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Thunder Notes: Durant, Waiters, Mohammed

June 1st, 2016 at 7:18pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kevin Durant, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, said the two most important factors for him in deciding where to play next season will be a strong environment and solid personnel around him, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman relays. “Just when I sit down and think about it — to be honest, I haven’t put that list together, I guess,” Durant responded when asked what he is looking for in a team. “Just being around great people, being in a great basketball environment, that’s the two most important things for me. That’s all I really care about. Who I’m going to be doing life with every single day, who I’m going to be playing basketball with every day.”

The small forward also noted that the reports he wants to be courted by prospective teams are not true, Slater adds. “I never said that. That’s not who I am. Whatever this thing entails, I’m ready to take it head on, but I’m not that type of person,” Durant said. “I mean, that’s not really — like I said, the two most important things for me is being around great people and having fun playing basketball. All that other stuff that comes with, being who I am and being in this position, it’s not really what I’m concerned with. So I never said that, obviously. You could say that about any player in this position, but yeah.”

Here’s more from OKC:

Shooting guard Dion Waiters is eligible for restricted free agency this summer, but said that he hopes to return to the Thunder next season, Slater writes in a separate article. “Of course,” Waiters said when asked if he wanted to remain in Oklahoma City. “Why not? Since I got here I feel as though they have helped me become a better person off the court. It’s not even about basketball. I’ve never been connected with a group of guys like this that I’m actually close to. Why not? The best fans in the world. I’m definitely looking forward to coming back.”
Veteran big man Nazr Mohammed said he would like to become an NBA GM in the future, Slater tweets. It’s unclear if the 38-year-old intends to retire and pursue a front-office position this summer. Mohammed will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason after appearing in just five contests this past season.
Assistant coach Monty Williams will not return to the team next season, head coach Billy Donovan said, Fred Katz of The Norman Transcript relays (via Twitter). It’s unclear if Williams will take the season off to deal with family matters in the wake of his wife’s tragic passing or if he intends to catch on with another team.
Nick Collison, Randy Foye and Anthony Morrow all said that they expect to be back with the team, but noted that much of the Thunder’s offseason plans depend on what Durant decides, Slater relays in a series of tweets. Collison’s deal for 2016/17 is fully guaranteed, but Foye is set to become an unrestricted free agent and Morrow’s pact is non-guaranteed.

Heat Rumors: Whiteside, Wade, James, Bosh

February 14th, 2016 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

There will be plenty of shooters on the trade market this week, but the Heat may have to give up center Hassan Whiteside if they want a more complete player, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Three-point shooting has been a problem in Miami all season, and Winderman lists the Thunder’s Steve Novak and Anthony Morrow, the Kings’ Omri Casspi and the Nets’ Wayne Ellington as possibilities if the Heat want an inexpensive solution. But he points out that coach Erik Spoelstra rarely relies on one-dimensional shooters, and says the Miami front office may be looking for something more. With Marc Gasol out indefinitely, the Grizzlies might have interest in Whiteside, even though he is only months away from free agency, Winderman posits. Whiteside and filler [such as Chris Andersen] could bring back Courtney Lee, Winderman speculates, while throwing in some more salary could be enough to land Jeff Green.

There’s more news out of Miami:

There is an increased feeling in the front office that trading Whiteside might be the best move for the franchise, Winderman writes in the same story, but he adds that Whiteside’s representatives aren’t expecting a deal.
Even before Whiteside made waves with his nationally televised ejection this week, Heat officials were having doubts about signing him long-term, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami expects Whiteside’s next contract to start at $17MM or more, and there are questions within the organization about whether that’s a wise investment. Jackson cited two sources who say the team is considering a Whiteside trade.
A reunion with LeBron James in the All-Star Game — the first time they have been teammates since James left the Heat in 2014 — is bringing back memories for Dwyane Wade, writes Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. Miami’s Big Three was almost completely back together, but Chris Bosh had to pull out of tonight’s game with a strained right calf. Wade said the roster upheaval in Miami has changed the atmosphere in the locker room. “We all can deal with each other’s success and failures and family things a lot differently than what we deal with now with younger teammates that grew up watching us play like fans,” he said. “It was cool playing with our peers, guys that we came into the league with. That’s a totally different relationship.”

