new four-year extension with the Thunder came in at a total value of $27,170,000, Hoops Rumors has learned. Williams will earn $6,175,000 in 2023/24 when the extension goes into effect, then $6,669,000 in ’24/25. His final two years are each worth $7,163,000, with a team option on the ’26/27 season.

In other Thunder cap news, JaMychal Green gave up $2,628,597 in his buyout agreement with the team. As our chart of minimum salaries shows, that’s the exact amount an eight-year veteran like Green would earn on a minimum contract, which is what he’ll reportedly sign with Golden State.

Here are a few more salary notes from around the NBA:

The Pacers took advantage of their cap room by giving second-round pick Andrew Nembhard a contract with a declining structure. His four-year deal begins at $2,244,111 this season, then dips to $2,131,905 in 2023/24 and $2,019,699 in ’24/25 before increasing to the ’25/26 minimum of $2,187,451. The first three years are guaranteed, while the fourth is a team option.
The Timberwolves used a portion of their mid-level exception to sign second-rounder Josh Minott to a four-year, minimum-salary contract. It’s fully guaranteed for the first two years and non-guaranteed for the last two. Minott’s third-year salary would become guaranteed if he’s not waived by June 28, 2024, and the fourth year is a team option. Minnesota now only has about $692K left on its mid-level exception, which could potentially be used very late in the season to sign a player to a three- or four-year minimum-salary deal.
The Timberwolves‘ minimum-salary contract with Austin Rivers is only partially guaranteed for $650K. It would become fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster through the league-wide salary guarantee date in January.

JaMychal Green Bought Out By Thunder, Plans To Join Warriors

July 20th, 2022 at 4:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 20: Green has officially been waived by the Thunder, the team announced (via Twitter). He will clear waivers on Friday.

JULY 19: Veteran forward JaMychal Green is negotiating a contract buyout with the Thunder, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Once it is completed and he clears waivers, Green intends to sign with the defending champion Warriors.

Oklahoma City had sought to deal Green after acquiring him from the Nuggets last month. That didn’t happen and now Green is looking to help Golden State defend its latest title.

Green, 32, is at the stage of his career where he provides greater value to a contender than a rebuilding team. He’s on an $8.2MM expiring contract for 2022/23.

On a veteran’s minimum deal for a player with eight years of service, Green can sign with the Warriors for $2,628,597. Golden State’s cap hit would be $1,836,090, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

Golden State only has 11 players on its 15-man roster, along with two unsigned second-round picks. Thus, there’s plenty of roster room for the Warriors to bring in Green.

Denver dealt Green to the Thunder in June. The Nuggets also sent a protected 2027 first-round pick to the Thunder in exchange for the draft rights to No. 30 pick Peyton Watson and two second-rounders (one in 2023 and one in 2024).

Green had a down year in 2021/22, averaging 6.4 PPG and 4.2 RPG on .486/.266/.871 shooting in 67 games (16.2 MPG) for the Nuggets, but has proven to be an effective stretch four over the years. Entering ’21/22, he had knocked down 38.0% of his three-point attempts in his first seven NBA seasons.

He’ll provide depth for Golden State at power forward behind Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga.

Oklahoma City is still in the process of paring down its overloaded roster. The team will have 19 players officially under contract once Green is officially cut.

Thunder Sign Kenrich Williams To Four-Year Extension

July 20th, 2022 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 20: The Thunder have officially finalized Williams’ extension, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 18: The Thunder have reached an agreement with forward Kenrich Williams on a four-year contract extension worth $27.2MM, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Williams, who will earn $2MM this season, is in the final year of his current contract, so his new deal will begin a year from now and will run through the 2026/27 campaign. His $2MM salary for ’22/23 had been non-guaranteed, but it’ll become protected as part of the extension agreement, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

According to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link), the first three years of the extension will be guaranteed, while the fourth will be a team option.

Williams, 27, is an unlikely extension recipient. The veteran swingman, who began his college career at New Mexico Junior College and went undrafted in 2018, spent his first two professional seasons with the Pelicans before being signed-and-traded to Oklahoma City in the Steven Adams deal during the 2020 offseason as a throw-in piece for salary-matching purposes.

After shooting just .371/.304/.489 in 85 games with New Orleans, Williams developed a more reliable three-point shot in Oklahoma City, boosting his shooting percentages to .501/.391/.559 in 115 games over the last two seasons. He’s also a solid, versatile defender who has now averaged 21-plus minutes per game for four straight years.

