Russell Westbrook Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Rumors: Sixers, Westbrook, C’s, Nets

July 13th, 2016 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to SiriusXM NBA Radio (SoundCloud link) in Las Vegas, Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo acknowledged that his team’s roster is “top-heavy,” with a logjam of young talent at the center position. Although Colangelo said the Sixers like Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, and Jahlil Okafor, he suggested, half-jokingly, that he’s “absolutely not” comfortable heading into the season with all three still on the roster.

“What we are comfortable doing is saying we’re not going to make a bad deal just to make a deal,” the Sixers GM said. “I think we could be a better basketball team if we could distribute that talent better, and maybe take one of those assets and address other needs on the roster. But I think right now, it’s best to say we like all of them [and] we want to see if we can make the most out of each of them in terms of their contributions to this team. At the end of the day, the reality says one probably has to go at some point — but only when the deal is right.”

Here’s more from out of the Atlantic division:

Although there’s no indication yet that the Thunder are exploring a Russell Westbrook trade, rival general managers think GM Sam Presti will do so sooner rather than later if he suspects that Westbrook is leaning toward leaving as a free agent next summer, says Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (video link). According to Beck, many of those rival GMs believe that the Celtics are the most likely landing spot for Westbrook if Oklahoma City does pursue a trade.
Having missed out on a pair of RFA targets, the Nets are currently mulling making an offer to another RFA, Dion Waiters, as we heard over the weekend. According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, Brooklyn has also displayed interest in Terrence Jones, Jordan Hill, and Maurice Harkless.
Nets general manager Sean Marks, who acknowledged that his team is in the market for wing players, also said that he’s in no rush to meet the salary floor, as Lewis details. “At some point we have to get there,” Marks said. “But it’s not immediate right now. We’re not just going to go out and spend for the sake of spending. It’s about us doing the right things at the right times.”
Celtics first-rounder Ante Zizic is headed back to Cibona Zagreb, his team in Croatia, tweets international basketball journalist David Pick. Boston GM Danny Ainge had previously confirmed that Zizic, who reportedly received some interest from other European clubs, would remain overseas for the 2016/17 season.

Western Notes: Felton, Westbrook, Pelicans

July 9th, 2016 at 10:31am CST by Eddie Scarito

There has been some speculation that the Thunder may look to trade Russell Westbrook in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s departure, but during an appearance on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical noted that there remains a very good chance the star will continue his career in OKC (h/t Erik Horne of The Oklahoman). “Right now, his mindset in on the team they have and can we add pieces in the short term, can we go out in free agency,” Wojnarowski said. “That doesn’t mean he’s not leaving next year, but his attitude isn’t ‘aww man, Kevin left. I’m screwed, I need to get out of here.’”

“He’s been … I’ve been told Russell’s been very determined to lead the team they have, and I know that Russell really likes the town. He loves bringing in Victor Oladipo … Steven Adams. Those are his guys,” Wojnarowski continued. “He thinks they’re a real talented team that if they can add another significant piece it puts them right back in contention. I think he’s embracing this, and he can go out next summer and get a $200MM dollar extension with Oklahoma City.”

Here’s more from out West:

Interest in Mavericks unrestricted free agent Raymond Felton has picked up in recent days, with five teams circling the point guard, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group tweets. The 32-year-old made 80 appearances for Dallas in 2015/16, averaging 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 27.4 minutes per outing.
Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry noted that the team is seeking more than just talent when exploring the free agent market this summer, Justin Verrier of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). “We were gonna add high-character guys,” Gentry said. “I think that’s where the league is going now. If you look around most of the teams they’ve got interchangeable parts, but they’ve got guys that are all about the team. They’re trying to figure out what makes the team better. I think for us, you talk about Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, and adding these two kids and some of the other guys that we signed, I like the makeup of our team. What we have to do is see how it all meshes together.“

And-Ones: Durant, Mack, Evans, Robinson

July 5th, 2016 at 10:36pm CST by Eddie Scarito

A contributing factor that led to Kevin Durant leaving OKC to join the Warriors was his frustration with the Thunder‘s offense and guard Russell Westbrook‘s tendency to dominate the ball, a source close to the “Slim Reaper” told Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. “Ultimately, he got frustrated and felt that they had plateaued,” the source told Beck. “[Coach Billy Donovan] came in, and he still had the same issues that he had with Russ under Scotty [former coach Scott Brooks]. The offense didn’t change much. He still had to take a ton of contested shots every game; and that’s when he had the ball at all. He’s never going to have a game in Golden State where Steve Kerr has to say at halftime, ‘You guys need to get Kevin the ball,’ which happened in OKC.”