Northwest Notes: Mudiay, Singler, Felton

January 21st, 2016 at 3:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Emmanuel Mudiay is taking a cue from Russell Westbrook of late, playing more aggressively and confidently and impressing coach Michael Malone, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post examines. Mudiay’s stock fell in the lead-up to the draft last year, but the Nuggets have empowered the seventh overall pick.

“I love how aggressive he’s playing,” Malone said. “Obviously he’s got to be able to make his free throws. In the last couple of games he’s not converting at the foul line. But I think the art of finishing is something that comes with time, experience, and getting used to playing against the size and length that they have in the paint, and he’s only going to get better. I just like how aggressive he’s playing right now.”

See more from the Northwest Division:

Kyle Singler played sparingly earlier this season even though the Thunder re-signed him to a five-year, $24.3MM deal, but the desire for more defense has led coach Billy Donovan to put Singler back in the rotation in place of Anthony Morrow, who’s in the final guaranteed season of his contract. The Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel has the details.
The Mavericks tried to entice the Timberwolves into trading for the No. 21 overall pick this past June, with Raymond Felton attached, but the late Flip Saunders turned down the proposal, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter links). Minnesota wound up trading with the Cavs instead to nab 24th overall pick Tyus Jones.
The Trail Blazers shrewdly signed Al-Farouq Aminu and Ed Davis to deals that will give them salaries below league average and decline in value over time, allowing the team to benefit from their production at a relatively cheap cost as they move into their primes, contends Keith P. Smith of RealGM. GM Neil Olshey has Portland ahead of schedule on its rebuild, which provides a refreshing contrast to the tear-down efforts of other teams, Smith writes.

Northwest Notes: Matthews, Newton, Morrow

December 2nd, 2015 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Wesley Matthews reportedly understands the Trail Blazers‘ decision that they weren’t going to offer him a chance to re-sign once LaMarcus Aldridge left, but that doesn’t mean Matthews likes it, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News explains. Matthews and Aldridge signed max deals this past summer with the Mavs and Spurs, respectively.

“I’m still upset that after everything that I’ve done individually didn’t warrant me having a separate conversation not tied to LaMarcus Aldridge,” Matthews said. “L.A. is my boy and everything, but I still feel like I did enough myself as a player to warrant a conversation.”

Indeed, Matthews appears to have nuanced feelings toward the Blazers, as he also said that he has “nothing but love for the franchise and the fans and the city,” Sefko relays. See more from the Northwest Division:

Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press profiles Timberwolves GM Milt Newton, who’s trying to carry out the vision of late coach/executive Flip Saunders with no promises that he’ll remain in charge of the front office beyond this season. “It’s an incredible challenge,” Spurs GM RC Buford, a longtime Newton confidant, said to Krawczynski. “You’ve got an iconic coach and leader who also had incredible history with the community and the organization. There will be holes that have to be filled, there will be relationships that have to be supported with the passing of one of the great coaches.”
Anthony Morrow has gone in and out of the Thunder rotation, but he’s back in it of late, and coach Billy Donovan said he feels compelled to play the sharpshooter to create space for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater writes. Morrow is in the final guaranteed season of his contract. “It’s amazing how quickly he gets his shot off,” said Hawks coach/executive Mike Budenholzer, who watched Morrow hit three 3-pointers against his team Monday. “It feels like it’s in his fingers for like 0.2 seconds or something like that. When you put a great shooter like that with that quick a release around some gifted talented guys, it’s hard to stay with Morrow. He fits them well.”