Williams is the eight player to agree to a veteran contract extension so far during the 2022/23 league year, as our tracker shows.

Because his extension exceeds three total years (including the one left on his current deal), Williams will be ineligible to be traded for six months once he officially signs his deal.

Agent: Vasilije Micic To Remain With Anadolu Efes

July 20th, 2022 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

After winning back-to-back EuroLeague titles with Anadolu Efes, Serbian guard Vasilije Micic will return to the Turkish team for the 2022/23 season, his agent Misko Raznatovic announced today on Twitter.

Micic, who was named the Final Four MVP in both 2021 and 2022 and was also the EuroLeague’s Most Valuable Player in ’21, has talked repeatedly this year about his desire to make the move to the NBA. However, his draft rights are held by the Thunder, so he wouldn’t be free to sign with any team if he comes stateside.

According to reports, Micic’s representatives had hoped the Thunder would traded the 28-year-old’s rights so that he could join a team closer to contention. The Nuggets, Bucks, Bulls, and Spurs were said to be among the clubs with some interest. However, Oklahoma City values Micic and didn’t want to just give him away — apparently, the team couldn’t find a deal it liked.

Micic already had a contract with Anadolu Efes for 2022/23, so no new agreement is necessary. If he had decided to sign an NBA contract this offseason, he could have been bought out of his deal with the Turkish club.

Although Raznatovic’s tweet doesn’t provide any clues about his client’s intentions beyond ’22/23, it’s probably safe to assume Micic will consider a move to the NBA again next summer — especially if the Thunder trade his rights between now and then.

Thunder, Rockets Among Teams Facing Roster Crunch

July 20th, 2022 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re approximately three months away from the deadline for NBA teams to finalize their rosters for the 2022/23 regular season, so there’s no urgency for those clubs to get their 15-man squads in order anytime soon.

Still, there are already a small handful of teams that are carrying more than 15 players on guaranteed contracts for ’22/23. Sooner or later, those teams will have to trade or release one or more of those players in order to get down to the regular season limit.

[RELATED: 2022/23 NBA Roster Counts]

Here’s an early look at the teams that will have some decisions to make:

Teams with more than 15 guaranteed contracts:

Oklahoma City Thunder

17 guaranteed contracts
1 partially guaranteed contract

The Thunder will technically dip to 16 players on fully guaranteed contracts once JaMychal Green‘s reported buyout is completed, but that number will climb back to 17 once Mike Muscala officially re-signs with the team.

There are a number of directions Oklahoma City could go with its final roster spots, but at least three players (besides Green) will have to be traded or released. The best candidates appear to be Derrick Favors, Ty Jerome, Theo Maledon, Darius Bazley, and Vit Krejci (who has the lone partially guaranteed contract).

None of those five players is owed guaranteed money beyond this season — Favors, Jerome, and Bazley are on expiring contracts, while Maledon and Krejci have non-guaranteed salaries beyond 2022/23.

By reaching a buyout agreement with Green, the Thunder signaled they’re not necessarily prioritizing keeping bigger expiring deals around for potential trades later in the offseason or during the season, so Favors ($10.2MM), Bazley ($4.3MM), and Jerome ($4.2MM) certainly aren’t locks to make it to opening night.

Houston Rockets

18 guaranteed contracts

The Rockets’ roster surplus is largely a result of the four-for-one trade they made with Dallas for Christian Wood. Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss, and Boban Marjanovic came to Houston in that deal, but reports have suggested that at least two or three of those players probably won’t be on the team’s opening night roster.

Marjanovic is said to be the most likely of the four to remain in Houston. Trading or waiving the other three would get the Rockets down to the 15-man regular season limit.

The club could also explore other moves to pare down its roster count. Eric Gordon and Kenyon Martin Jr. are among the players who have frequently been mentioned as potential trade candidates.

Teams with more than 15 players on standard contracts:

Note: Exhibit 10 deals aren’t considered standard contracts for the purpose of this section.

Memphis Grizzlies

15 guaranteed contracts
1 partially guaranteed contract

Danny Green looks like the probable odd man out in Memphis. His $10MM salary is only partially guaranteed (for $6.96MM) and he’ll likely miss most or all of the 2022/23 season while he recovers from a torn ACL.

