Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Rockets Acquire No. 16 Pick Alperen Sengun From Thunder

July 30th, 2021 at 12:22am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 30: The Rockets have officially announced their acquisition of Sengun’s draft rights.

JULY 29: The Thunder will trade pick No. 16 to the Rockets, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Houston will use the pick to draft Turkish center Alperen Sengun, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Oklahoma City will receive a pair of future first-rounders in return that originally belonged to the Pistons and Wizards, adds Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

According to RealGM, Detroit’s 2022 pick is protected for selections 1-16 next year, 1-18 in 2023, 1-18 in 2024, 1-13 in 2025, 1-11 in 2026 and 1-9 in 2027. If it doesn’t convey by then, Detroit will give up its 2027 second-rounder.

The protections on Washington’s 2023 pick are 1-14 in 2023, 1-12 in 2024, 1-10 in 2025 and 1-8 in 2026. If it still hasn’t conveyed, Washington will give up second-round picks in 2026 and 2027.

Sengun, who turned 19 this week, is the top international big man in the draft. He spent last season with Beşiktaş, averaging 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, and was named MVP of the Turkish League. He also has extensive experience in international basketball.

Knicks Trade Robinson-Earl To Thunder For Jokubaitis, McBride

July 30th, 2021 at 12:19am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

JULY 30: The trade is now official, the Knicks announced in a press release.

JULY 29: The Knicks will send the No. 32 pick to the Thunder for the Nos. 34 and 36 selections, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Shams Charania of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that the Knicks will be choosing Villanova forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl with the No. 32 pick, and he will then be rerouted to Oklahoma City.

The Knicks drafted sharpshooting 6’4″ Žalgiris guard Rokas Jokubaitis with the No. 34 pick and 6’2″ West Virginia point guard Miles McBride with the No. 36 selection.

New York also has the No. 58 pick still upcoming in tonight’s draft. Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets that the club could be making further deals before the night is through.

In the first round, the Knicks selected Houston shooting guard Quentin Grimes with the No. 25 pick after sending their No. 21 pick, Tennessee wing Keon Johnson, to the Clippers in exchange for the No. 25 selection and a future second-rounder. Earlier, the Knicks flipped the No. 19 pick to the Hornets for a protected 2022 first-round pick.

Robinson-Earl, 20, was the 2020/21 Big East Player of the Year, and averaged 15.7 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 2.2 APG across his 25 contests as a sophomore at Villanova.

Trade Rumors: Reddish, Pacers, Knicks, McDaniels, Kemba, Bulls

July 29th, 2021 at 6:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks and Pacers have had exploratory talks about a deal that would send Cam Reddish and the No. 20 pick to Indiana in exchange for the No. 13 selection, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer had previously reported that the Hawks and Pacers had discussed the No. 13 pick, and reported separately that Atlanta had offered Reddish and the No. 20 pick to teams in the late lottery, so it was safe to assume Reddish was on the table in those talks with Indiana. Scotto confirms as much, though it remains to be seen if the two sides will work out an agreement.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the league as the start of the 2021 NBA draft nears:

Scotto and Marc Berman of The New York Post each confirmed that the Knicks have talked to the Magic about a possible Terrence Ross trade, as was reported earlier. Berman hears that the Knicks are offering draft assets and that Orlando has made Ross available for the better part of a year.
According to Scotto, the Knicks have asked the Magic about the No. 8 pick, but didn’t gain any real traction. They’ve also talked to the Spurs about No. 12, per Scotto, who says the sense around the league is that New York is eyeing Chris Duarte.
Multiple lottery teams have expressed interest in trading for Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, according to Scotto. However, Minnesota remains reluctant to move McDaniels, whom the team views as part of its core going forward.
The Thunder are exploring possible trades for Kemba Walker, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. This had been expected, as Oklahoma City has made a habit in the last couple years of taking on unwanted contracts and then trying to flip them for positive value.
The Bulls are eyeing draft prospects Miles McBride and Nah’Shon Hyland and may be looking to trade into the back half of the first round, tweets Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago currently only has the No. 38 pick in the 2021 draft.

Draft Rumors: Top Picks, Kuminga, Trade Talks, Pacers, Jazz

July 29th, 2021 at 6:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

The top three picks appear set as the draft draws closer, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. We shared the news earlier today that the Pistons have decided to take Cade Cunningham with the first overall selection, and sources tell Woj that the Rockets “continue to trend toward” Jalen Green, while the Cavaliers are doing the same with Evan Mobley.