Here’s more from around the league:

The chances are increasing dramatically that the Mavericks will look to trade forward Jeremy Evans, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. Evans, 28, has one year and $1,227,286 remaining on his current contract. Dallas is also exploring options to get JaVale McGee and his $1,403,611 salary off the books for next season, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com tweets. If the center remains on the roster past July 12th his deal becomes fully guaranteed.
The Jazz will keep point guard Shelvin Mack on the roster past Thursday, which means his contract worth $2,433,334 will become fully guaranteed, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Unrestricted free agent guard Nate Robinson hasn’t garnered much interest around the league and a number of teams have been turned off by his stated interest in joining the NFL, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated relays (on Twitter).
The Warriors are seeking veterans willing to sign team friendly deals to fill out the roster and may be interested in point guard Mario Chalmers and center Kendrick Perkins, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle writes.

Kevin Durant Leftovers: Warriors, FAs, Thunder

July 5th, 2016 at 9:46am CST by Luke Adams

Kevin Durant dominated Fourth of July headlines this year, announcing on Monday that he has decided to sign with the Warriors later this week, rather than returning to the Thunder or heading to the Celtics, Heat, or Spurs. Many of the rest of Monday’s NBA headlines were directly correlated to Durant’s decision: Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut are both headed to the Mavericks, the Thunder may field trade offers for Russell Westbrook, the Spurs moved onto Plan B and locked up Pau Gasol, and Zaza Pachulia agreed to a deal far below his market value to join the Warriors.

In addition to those stories, we have a few more reactions and leftovers related to Durant’s signing, so let’s dive in and round up those items, sorted by KD’s new team and old team…

Warriors:

In the wake of Durant’s decision, the Warriors were linked to several free agent bigs, with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reporting (via Twitter) that the team was eyeing Willie Reed and Dewayne Dedmon, while Marcus Thompson of The Bay Area News Group tweeted that Jermaine O’Neal is “game for a return” to Golden State. It was Tim Kawakami of The San Jose Mercury News that noted (via Twitter) the team’s interest in Pachulia, and it’s not clear whether or not that agreement will diminish the Dubs’ interest in those other low-cost bigs.
A number of free agents have expressed interest in joining the Warriors on veteran-minimum contracts to help fill out the roster, according to Kennedy (via Twitter).
In a piece for Sports Illustrated, Kennedy spoke to Draymond Green about the recruitment process for the Warriors and Durant. Meanwhile, Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com reports that Andre Iguodala gave an “incredible pitch” during Golden State’s meeting with Durant last Friday.
Sam Amick of USA Today goes a little more in-depth on how the Warriors landed Durant, providing some interesting details on Jerry West‘s involvement and how the Warriors’ two-hour meeting with Durant played out.
As Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated outlines, the Warriors were able to sell Durant on their unselfishness, “no-stars” culture, and their potential to win multiple titles together.

Thunder:

Thunder owner Clay Bennett and GM Sam Presti both issued statements on Durant’s departure, and they were far more measured than the infamous comic-sans statement Dan Gilbert put out when LeBron James left Cleveland. “Kevin made an indelible mark on the Thunder organization and the state of Oklahoma as a founding father of this franchise,” Presti said. “We can’t adequately articulate what he meant to the foundation of this franchise and our success. While clearly disappointing that he has chosen to move on, the core values that he helped establish only lead to us thanking him for the many tangible and intangible ways that he helped our program.”
Marcus Thompson (Twitter link) has heard chatter suggesting that it’s uncertain that Westbrook would have chosen to remain with the Thunder long-term even if Durant has stayed, which the Bay Area News Group columnist suggests may have played a role in KD’s decision.
Royce Young of ESPN.com, however, suggests that the Thunder aren’t as worried about Westbrook leaving Oklahoma City as they were about Durant heading elsewhere, with one team source suggesting to Young that Durant’s departure may make Westbrook more compelled to stay in OKC. Of course, a lot can change between now and July 1, 2017, but Young writes that the Thunder will try to sell Westbrook on the fact that it’s his team now.
Sources tell Young that the Thunder may take some time before making any significant roster decisions. Given how fast free agency moves, that might mean just taking a few days to think things through — it may not be long before the club has to decide on whether or not to match an offer sheet for Dion Waiters, for instance.
In his aforementioned story for USA Today, Sam Amick notes that the Thunder believe they would have had a very good chance to sign Al Horford if Durant had returned, which makes KD’s departure an even more bitter pill to swallow.
Also at USA Today, Amick conducted a Q&A with Presti focusing on Durant’s departure.

Russell Westbrook Going On Trading Block?

July 4th, 2016 at 8:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder may begin fielding offers for All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s decision to bolt to the Warriors, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

Oklahoma City is considering a renegotiation and extension of Westbrook’s current contract, which has one year remaining, sources told Windhorst. However, a league source informed David Aldridge of NBA.com that Westbrook, who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, has no interest in doing that.

