Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Mitchell, Micić, Krejci, Simmons

September 14th, 2021 at 5:41pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Jazz All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell played through an ankle injury during Utah’s two-round 2021 postseason run. In a new conversation with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Mitchell has indicated that the injury is healing nicely.

“The ankle feels good,” Mitchell said. “I’ll be ready to go. I think last year definitely was shaky. There were just so many different obstacles with the ankle and whatnot, but — like I said — no slight to Phoenix or Milwaukee or the Clippers, you know, (but) I feel like if we were healthy, you know, we… get to the Finals.”

The Jazz fell 4-2 to the Clippers in the second round of the Western Conference Finals. The Clippers were missing their best player, Kawhi Leonard, for the final three contests of the series, while Utah’s starting guards – Mitchell and Mike Conley – were coming off injuries of their own.

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

Guard Vasilije Micić revealed in a podcast interview with Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews that he was tendered a strong offer to join the Thunder for the 2021/22 season, but ultimately decided to remain in Europe, with the Turkish club Anadolu Efes. Micić cited a few factors behind his decision. A big one was that he wanted to be able to play in the Olympic qualifying games for Serbia in July and wouldn’t be able to sign Oklahoma City until August, so he didn’t want to risk an injury while he was still unsigned. Micić, a draft-and-stash prospect, was named the EuroLeague MVP while helping Anadolu Efes win the 2021 EuroLeague title.
Thunder guard Vit Krejci will resume five-on-five workouts this week, reports Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. The 21-year-old Krejci, selected with the No. 37 pick and flipped to the Thunder on draft night, tore his ACL in September 2020. He recently signed his first NBA contract.
As chatter grows surrounding a potential Timberwolves deal for Sixers All-Star Ben Simmons, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic unpacks what a deal could look like, as well as how likely it looks that a deal could happen between these particular franchises, with Minnesota apparently uninterested in including their two most valuable players, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards. Krawczynski notes that a trade appears unlikely before the start of training camp, and that Sixers team president Daryl Morey will do his darnedest to drum up more interest in Simmons around the league. If the market for Simmons remains relatively apathetic, Krawczynski opines that the Timberwolves have a chance to add him.

Thunder Sign Paul Watson To Two-Way Contract

September 13th, 2021 at 8:37am CST by Luke Adams

After opening up one of their two-way contract slots by waiving Josh Hall, the Thunder have filled that opening by signing Paul Watson to a two-way deal, reports Kelsea O’Brien of BasketballNews.com (Twitter link).

Watson, 26, made his NBA debut with Atlanta, but spent most of the last two seasons with the Raptors, having signed a two-way contract with Toronto in January of 2020. The former Fresno State standout had that deal converted to a standard contract for the 2020/21 season, then was released last month before his ’21/22 salary became guaranteed.

During his time with Toronto, the 6’6″ swingman appeared in 35 games, averaging 4.1 PPG and 1.7 RPG on .475/.466/.706 shooting in 10.5 minutes per contest. He spent most of his time in 2019/20 with the Raptors 905 in the G League, putting up an impressive 19.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 1.9 APG on .495/.423/.648 shooting in 30 NBAGL games (35.3 MPG).

Watson and Aaron Wiggins are now Oklahoma City’s two-way players. The team has 18 players under contract, including 13 on guaranteed salaries and three on non-guaranteed deals, leaving a pair of openings on the 20-man training camp roster.

Thunder Waive Josh Hall

September 12th, 2021 at 4:18pm CST by JD Shaw

The Thunder have waived two-way forward Josh Hall, the team announced in a press release today. Oklahoma City now has 17 players on its roster, including two-way player Aaron Wiggins.

Hall, 20, signed with the Thunder after going unselected in the 2020 NBA Draft. He appeared in 21 games with the team, averaging 4.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 16 minutes per contest.

Oklahoma City tendered Hall a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent last month. He ultimately signed the offer, returning to the team on a two-way deal that contained a $50K guarantee.

League rules allow teams to carry 20 players entering training camps, meaning the Thunder now have one two-way spot and two camp spots available to use. The team held the second-worst record in the Western Conference last year at 22-50.

Krejci's Contract Spans Four Years; Giddey Already A Star In Australia

September 8th, 2021 at 8:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The contract that Vit Krejci signed with the Thunder is a four-year deal, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Krejci’s first-year salary of $925,258 is guaranteed. The second year salary of $1,563,518 includes a partial guarantee of $781,759, while his $1,836,096 third-season salary is non-guaranteed. The final year of the deal is a team option at $1,988,598. The draft-and-stash wing was selected in the second round of the 2020 draft and acquired in a draft-night deal with Washington.
Thunder first-round pick Josh Giddey is already a big star in his native Australia, as Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman details. In Melbourne, Australia, his fans snapped up Thunder merchandise after he was drafted, his mother Kim Giddey said. “As soon as the draft ended they all went out to buy Oklahoma merchandise,” she said. “It sold out.”

Gabriel Deck Has Uncertain Future

September 5th, 2021 at 9:17am CST by Arthur Hill

Argentinian forward Gabriel Deck faces an uncertain future with the Thunder, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. He’s set to make $3.67MM this season, but the team hasn’t stated how much he’s guaranteed or how the contract is structured. There are two more years on the deal he signed in April, but they are both non-guaranteed. There were rumors last month that the 26-year-old was considering a return to Spain. He averaged 8.4 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 10 games last season.
The Thunder will have plenty of bench players who are worthy of a spot in the rotation, and Brandon Rahbar of Daily Thunder tries to sort out the hierarchy of which ones should get playing time.