Western Notes: Jackson, Ledo, Lakers

January 6th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Thunder guard Reggie Jackson was under the impression that he was headed to the Knicks in Monday night’s deal, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes. “I thought I was traded,” Jackson said. “I was just thinking I was going to go home and pack and that was it.” Jackson had heard all the rumors, but said that his nerves were calmed when he didn’t get a call from his agent Aaron Mintz and brother/manager Travis Jackson, Spears adds.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Mavericks have recalled Ricky Ledo from the Texas Legends, their D-League affiliate, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com reports (Twitter link). This was Ledo’s seventh trek to the D-League this season.
One of the beneficiaries of the Rajon Rondo trade is Richard Jefferson, who is seeing more playing time with Mavs now that Jae Crowder is in Boston, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes. “He [coach Rick Carlisle] didn’t really have me in the rotation,” Jefferson said. “It was just a matter of me staying a professional and waiting on the opportunity. It was always tough for me just because I’d never been in that situation. Now I’m starting to feel more comfortable and showing that I can do things a little more consistently.”
Lakers president Jeanie Buss sees no benefit in Los Angeles tanking this season, Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times writes. “The draft pick [the Lakers owe] to Phoenix, if we don’t give it to them this year, we have to give it to them next year, so I don’t really see what the logic would be,” Buss said. “Try to tank to keep it this year, because we’d just have to give it away next year — that doesn’t resonate with me,” she continued. “I think it’s impossible to tell your coach and tell your players, ‘Try not to win.’ That goes against everything an organization is about.“
The Thunder‘s signing of Anthony Morrow to a team-friendly deal this offseason paved the way for the team to acquire Dion Waiters, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman writes. Morrow’s first-year salary of $3.2MM kept Oklahoma City from triggering a hard cap that likely would have prevented this trade from being made, Mayberry notes.

Western Notes: Thunder, Morrow, Martin, Lakers

October 24th, 2014 at 9:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There are indications that the Thunder are more willing to pay the luxury tax than in the past, USA Today’s Sam Amick writes. That’s in part because expected increases to the salary cap and luxury tax line will make it more difficult to become a repeat taxpayer subject to stiffer penalties, and those repeat-offender rules might not exist in the next collective bargaining agreement, Amick points out.

Here’s the latest out of the west:

Thunder guard Anthony Morrow has a sprained left MCL and is expected to miss a minimum of four-to-six weeks, Royce Young of ESPN.com reports. With Kevin Durant out for at least six-to-eight weeks with a broken foot, Morrow was in the running to join the team’s starting five.
The Rockets met with Kenyon Martin earlier today about a possible role on their coaching staff, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). Martin appeared in 32 games for the Knicks last season, averaging 4.3 PPG and 4.2 RPG, and was hobbled with ankle issues for the majority of the season. Neither Martin or his representatives have announced that he was retiring yet, so it’s possible that Martin is simply exploring his options rather than looking for his next career.
Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (Twitter link) offers a different reason for Martin’s visit with the Rockets. Berman is reporting that Houston was checking on the player’s health for a possible roster spot. It’s quite possible that the team wasn’t encouraged by what they saw, and this led them to claim Earl Clark off of waivers from the Grizzlies instead, though that is just my speculation.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak was noncommittal about the team signing another player now that Steve Nash will miss the season, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register writes (Twitter links). The GM also relayed that he met with Nash and his agent, Bill Duffy, in Las Vegas last night to finalize Nash’s decision.
The Lakers aren’t looking to add another point guard at this time, Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times tweets. The team is happy with Jeremy Lin, Jordan Clarkson, and Ronnie Price, notes Bresnahan. Although, with Price suffering an undisclosed injury in tonight’s preseason game, that could change rather quickly depending on the severity.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Thunder Cut Jenkins, Solomon, Zanna

October 24th, 2014 at 4:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder have waived camp invitees Michael Jenkins, Richard Solomon and Talib Zanna, the team announced via press release. All three were on non-guaranteed contracts. The moves leave Oklahoma City with 15 players, including a non-guaranteed pact with Lance Thomas. A report earlier this week indicated the team planned to keep only 14 players for opening night, but it appears the Thunder have changed plans, as they’ll keep Thomas into the regular season, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. That’s perhaps because Anthony Morrow has a sprained left MCL, an injury that typically takes four to six weeks to heal, according to Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

Jenkins joined the Thunder in late September after agent Daniel Moldovan had said earlier in the summer that the shooting guard would instead be in Nets camp. The 28-year-old who was on his first NBA contract after going undrafted out of Winthrop in 2008 put up 6.0 points in 17.5 minutes per game in seven preseason appearances with Oklahoma City.

Solomon, a power forward, put up 4.7 PPG in 11.9 MPG in three preseason appearances this month after going undrafted out of Cal in June. Zanna, another power forward, showed his strength on the boards, posting 4.4 PPG and 5.0 RPG in 17.4 MPG across seven exhibitions. He was an undrafted free agent who came out of Pittsburgh this year and played with the Sixers in summer league.