Thus, several league executives have opined to Windhorst that the Thunder will consider testing the market for Westbrook, who will make $17.77MM next season. The Thunder will take some time before making any roster decisions, Windhorst adds. If they gamble that they can re-sign Westbrook next summer, they may wind up losing both of their superstars without any compensation.

GM Sam Presti told Royce Young of ESPN.com and other members of the media during a press conference on Monday that Westbrook would embrace the challenge of playing without Durant.

“He’s a true leader that takes it on. And I think he’ll take this on as well,” Presti said.

With the rising salary cap, there is no real incentive for a max-level player like Westbrook to sign an extension, since he can easily make more money as an unrestricted free agent. Oklahoma City will have plenty of cap space next summer, as only Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler have guaranteed deals beyond next season.

Northwest Notes: Durant, Westbrook, Dixon

June 19th, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agency won’t be the only item on Kevin Durant‘s summer schedule, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The former MVP plans to be part of the U.S. Olympic team and may be the biggest name on a roster that has already lost Stephen Curry, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Stein reports that Durant is considered a sure thing for the team, along with Klay Thompson and Paul George. They will join DeMarcus Cousins, whose participation was first reported by Marc Spears of The Undefeated. Kyrie Irving is considered almost certain to join the team, while officials are waiting to hear from LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. The full 12-man roster is expected to be announced soon.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Westbrook is making a smart decision to skip the Summer Games, contends Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. With Rio de Janeiro beset by a financial crisis, reports of drug-resistant super bacteria on the beaches and possibly the Zika virus present, Tramel believes that presents too many risks for NBA players.
At age 38, Nazr Mohammed has probably played his last NBA game, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. Mohammed signed with the Thunder in March, but appeared in just five games and served mostly as a mentor to younger players, in particular giving defensive tips to Enes Kanter. Mohammed said he won’t try to play again next season and would like to someday become a GM. “That’s my five-year, 10-year plan,” he said. “To one day run my own organization.”
Mike Dixon Jr. has received a passport from the nation of Georgia and will participate in the Blazers‘ free agent camp Monday, reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Dixon was a senior at Memphis in 2014 and played in the Czech Republic this season.
The Nuggets are facing an unpredictable draft with three picks in the first round, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Dempsey lists shooting, shot blocking and toughness as Denver’s top needs and speculates that a significant roster shakeup could happen by draft night.

And-Ones: Murray, Bogdanovic, Miller, Zipser

June 11th, 2016 at 9:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

After being rated 16th among points guards in his high school class, Washington’s Dejounte Murray may be the third one taken in the NBA draft, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Murray had a solo workout for the Suns on Friday, shortly after a session with the Jazz. He will also work out for the Bulls, Bucks and Pelicans before draft day arrives. “He’s not afraid to mix it up,” said Phoenix GM Ryan McDonough. “He’s not afraid of contact for a thin guy. He’s got a bright future. He’s probably one of the top point guard prospects in the draft.”

Here’s more news from around the NBA:

Phoenix is waiting for Bogdan Bogdanovic’s Turkish league playoffs to end before talking about his plans for next season, Coro reveals in the same piece. The Suns‘ 2014 first-round pick, Bogdanovic is in the league finals with Fenerbahce.
With Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and James Harden announcing they won’t participate in the Olympics, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo may add another point guard to the roster, writes Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press. Chris Paul and John Wall have already been ruled out because of injuries, so Team USA is left with Kyrie Irving, Mike Conley and Damian Lillard.
Quincy Miller, who played with three teams during his three-year NBA career, will sign with Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops. Miller will receive $2.6MM over two seasons with an opt-out clause for the NBA next summer. He won ABA League and Serbian championships this season with Crvena Zvezda. Miller was drafted by Denver in 2012 and spent his first two seasons with the Nuggets. His last NBA experience came in brief stints with the Kings and Pistons in 2014/15.
German star Paul Zipser had a standout performance at today’s adidas Eurocamp, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. The 6’8″ small forward has several private workouts scheduled with NBA teams and has a chance to be drafted late in the first round or early in the second round.

Western Notes: Howard, Felton, Thomas

May 26th, 2016 at 6:55pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Rockets guard Jason Terry doesn’t believe that center Dwight Howard is a lock to opt out of his deal this summer and test free agency, as he told Justin Termine and Eddie Johnson on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “He has yet to opt out,” Terry said. “Again, it’s just going to depend on if you get the right coach in there. At this point in his career, he’s not going to be the focal point offensively. They’ve made that clear. He’s gonna have to, if he remains in Houston, buy into the role fully, commit himself to setting screens, rebounding, running the floor, blocking shots and working on his free throws, obviously.” Terry’s comments were made prior to the reports that Mike D’Antoni would be the team’s new head coach, which may significantly impact Howard’s thinking given the two did not mesh well together in Los Angeles.