Still, I wouldn’t consider that a lock quite yet. Green could be a valuable piece in the postseason if he has recovered by then — and if his recovery does take longer than he anticipates, his $10MM expiring contract could still be a useful asset at the 2023 deadline. Perhaps the Grizzlies will find a small deal involving a player like Santi Aldama, Killian Tillie, or Xavier Tillman before the season begins in order to make room on the 15-man squad for Green.

Toronto Raptors

12 guaranteed contracts
4 partially guaranteed contracts
1 unsigned second-round pick

While second-round picks are often signed to two-way contracts or stashed overseas, that rarely happens for a player selected as high as Christian Koloko was (No. 33). Those players usually receive at least a couple guaranteed seasons, and I’d expect the Raptors to take that route with Koloko.

If they do, that would leave four players on partially guaranteed contracts – Justin Champagnie, Dalano Banton, Armoni Brooks, and D.J. Wilson – vying for the final two roster spots. If the Raptors want to keep more than one of those players, or if they’d like to promote two-way RFA David Johnson to the 15-man roster, Svi Mykhailiuk could be a release candidate, despite having a guaranteed minimum salary.

Philadelphia 76ers

12 guaranteed contracts (once James Harden re-signs)
2 partially guaranteed contracts
2 non-guaranteed contracts

The Sixers don’t have a major crunch, but after Harden re-signs, there will only be three roster spots available for four players without full guarantees.

One of those players is Trevelin Queen, who has a $330K partial guarantee and was just signed this offseason. Those factors will likely give him a leg up on a 15-man roster spot. Charles Bassey also has a small partial guarantee (about $75K), while Isaiah Joe and Paul Reed are on non-guaranteed contracts.

In order to keep all four players, the Sixers would have to make a trade or a cut to reduce their roster count. Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, and Shake Milton are among the players who have been mentioned in trade rumors this offseason.

Cleveland Cavaliers

13 guaranteed contracts
2 non-guaranteed contracts
1 RFA

At this point in the offseason, restricted free agent guard Collin Sexton looks like a solid bet to end up back in Cleveland. If he returns to the Cavaliers, they’ll have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, plus Dean Wade and Lamar Stevens on non-guaranteed deals.

If the Cavs want to keep both Wade and Stevens, Dylan Windler could be the odd man out. He’s on an expiring contract and has struggled to find a place in the rotation while battling injuries in his first three NBA seasons.

Detroit Pistons

15 guaranteed contracts
1 signing to come

The Pistons have yet to formally sign Kevin Knox — they’re likely waiting to determine if and how they’ll use their cap room, since Knox’s reported two-year, $6MM deal could fit into their room exception if it has to.

Knox would be Detroit’s 16th player on a guaranteed contract, but the fix looks pretty simple. Kemba Walker‘s reported buyout agreement with the Pistons isn’t yet official. Once Walker is bought out and Knox signs, the team will be back at 15 guaranteed contracts.

Orlando Magic

15 guaranteed contracts
1 non-guaranteed contract

Barring a surprise, Devin Cannady – the only player without a guaranteed contract – will likely be the casualty of Orlando’s roster crunch.

Contract Details: Moneke, Ibaka, J. Williams, Gibson

July 19th, 2022 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Chima Moneke‘s new contract with the Kings is a two-year, minimum-salary deal that includes a partial guarantee in year one, Hoops Rumors has learned. Currently, only $250K of Moneke’s $1.02MM salary for 2022/23 is guaranteed, but that figure will increase to $500K if the forward isn’t waived before Sacramento’s first regular season game.

The second year of Moneke’s contract is non-guaranteed, but his 2023/24 salary would become partially guaranteed for $250K if he plays at least 1,000 minutes in ’22/23 and his team wins 41 games. Moneke’s full $1.72MM salary for ’23/24 would become guaranteed if he remains under contract through June 30, 2023.

Here are a few more details on recently signed NBA contracts:

Serge Ibaka‘s one-year contract with the Bucks is worth the veteran’s minimum, Hoops Rumors has learned. Milwaukee had Ibaka’s Early Bird rights and could have gone above the minimum, but will instead carry a cap hit of just $1,836,090 for the big man, who will earn $2,905,851.
Jaylin Williams‘ four-year contract with the Thunder is, as initially reported, worth approximately $8.2MM. Williams will earn fully guaranteed salaries of $2MM in each of the first two years of the deal. His minimum salaries for 2024/25 and ’25/26 are non-guaranteed, with a team option on the fourth year. Since Oklahoma City used the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to give Williams a four-year deal, the club will be hard-capped for the rest of the ’22/23 league year.
As anticipated, Taj Gibson‘s one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Wizards is fully guaranteed. Washington now has 15 guaranteed salaries on its books for 2022/23.

