Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Rumors: Wolves, Gobert, Murray, Beasley, Brown, Micic

July 1st, 2022 at 12:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

Thursday’s agreement with Kyle Anderson will give the Timberwolves 15 players under contract, but they’re not done with offseason moves, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Minnesota remains in the market for another big man and has talked to the Jazz about Rudy Gobert, sources tell Krawczynski.

Although the Wolves used a first-round pick on Auburn’s Walker Kessler, they want to add a veteran center so there’s not too much pressure on Kessler to produce right away. They were interested in free agents JaVale McGee and Isaiah Hartenstein, but they both reached deals with other teams Thursday night.

Minnesota’s talks with Utah about Gobert began before the draft, but the Jazz are asking a lot in return for their perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. If the Wolves can’t work out a trade for Gobert, Krawczynski cites the Pacers‘ Myles Turner and the Hawks‘ Clint Capela as other options, although he adds that Minnesota’s talks with Atlanta haven’t gotten very far.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Timberwolves talked to the Spurs about Dejounte Murray but weren’t willing to meet the asking price, Krawczynski confirms. There was also skepticism that Murray would re-sign with Minnesota once his contract expires in two years.
Teams have been making calls to gather background info on Timberwolves wing Malik Beasley, but no deal is imminent, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. Beasley, who will make $15.45MM next season, carries a team option for his $16.52MM salary in 2023/24.
Bruce Brown possibly could have made more than the $13+ million he’ll receive from the Nuggets over the next two years, but he believes he’s entering a good situation in Denver, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link). A source tells Reynolds that “fit” was more important to Brown than money.
Vasilije Micic‘s representatives are pressing the Thunder to trade him, but Oklahoma City isn’t willing to give the European star up cheaply, according to Aris Barkas of EuroHoops. The Nuggets, Bucks, Bulls and Spurs have all expressed interest in Micic, Barkas hears.

Mike Muscala To Return To Thunder

June 30th, 2022 at 10:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Veteran center Mike Muscala will return to the Thunder on a one-year veteran’s minimum contract, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (via Twitter).

The club declined its $3.5MM team option on Muscala prior to the start of free agency. The veteran’s minimum for a player with nine years of NBA service is projected to be $2,641,682.

Initially drafted by the Hawks with the No. 44 pick in 2013 out of Bucknell, Muscala eventually evolved into a modern floor-spacing power forward/center. He split the 2018/19 season between the Sixers and Lakers. Muscala first signed with the Thunder in 2019.

The longtime vet, who turns 31 tomorrow, has spent his last three seasons with Oklahoma City. In 43 games last year for a rebuilding Thunder club, Muscala averaged 8.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG during 13.8 MPG. On offense, the 6’10” big man has carved out a niche as a bench shooting threat, boasting a career three-point conversion rate of 37.7% on 2.5 tries a game. Last season, he connected on 42.9% of his 3.8 looks a night.

Muscala joins fellow re-signed OKC veteran Luguentz Dort in returning to a rebuilding Thunder club loaded with present and future young assets.

Oklahoma City enjoyed one of the most active drafts among any NBA team this year, selecting Gonzaga power forward/center Chet Holmgren, NZ Breakers wing Ousmane Dieng, and Santa Clara guard Jalen Williams in the lottery. Ever the completist, team president Sam Presti also grabbed Arkansas power forward Jaylin Williams with the No. 34 pick in the second round. They join a team loaded with other exciting young players in Dort, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Tre Mann, and Darius Bazley.

Salary Cap, Tax Line Set For 2022/23 NBA Season

June 30th, 2022 at 7:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Amid a flurry of early contract agreements during the first couple hours of 2022’s free agent period, the NBA has officially set the salary cap for its 2022/23 season. As reported earlier this week, the cap increased by a full 10% on last season’s $112,414,000 figure.

Here are the details, courtesy of a league press release and a Twitter thread from Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report:

Salary cap: $123,655,000
Luxury tax line: $150,267,000
Salary floor: $111,290,000
Non-taxpayer mid-level exception: $10,490,000
Taxpayer mid-level exception: $6,479,000
Room exception: $5,401,000
Maximum salaries:
- 6 years or fewer: $30,913,750
- 7-9 years: $37,096,500
- 10+ years: $43,279,250
Early Bird exception: $10,843,350
Estimated average salary: $10,792,000
Tax apron: $156,983,000
Trade cash limit: $6,363,000

The tax apron for the 2022/23 league year will be the hard cap for any team that acquires a player via sign-and-trade, signs a player using more than the taxpayer portion of the mid-level exception, or signs a player using a bi-annual exception.