Thunder Notes: Muscala, Offseason, Starting Five

September 3rd, 2021 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Thunder‘s roster has undergone a teardown in recent years, one of the most surprising constants has been big man Mike Muscala, who has spent the last two seasons in Oklahoma City. On the surface, a veteran role player like Muscala seems like an odd fit for a team in the midst of a full-fledged rebuild, but he said during his end-of-season interview in May that his time with the franchise has helped him “a lot as a man and as a player.”

As Paris Lawson of OKCThunder.com writes, the Thunder appreciate Muscala’s dedication to the team and rewarded him this offseason with a two-year, $7MM deal that’s fully guaranteed for the 2021/22 season.

“I am tremendously grateful and very moved by the way he feels about the team and the organization,” executive VP of basketball operations Sam Presti said. “I think he really connects with the vision that we have for what we stand for and how we try to operate on a day-to-day basis. We’re not trying to be all things to all people, but there are going to be people that really thrive in this environment and enjoy it, and those are also the people that really help make it what it is.”

Here’s more on the Thunder:

Zach Harper of The Athletic was underwhelmed by the Thunder’s offseason moves, giving the team a C-minus grade for the summer. Harper questioned the decision to draft Josh Giddey at No. 6 when prospects like Jonathan Kuminga, James Bouknight, and Davion Mitchell were still on the board.
In his latest mailbag, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman identifies Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort as the only Thunder players who are guaranteed to be in the starting five on opening night (health permitting). Mussatto also discussed Gabriel Deck‘s status and Isaiah Roby‘s potential, among other topics.
In case you missed it, the Thunder have signed 2020 second-rounder Vit Krejci. Assuming Krejci received a guaranteed salary for 2021/22, Oklahoma City now has 13 players on guaranteed contracts, three on non-guaranteed deals, and a pair on two-way pacts, leaving two openings on the 20-man offseason roster.

Thunder Sign Vit Krejci To Multiyear Deal

September 3rd, 2021 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have signed draft-and-stash prospect Vit Krejci to a multiyear deal, the team announced today in a press release.

A 6’7″ point guard from the Czech Republic, Krejci was selected by Washington with the 37th overall pick in the 2020 draft and was sent to Oklahoma City in a draft-night deal. After spending the last several seasons with Zaragoza in Spain, Krejci came stateside earlier this year to join the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. He spent the season rehabbing an ACL injury and didn’t play at all for the Blue.

Prior to signing Krejci, the Thunder were carrying 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Kenrich Williams, Gabriel Deck, and Charlie Brown on non-guaranteed deals. Williams is a safe bet to stick around, so Krejci will likely claim one of the last two spots on the 15-man regular season roster over either Brown or Deck.

The expectation is that Krejci will once again spend most of his time in the G League in 2021/22, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link).

Details of the 21-year-old’s new contract aren’t yet known, but the Thunder could have used a portion of their mid-level exception to offer a three- or four-year deal with a starting salary above the rookie minimum.

Josh Giddey Represents Hope For NBA Global Academy

August 22nd, 2021 at 8:03pm CST by JD Shaw

Thunder rookie Josh Giddey is representing a newfound hope and legitimacy for the NBA’s global academy, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman examines. Giddey was drafted by Oklahoma City with the No. 6 pick in July.

And-Ones: Maker, Odds, Williams, Allen

August 21st, 2021 at 10:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

Makur Maker has signed with Australia’s Sydney Kings, according to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando. The 6’11” Maker, who attended Howard University last season, withdrew from this year’s draft but missed the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline. He’ll join the NBL’s Next Stars program with the aim of improving his draft stock.

“I can’t wait to learn from Luc Longley and Andrew Bogut, probably the best two big men in Australian basketball history who both were NBA champions,” he said. “Furthermore, under the leadership of our head coach Chase Buford, who is also of NBA championship background, and the front office with the CEO Chris Pongrass who was with the Memphis Grizzlies, I feel that this is my best pathway to becoming an NBA lottery pick next year.”

We have more from the basketball world:

Following the schedule release on Friday, the Nets were listed by Caesars Sportsbook as the favorite to win the most regular-season games, David Purdum of ESPN relays. Brooklyn’s projected odds are 54.5 victories, just ahead of the Bucks (53.5), Lakers (51.5), Jazz (51.5) and Sixers (51.5). The Pistons (25.5), Magic (23.5) and Thunder (22.5) sit at the bottom of the projected wins list.
Former NBA forward Johnathan Williams has signed with Italy’s Dolomiti Energia Trento, Sportando relays. He played with Germany’s Niners Chemnitz last season. Williams appeared in 15 games for the Wizards in 2019/20 and 24 for the Lakers in 2018/19.
Hall-of-Famer Ray Allen has decided to become a prep coach, according to The Associated Press. Allen has been hired as the director of boys and girls basketball at Miami’s Gulliver Prep, and will also coach the boys varsity team.

Josh Hall Signs Two-Way Deal With Thunder

August 18th, 2021 at 3:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

3:31pm: The Thunder have confirmed that Hall accepted his qualifying offer, meaning his new two-way deal comes with a $50K partial guarantee.

12:30pm: The Thunder have re-signed small forward Josh Hall to a two-way contract, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Hall likely signed the qualifying offer he received from Oklahoma City at the start of August. It carries a $50K guarantee and serves as a two-way contract for the upcoming season.

However, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a lock to fill one of the Thunder’s two-way slots when the season begins. Because of the minimal financial commitment, teams are willing to move on from two-way players, as we saw earlier today with the Sixers and Rayjon Tucker.

Hall, 20, earned the two-way deal after coming to camp last year on an Exhibit 10 contract. He got into 21 games, averaging 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 16 minutes per night. He also played one game for OKC’s affiliate in the G League.