Northwest Rumors: Hamilton, Love, Jazz, Thunder

July 16th, 2014 at 11:49pm CST by Charlie Adams

Jordan Hamilton will be working out for NBA teams in Las Vegas tomorrow, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, and the Timberwolves will be among the teams in attendance, passes along Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter links). Any interest Minnesota has in the forward will likely have a hard time amounting to anything as a result of the club’s lack of roster space, adds Wolfson. Here’s more on the Wolves and the Northwest:

One Eastern Conference coach doesn’t understand the reluctance that the Cavs and Warriors have been showing to give up important pieces to the Timberwolves in exchange for Love, as Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reveals (via Twitter). “If I’m Golden State, I trade Klay Thompson,” said the unnamed coach. “If I’m Cleveland, I trade Andrew Wiggins. Kevin is that good.”
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor spoke with NBA TV’s Steve Smith and said he believes Love will play with the team in training camp but stopped short of ruling out a possible trade, notes Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press. “My preference is Kevin (Love) will come to camp – and I’m sure he will – and play with the team,” explained Taylor. “We are going to look at everything that makes sense that would make our team better, but we are not going to move a superb player like that without getting equal or more value back.“
Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today recaps the summer that the Jazz have had thus far and explores the impact that rookie head coach Quin Snyder figures to have on the franchise’s progression moving forward.
Anthony Morrow‘s decision to join the Thunder has the sharpshooting swingman excited, observes Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman. In choosing to head to OKC, Morrow elected to pass up on interest from several other teams, “too many teams to name,” as Morrow told Mayberry.

Thunder Sign Anthony Morrow

July 16th, 2014 at 2:04pm CST by Cray Allred

WEDNESDAY, 2:04pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

“Anthony Morrow has demonstrated that he is amongst the most consistent and efficient three point shooters in the NBA over his career, and we are pleased to welcome him to Oklahoma City and the Thunder organization,” Thunder GM Sam Presti said. “With his body of work, we feel Anthony is a unique addition to a diverse roster, while also possessing the toughness and selflessness that we are consistently seeking in Thunder players.”

SATURDAY, 1:08pm: The deal is for three years in slight excess of $10MM, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. The final year is a team option, per David Aldridge of NBA.com (via Twitter).

12:33pm: Anthony Morrow has agreed to join the Thunder, tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. The shooting specialist had received interest from the Clippers, Heat, Wizards, Raptors, Suns, Wizards, Pistons, and Pelicans in addition to Oklahoma City and other unnamed teams.

Morrow opted out of the final, $1.1MM year of his contract with New Orleans this summer. The terms of the deal are still unknown, but I would guess the contract to be significantly more lucrative considering the amount of interest the 28-year-old was drawing. The shooting guard could be in play to start for the Thunder, who let starting shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha walk following a disappointing 2013/14 campaign. Morrow has only started 129 games over the course of his six-year career.

Western Notes: Blazers, Parsons, Cunningham

July 14th, 2014 at 12:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Agent Mark Bartelstein told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com last week that there remained a chance that Mo Williams would re-sign with the Blazers, but the door is largely closed to that possibility, leaving a disappointed Damian Lillard, as Haynes writes.

“He’s someone who I can say will be a friend forever,” Lillard said. “We got that close in a year. He’s was the one guy I wanted back the most but that’s not in my power and I understand that. We still talk and plan to link up down the road but it’s tough to know he’s not coming back.”

Still, Lillard added that he likes Portland’s additions of Chris Kaman and Steve Blake. Here’s more from around the West:

Rockets GM Daryl Morey called the structure of the offer sheet Chandler Parsons signed with the Mavs “one of the most untradeable structures that I’ve ever seen” in an appearance on SportsTalk 790 AM in Houston, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com transcribes.
The Rockets have reached out to Dante Cunningham, who’s still a long shot to re-sign with the Wolves, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
The Warriors remain in touch with Jermaine O’Neal as he ponders retirement, observes Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group.
Anthony Morrow is set to join the Thunder and Brian Roberts has a deal with the Hornets, and the Pelicans went ahead Sunday and renounced their rights to both, as the RealGM transactions log shows.