The Early Bird exception is the maximum amount a team can offer a player it intends to re-sign using his Early Bird rights. Bobby Portis (Bucks) and Nicolas Batum (Clippers) are among the players who have already agreed to Early Bird deals.

Players earning below the estimated average salary who are eligible for a veteran extension can receive a starting salary of up to 120% of the estimated average salary on a new deal. So the maximum starting salary for a player earning below the league average who signs an extension that begins in 2023/24 will be $12,950,400.

[RELATED: Maximum Salaries For 2022/23]

[RELATED: Minimum Salaries For 2022/23]

The salary floor is the minimum amount a team must pay its players in 2022/23. A team that doesn’t spend up to that amount will distribute the shortfall to its players. For instance, the Thunder had a shortfall of $22.7MM in ’21/22, which will be divided among their players, tweets Pincus.

The trade cash limit is the maximum amount of money a team can send or receive during the 2022/23 league year. The sent and received categories are separate, so if a team sends out $6,363,000 in one trade and receives $6,363,000 in another, they aren’t back at square one — they’ve reached both limits.

The NBA has also updated its salary cap projections for the 2023/24 season and is now forecasting a $133MM cap and a $161MM tax line, according to Pincus (Twitter link).

Thunder Decline Muscala’s Team Option, Pick Up Roby’s

June 29th, 2022 at 9:14pm CST by Rory Maher

The Thunder have declined their 2022/23 team option on Mike Muscala and exercised their option on Isaiah Roby, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype and Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter links).

Muscala’s option was worth $3.5MM and declining it makes him an unrestricted free agent. Roby’s $1,930,681 contract for next season is currently non-guaranteed, but will become fully guaranteed on July 3, per Smith.

Muscala, 30, had arguably the best season of his nine-year career in ’21/22, averaging 8 PPG and 3 RPG on .456/.429/.842 shooting in 43 games. While those figures are relatively modest, he averaged just 13.8 MPG, so he was quite productive on a per-minute basis.

Ankle surgery in March ended Muscala’s season prematurely, which is why he only appeared in 43 contests last season. Teams looking for a reserve big man capable of making three-pointers (37.7% career) could do worse than Muscala, who will likely be pretty affordable.

In his third season with Oklahoma City, the 6’8″ Roby averaged a career-best 10.1 PPG along with 4.8 RPG on .514/.444/.672 shooting in 45 games (21.1 MPG).

His season was a study in halves, as Roby rarely saw action before the All-Star break (22 games, 15.1 MPG) and spent time in the G League. In the second half of the season when most of the Thunder’s roster was decimated by injuries, Roby averaged 13.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1 SPG and 1 BPG in 23 games, including 20 starts (26.8 MPG).

Thunder’s Luguentz Dort To Become Restricted Free Agent

June 29th, 2022 at 4:50pm CST by Rory Maher

The Thunder are declining the $1,930,681 team option on Luguentz Dort, making him a restricted free agent, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link).

A report last week indicated that Oklahoma City would pick up the option, with GM Sam Presti telling Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman that was the likely outcome.

“Obviously it’s our plan to exercise that pending anything different,” Presti said.

Evidently Presti has reevaluated that decision, which isn’t very surprising considering Dort would have drawn considerable interest on the open market as an unrestricted free agent in 2023. Declining the option and making him restricted gives the Thunder the ability to match any offer sheet he receives in a free agent market where not many teams have cap space.

The barrel-chested Dort, who turned 23 in April, has showed continuous improvement after going undrafted out of Arizona State in 2019. He averaged 17.2 PPG and 4.2 RPG on .404/.332/.843 shooting in 51 games (32.6 MPG) last season while playing solid, switchable defense.

Given his rate of improvement and the NBA’s ever-growing need for wings who can contribute on both ends of the court, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dort sign a contract in the range of $15-20MM annually. Dort is ranked No. 9 on our list of top 50 free agents.

Trade Rumors: Spurs, Hawks, Murray, Collins, Thybulle, Thunder

June 29th, 2022 at 9:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs and Hawks began talking about Dejounte Murray and John Collins prior to the trade deadline in February and have resumed those discussions this offseason, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who says the conversations remain very fluid.

As Fischer explains, while Collins appeared to be part of those trade talks leading up to the draft, word spread earlier this week that the two teams were discussing a new framework that included Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks going to San Antonio. However, one league source told Fischer that Collins was once again on the table on Tuesday. Fischer has also heard from sources that the Spurs’ asking price for Murray has gotten as high as four first-rounders.