Here’s more from out West:

The Mavericks could benefit by re-signing Raymond Felton this summer after his solid 2015/16 campaign, though the team should only do so if he is willing to accept the salary of a backup player, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. Felton made 80 appearances this season, including 30 starts, and he averaged 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 27.4 minutes per outing.
Former NBA player Adonis Thomas will attend mini-camps with the Rockets, Spurs and Jazz, his agent Travis King informed Jorge Sierra of Hoops Hype (Twitter link). The 23-year-old swingman appeared in six games during the 2013/14 campaign for the Sixers and Magic.
If Kevin Durant leaves the Thunder as a free agent this offseason, he will also be leaving behind Russell Westbrook, whose presence has played a significant part in Durant’s success thus far in his career, Ben Alamar of ESPN.com writes.

Thunder Notes: Durant, Free Agency, Adams

May 8th, 2016 at 11:54am CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant, who is expected to be the most sought-after name on this summer’s free agent market, respects David West for passing up millions to pursue an NBA title, relays Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. West declined a $12.6MM option with the Pacers last year and signed with the Spurs for the $1.5MM veteran’s minimum. The move raised eyebrows around the league, but Durant found it admirable. “Money isn’t everything in this life,” Durant said. “I know we tend to think about taking care of your family and being financially stable, but from the outside looking in, it looked like he said, ‘I’ve been blessed enough to make X amount of dollars, and I want to be happy chasing something that is the grand prize in this league.’”

There’s more news from Oklahoma City:

The Thunder are the favorites to keep Durant, but their chances would decline if they can’t get past the Spurs, writes Mark Heisler of The Los Angeles Daily News. That largely falls in with a Friday report from Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Heisler expects Durant to sign a one-year deal with Oklahoma City or possibly a two-year pact with an opt-out clause for next summer. That will enable him to earn about $40MM more and time his free agency with Russell Westbrook‘s. “I think he’s going to test the water,” said former Thunder teammate and current Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie, “but at the end of the day, Oklahoma City is something dear to his heart.” In order, Heisler lists the Spurs, Warriors, Wizards, Clippers, Knicks and Lakers as the top contenders if Durant does decide to leave OKC.
Because he was drafted with a pick the Thunder received in the James Harden trade, Steven Adams has been dealing with huge expectations from the start of his NBA career, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Adams averaged 8.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this year while splitting time at center with Enes Kanter. Before the start of last season, Oklahoma City picked up Adams’ $3,140,517 option for 2016/17. “He’s not easily impressed, he doesn’t take things too seriously,” said teammate Nick Collison. “I think that’s the culture from his background. He’s all about, ‘Get over yourself.’ He didn’t grow up with the dream to play in the NBA, and it shows.”

Northwest Notes: Donovan, Jazz, Barton

May 3rd, 2016 at 6:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Thunder coach Billy Donovan made a successful transition from the college coaching ranks to the NBA this season, with Oklahoma City notching a 55-27 record for the season. Donovan, reflecting on his rookie campaign, chalks up much of his success to film study and input from a number of current NBA coaches, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. “I watched an enormous amount of NBA film in the preseason and an enormous amount in the playoffs,” Donovan told Zillgitt. “I always felt from an NBA perspective, just because of the amount of time coaches spend on the game, they’re a lot further along than college coaches in terms of the nuances.”

Donovan also offered up praise for Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, noting that without their willingness to sacrifice, the team’s offense wouldn’t be effective, Zillgitt adds. “The one thing that helps with that is that Kevin and Russell are unselfish players,” Donovan said. “I know they score a lot of points. I know they get recognized for their ability to play isolation basketball. Sometimes they get criticized for it, and I’ve never really understood it because they’re willing passers. When you’re a willing passer, that’s what you’re looking for as a coach. We have to play to our identity and because Russell and Kevin are so good offensively, we give them that opportunity to beat their man. That’s a good thing. You need to be able to take advantage of that as a coach and let them take advantage of it as a player.”

Here’s more out of the Northwest Division:

The Jazz have predraft workouts scheduled on Wednesday with Wyoming guard Josh Adams, Louisiana Tech guard Alex Hamilton, Fairfield small forward Marcus Gilbert, Texas A&M swingman Jalen Jones, Arkansas-Little Rock point guard Josh Hagins and Utah small forward Jordan Loveridge, the team announced.
Nuggets swingman Will Barton had a strong 2015/16 campaign that saw him notch career-highs in scoring (14.4 points), field-goal percentage (43.2%), 3-point percentage (34.5%) and rebounds per game (5.8), but the 25-year-old needs to improve his defense and reduce his turnovers if he hopes to continue to progress as a player, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. Barton is signed for only about $3.5MM each of the next two seasons.