Those three selections have been been expected for a while, with most mock drafts listing Cunningham, Green and Mobley in that order. It appears that only an outrageous offer from a team looking to move up can add any drama to the very top of tonight’s draft, but the Cavs are sending out signals that they plan to keep their pick, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

There’s more draft news to pass along:

Jonathan Kuminga‘s fate remains a mystery, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Once considered a possible top five pick, Kuminga’s stock has fallen in recent weeks, and Givony says teams are still debating where to rank him on their final boards. The Thunder at No. 6, the Warriors at No. 7 and the Magic at No. 8 are all considered possibilities, but Givony cautions that Kuminga could fall out of the top 10.
Several teams have been hoping to trade their way into the top 10, but right now it looks as if that won’t happen, Givony adds (Twitter link). James Bouknight, Franz Wagner and Josh Giddey have risen up draft boards, causing the teams holding those picks to consider them more valuable.
The Pacers have gained traction in possible deals to trade down or out of the first round entirely, but any move probably won’t be finalized until after the draft begins, tweets draft expert Chad Ford. Possible trade partners include the Knicks, Thunder and a “mystery team.”
The Jazz are willing to trade the final pick of the first round, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team is having trade discussions, but there’s one player who may be on the board that would make them consider keeping the pick.

O’Connor’s Latest: Pistons, OKC, Grizzlies, Wagner, Pacers, More

July 29th, 2021 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons continued to receive inquiries about what it would take to trade the No. 1 pick, with the draft now just hours away, writes Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Although there has been increasing speculation about the possibility of Detroit trading down or even using the top pick to select Jalen Green, executives around the NBA still think the club will end up drafting Cade Cunningham, says O’Connor.

Here’s more from O’Connor on Thursday’s draft:

The Thunder have talked to all five teams drafting ahead of them about the possibility of moving up, per O’Connor. Rival executives aren’t sure exactly which prospect(s) Oklahoma City is targeting, but the club is thought to be high on Cunningham, Evan Mobley, and Scottie Barnes.
The Grizzlies, who agreed to acquire the No. 10 pick from New Orleans, are interested in another move up to the 6-8 range, according to O’Connor, who says Memphis has pursued last-minute meetings with prospects like Jonathan Kuminga, Alperen Sengun, and Davion Mitchell.
Franz Wagner claims he has grown two inches since college, to 6’11”, and multiple league sources believe that’s true, though there has been no update on his official measurement, O’Connor reports.
According to O’Connor, the Pacers are “juggling” trade talks involving the No. 13 pick, Myles Turner, and T.J. Warren in separate scenarios. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears that Indiana is fielding a lot of calls for the No. 13 selection, including from the Hawks. Atlanta has also been in touch with the Hornets about the No. 11 pick, says O’Connor.
O’Connor confirms a couple items that were previously speculated, writing that the Knicks are involved in trade discussions for Magic swingman Terrence Ross and reporting that the Hawks have offered the No. 20 pick and Cam Reddish to teams drafting in the late lottery.

Western Rumors: CP3, Wolves, Simmons, Barton, Thunder

July 29th, 2021 at 9:26am CST by Luke Adams

Addressing Chris Paul‘s contract situation during an appearance on Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo, Suns owner Robert Sarver said he wasn’t sure whether or not the veteran point guard would pick up his player option.

Asked if there was a scenario in which Paul opts out and doesn’t return, Sarver replied, “I don’t know. I’m sure there probably is. But I think our first priority would be to try to get him back, but that’ll depend on his agent and (Suns general manager) James (Jones) and him and me and all that kind of stuff, so I don’t know. We’ll see next week I guess, right?”

Despite Sarver’s hedging, I’d still be a little surprised if Paul and the Suns don’t either agree to an extension or a new contract in the coming days. The Suns owner added that he’s prepared to begin paying luxury tax penalties either next season or the following year, as team salary continues to rise.

Here’s more from around the West:

The Timberwolves don’t have a pick in Thursday’s draft, but they’ve been making calls “all over the league,” according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who says Minnesota remains in the hunt for a power forward. A trade for Ben Simmons is unlikely, but the Wolves haven’t given up on the possibility in the event the Sixers drop their asking price, Krawczynski adds.
There’s “growing optimism” that Will Barton and the Nuggets will be able to agree to a new deal in free agency, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Barton turned down his $14.7MM player option for 2021/22, but remains interested in returning to Denver on a longer-term contract.
John Hollinger of The Athletic has heard some chatter about the possibility of the Thunder trying to trade up to No. 3 in order to select Evan Mobley. However, he notes that the Cavaliers – and other teams that talk to Oklahoma City – will likely try to extract a king’s ransom, given the Thunder’s stockpile of draft picks. OKC may not be willing to pay that price.

Draft Rumors: Knicks, Duarte, Thunder, Pacers, Kings, Giddey, Nuggets

July 28th, 2021 at 6:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With the draft just over 24 hours away, here’s some of the latest rumors:

The Knicks hold the Nos. 19 and 21 picks on Thursday but they’re aggressively trying to move into the lottery with the hope of landing Oregon guard Chris Duarte, draft expert Chad Ford tweets. The Hornets (No. 11) and Pacers (No. 13) are among the teams that appear willing to trade down. The Knicks are trying to leapfrog the Warriors (No. 14) and Wizards (No. 15), the teams most likely to pick Duarte ahead of them. However, a package of their two first-rounders alone won’t get it done, Ford adds. The Thunder have also held discussions with Charlotte regarding the No. 11 pick, Ford reports in another tweet.
Duarte may not last beyond the Pacers, either, unless they deal the pick. According to J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), Indiana’s selection is expeccted to come down to Duarte and Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert, assuming both are still available.
If the Knicks can’t move up, West Virginia point guard Miles McBride and VCU point guard Nah’Shon Hyland are potential targets at No. 21, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report tweets.
The Kings (No. 9) are taking a long look at Australia’s Josh Giddey, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. The Kings not only interviewed Giddey, they made a trip to Las Vegas to see the 6’8” guard work out with the Australian national team.
The Nuggets (No. 26) have fielded some calls from teams in the 20-25 range looking to trade down, Mike Singer of the Denver Post writes. One of those teams is apparently the Lakers (No. 22).