Jaylin Williams Signs Four-Year Contract With Thunder

July 19th, 2022 at 2:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 19: The Thunder have officially signed Williams, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 9: The Thunder have reached an agreement with second-round pick Jaylin Williams, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Williams’ new contract will be worth $8.2MM over four seasons, per Charania. The team will use part of its non-taxpayer mid-level exception to complete the signing.

Oklahoma City took the 20-year-old big man – not to be confused with Thunder first-rounder Jalen Williams – with the 34th pick in last month’s draft. He was among four draft-night selections for OKC and should compete for playing time in the front court.

Williams played two years at Arkansas and averaged 10.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He was a first-team all-SEC selection by the coaches this season and earned a spot on the conference’s All-Defensive Team.

Northwest Notes: Juzang, Vanderbilt, Thunder, KCP

July 18th, 2022 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Two-way player Johnny Juzang could be another developmental success story for the Jazz, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News writes.

Juzang, one of UCLA’s stars during the Final Four run in 2021, should get more of an opportunity than most undrafted rookies with Utah apparently shifting to rebuild mode. There are questions about Juzang’s defensive ability, but he proved to be a steady offensive threat in college. He struggled in Summer League action, shooting 26.1% from the field.

“I feel like I see the floor pretty well right now but I want to continue to become even more of a playmaker,” Juzang said. “I’m also focused on playing on and off the ball. It will all come with time.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Forward Jarred Vanderbilt, one of the players acquired from the Timberwolves in the Rudy Gobert deal, should be a defensive asset for the Jazz. He recognizes that he can be even more of a force if he develops his offensive game, according to Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune. Vanderbilt started 67 regular season games for Minnesota last season but only averaged 6.9 PPG in 25.4 MPG. “Finishing around the rim, touch; working on my shooting, trying to expand my range; working on ball-handling and counter-moves,” Vanderbilt said of what he needs to work on the most. “I’m still young in my career, where I have a lot of opportunity to still grow and expand my game as well. I’m sticking to the foundation that got me here, but building off that.”
What did the Thunder learn about No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren and the rest of their squad at the Vegas Summer League? Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman breaks down their performances.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s two-year extension with the Nuggets is worth $14.7MM in 2023/24, with a $15.44MM player option for ’24/25, Hoops Rumors has learned. The deal comes in at approximately $30.15MM in total.
In case you missed it, Kenrich Williams agreed to a four-year extension with the Thunder. Get all the details here.

Latest On Donovan Mitchell

July 16th, 2022 at 9:30am CST by Dana Gauruder

A potential Donovan Mitchell trade could be an “extended process” rather than an imminent event, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Today (video link).

Utah is “talking throughout the league,” but there are not everyday negotiations going on involving the All-Star guard, according to Wojnarowski, who says the Jazz have “time on their side” due to Mitchell being signed through the 2025/26 season (including a player option in the final year).

Utah exec Danny Ainge has a reputation of waiting teams out to get the best possible trade package. “I think it’s going to be the same thing with Donovan Mitchell,” Wojnarowski said, though he added that the Knicks are a “motivated suitor.”

We have more on the Mitchell trade front:

According to Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune, the notion that the Jazz were not open to offers for Mitchell prior to this week is a false narrative. They had discussed Mitchell trades before Rudy Gobert was dealt to the Timberwolves.
ESPN’s Insiders look at five potential Mitchell deals involving the Knicks, Heat, Raptors, Thunder and a four-way swap. Responding to ESPN’s proposed trades, Larsen tweets that the proposed packages from New York, Miami, Toronto, and Oklahoma City would all fall short of what the Jazz are seeking. ESPN’s hypothetical four-team deal involving Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons, and Deandre Ayton might’ve appealed most to Utah, according to Larsen, but it’s no longer an option now that Ayton is back under contract with Phoenix.
With the Knicks apparently ready to give up a boatload of assets for Mitchell, Howie Kussoy of the New York Post looks at past deals for star players that failed to turn the fortunes of the franchise.
Dealing Mitchell would be the best thing for the Jazz, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News opines. After dealing Gobert, the Jazz would have to give up numerous assets in trades just to remain in the playoff picture if they retain Mitchell.
A group of ESPN analysts explored some potential trade packages for Mitchell on NBA Today (video link).