While multiple reports in recent weeks have indicated Collins will likely be on the move this offseason, it’s unclear which teams represents his most likely landing spots outside of San Antonio. Fischer writes that the Kings, Trail Blazers, Celtics, and Nets all conveyed “some level” of interest around the draft, but adds that it doesn’t appear the Hawks have made progress in talks with any of those teams.

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

As the Sixers continue to explore the trade market for possible deals, the two teams that have been linked most often to swingman Matisse Thybulle are the Trail Blazers and Mavericks, according to Fischer.
The Thunder still technically have unused 2021/22 cap space that could be used to absorb unwanted salary and they remain interested in exploring scenarios that use that space and net them assets, sources tell Fischer. That window will close in less than 48 hours when the NBA’s new league year begins.
With Russell Westbrook officially under contract for the 2022/23 season, a trade remains possible and would be the Lakers‘ preference, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. However, the Lakers remain averse to attaching a first-round pick to Westbrook to move him, so they’re currently planning to have him start next season on their roster, sources tell Buha.

Green Likely To Be Dealt Again

June 27th, 2022 at 7:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JaMychal Green was officially traded to the Thunder by the Nuggets on Thursday, but it’s unlikely the forward will ever suit up for Oklahoma City. General manager Sam Presti says they’ll look to trade Green, Brandon Rahbar of the Daily Thunder tweets. 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.

Thunder Expect To Pick Up Luguentz Dort’s Option For 2022/23

June 25th, 2022 at 5:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder are planning to exercise Luguentz Dort‘s team option for next season, tweets Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Dort is set to make $1,930,681 in the final season of a four-year deal he signed as a rookie.

Oklahoma City has until June 29 to reach a decision on Dort’s option, but general manager Sam Presti told Mussatto that all signs point to picking it up.

“Obviously it’s our plan to exercise that pending anything different,” Presti said.

Dort put up career-best numbers this season with 17.2 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 51 games, but his season was cut short by a shoulder injury in mid-February.

While Dort is obviously a major bargain on a $1.93MM salary, there was some question about whether or not the Thunder would pick up his option due to his contract situation. He could become a restricted free agent if the team declined that option, whereas if his option is picked up, he’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2023.

Dort would become trade-eligible if his option is exercised. There were multiple reports before the draft that the Trail Blazers had interest in acquiring the 24-year-old swingman.

Thunder To Sign Jaden Shackelford To Exhibit 10 Deal

June 24th, 2022 at 3:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder are signing Alabama guard Jaden Shackelford to an Exhibit 10 contract, Ben Creider of Sports Illustrated tweets. The contract agreement was confirmed by Shackleford’s agent, Adie von Gontard, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets.

Shackelford himself posted a “Thank you Thunder, let’s work!” tweet.

Shackelford, 21, averaged 16.6 PPG and 5.4 RPG while making 35.7% of his 3-point attempts for the Crimson Tide last season. The 6’3” guard averaged 15.2 PPG in 97 career games with Alabama.

An Exhibit 10 is a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract that counts toward a team’s 20-man offseason roster limit, but doesn’t count against the cap unless the player makes the regular season roster.

A player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus of up to $50K if he’s waived and then joins his team’s G League affiliate.

Thunder To Sign Gabe Brown To Exhibit 10 Contract

June 24th, 2022 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

After going undrafted on Thursday, Michigan State forward Gabe Brown has reached a deal to sign with the Thunder, reports Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link). While Zagoria categorizes Brown’s deal as partially guaranteed, Jake Weingarten of StockRisers.com tweets that it’s an Exhibit 10 contract.

An Exhibit 10 is a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract that counts toward a team’s 20-man offseason roster limit, but doesn’t count against the cap unless the player makes the regular season roster.

A player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus of up to $50K if he’s waived and then joins his team’s G League affiliate, which may be the partial guarantee Zagoria was referring to. A player can also have his Exhibit 10deal converted into a two-way contract before the start of the regular season.

Ranked by ESPN as the No. 22 prospect of the undrafted rookies, Brown entered the starting lineup on a full-time basis for the Spartans as a senior in 2021/22, averaging 11.6 PPG and 3.8 RPG with a .382 3PT% in 36 games (28.9 MPG). He earned a spot on the All-Big 10 Third Team before going pro this spring.

Brown’s deal with Oklahoma City can become official after the new NBA league year begins on July 1.