Thunder Expected To Make Tony Bradley Unrestricted Free Agent

July 27th, 2021 at 6:14pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Thunder are not expected to extend a qualifying offer to 23-year-old center Tony Bradley, thereby making him an unrestricted free agent, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic.

The 6’10” center was drafted by the Jazz with the 28th pick in 2017, following his NCAA title with the UNC Tar Heels. He spent three years with Utah before being traded to the Pistons on the night of the 2020 draft and subsequently rerouted to the Sixers.

Bradley averaged 8.7 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 18 minutes per night for the Thunder in 22 games this season, proving himself a capable backup center. However, it doesn’t appear he’s part of Oklahoma City’s plans going forward.

Jones writes that Bradley is expected to have multiple suitors in unrestricted free agency.

O’Connor’s Latest: Nuggets, Grizzlies, Warriors, Kings, Hornets

July 27th, 2021 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Within his latest mock draft, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer confirms a few items we’ve heard elsewhere in recent days. According to O’Connor, Jalen Green‘s workout with the Pistons last week was “outstanding,” the Jazz are willing to attach the No. 30 pick to Derrick Favors in a potential trade, and league sources widely expect Scottie Barnes to be the Magic‘s pick at No. 5.

O’Connor also reiterates that the Rockets continue to explore moving up to No. 1 and says the Thunder have made efforts to trade up, with Green, Cade Cunningham, and Evan Mobley among their presumed targets.

Here are a few more notes of interest from O’Connor’s latest article:

League sources tell O’Connor that the Nuggets are trying to move up from No. 26 into the top 20, dangling young bench players or future draft assets in those talks.
Although O’Connor confirms that the Grizzlies are interested in Josh Giddey after trading up to No. 10, he says Memphis could try to move up even further, with an eye on Jonathan Kuminga or James Bouknight.
Giddey, Kuminga, and Bouknight could also be in the mix for the Warriors at No. 7, according to O’Connor, who says Giddey is thought to be one of Golden State’s “main targets.” O’Connor adds that Keon Johnson‘s ceiling may be the Warriors’ pick at No. 7.
The Kings continue to be active in shopping the No. 9 pick, Buddy Hield, and Marvin Bagley III in separate trade scenarios, per O’Connor.
League sources continue to connect the Hornets, who will be seeking a center this summer, to Myles Turner, Richaun Holmes, and Nerlens Noel, according to O’Connor.

Draft Rumors: Pistons, Cunningham, Green, Magic, Pelicans, More

July 27th, 2021 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking today to reporters, including Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link), Pistons general manager Troy Weaver confirmed that the team hasn’t made a final decision on what it will do with the No. 1 overall pick.

The Pistons have long been expected to select Cade Cunningham with that top pick, and the Oklahoma State guard remains the overwhelming favorite to be the choice. However, John Hollinger of The Athletic has heard whispers that Detroit wasn’t blown away by Cunningham’s private workout, while Marc Stein says Jalen Green‘s workout for the team “made the strongest of impressions.”

Even if those reports are accurate, it’s hard to imagine the Pistons selecting Green over Cunningham with the No. 1 pick. A trade down to No. 2 is a possibility if Detroit really likes Green. But for what it’s worth, Weaver provided a reminder today that not everything you hear leading up to the draft will be accurate.

“I don’t comment on rumors, but don’t believe everything that you read,” the Pistons’ GM said (Twitter link via James Edwards III of The Athletic). “… The rumor mill does nothing for us right now.”

Here’s more on the 2021 NBA draft:

The Magic brought Stanford’s Ziaire Williams back for a second workout during the pre-draft process and some rival teams think Orlando may be eyeing him at No. 8, says Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. Two league sources who spoke to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic also believe the Magic have Williams “very high” on their board.
According to Vecenie, sources around the league view some of the draft’s top “older” shooters – such as Corey Kispert, Trey Murphy, and Chris Duarte – as likely targets for the Pelicans at No. 17. However, there’s no guarantee New Orleans keeps that pick after acquiring it from Memphis. Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link) says the Pelicans could look to move down again or may shop that selection for veteran help.
There’s a belief that the Raptors are high on Evan Mobley, but they’d almost certainly have to trade up from No. 4 to get him and it seems unlikely they’ll be willing to pay that price, says Vecenie.
Vecenie is the latest to report that the Thunder are fans of James Bouknight, who could be the team’s pick at No. 6. However, Hollinger is unconvinced that the chatter surrounding Bouknight and the Thunder isn’t a smokescreen — he has Jonathan Kuminga going to the OKC at No. 6 in his mock draft.