MARCH 3: Brewer’s signing with the Thunder is official, per the NBA’s official transactions log.
MARCH 1, 10:39am: Brewer has committed to sign with the Thunder once he clears waivers, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Brewer talked to Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan and GM Sam Presti and considered three Eastern Conference teams before deciding.
FEBRUARY 28, 6:50pm: Brewer is likely to sign with the Thunder after all, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Lakers officially waived Brewer earlier today, meaning the veteran swingman will be free to sign a contract with Oklahoma City as early as Friday.
3:03pm: One source tells David Aldridge of TNT (Twitter link) that while the Thunder are definitely in the mix for Brewer, the veteran is more likely to land with an Eastern Conference team.
10:44am: Amick (via Twitter) adds the Jazz and Pelicans to the list of teams that could also be in the mix for Brewer, noting that several of the teams he has mentioned are also keeping an eye on the Trevor Booker situation in Philadelphia.
10:28am: The Lakers and veteran swingman Corey Brewer have reportedly reached an agreement on a buyout, which means he could become a free agent as soon as Friday. When Brewer does hit the open market, a deal with the Thunder is a “serious possibility,” according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
As Wojnarowski notes, the ex-Gator is likely to be drawn to Oklahoma City by the presence of his former coach at Florida, Billy Donovan, who is now the Thunder’s head coach. Even aside from the Donovan connection, Brewer would be a logical fit for OKC, since the team has been on the lookout for one more option on the wing since Andre Roberson‘s injury, tweets ESPN’s Royce Young.
While the Thunder may be the frontrunners for Brewer, he’ll talk to other teams too, per Wojnarowski. The 31-year-old is unlikely to rush his decision, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, who tweets that the Cavaliers, Wizards, Trail Blazers, and Bucks have also shown interest. Amick adds that Brewer – averaging a career-low 12.9 minutes per game this season – will be seeking a “legit role,” which figures to impact his decision.
Although several playoff teams have already been linked to Brewer, his mediocre outside shot (.280 career 3PT%) will limit his appeal to some contenders. For instance, he’s not likely to be a fit for the Raptors, notes Josh Lewenberg of TSN (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets that Minnesota has “kicked the tires” on the former Timberwolf, but says not to count on a reunion.
OKC just needs an athletic wing, this guy can fly down the floor and finish on fastbreaks. His defense would be welcomed also, on a team like the Lakers he won’t shoot the ball or get into much of a rhythm with the minutes he was given there. I would like to think Billy Donovan would give him at least 15 minutes a night considering they are stripped of athletic wings. Jerami Grant has been solid but can’t shoot, at least Brewer is an outside threat and can defend 1-3.
He also played under Donovan in college so it would be a great fit.
Grant, despite being smaller than Paul George is a kind of slashing 4, small-ball 5. There are no similarities/substitutions with him and Brewer.
Brewer can’t shoot the three either, and can’t guard the point.
He does provide a running-mate for Westbrook, and a bit of vet savvy over the much more talented Huestis. He won’t/shouldn’t start.
The article talked about the Donovan connection, no need to over-emphasise.
unless he hated playing for him….
Eastern conference team? Washington? Miami? Detroit?
Conspiracy theory: the Lakers are sending in Brewer to recruit PG. You heard it here first
Magic gets fined for tampering, yet a player under contract asks for his release because of a strong likelihood hood to sign with a playoff team/OKC…
What does one have to do with the other
There are no tampering rules for players
If I was a team competing with the Thunder, say Minnesota, what would stop me from claiming him on waivers just to keep him away from the Thunder? Especially since you know that is where he is going after he clears.
Brewer’s cap hit is $7,579,366, so a team wanting to claim him would need to have enough cap room to accommodate that salary (which no contender does) or a trade exception or disabled player exception large enough to accommodate it (which very few contenders do). Even if Brewer’s contract was more cap-friendly and allowed for an easier waiver claim, it’s probably bad business for a team to do so, since you’d anger the player and (more importantly) the agent, which could have ramifications down the line.
Plus he sucks at basketball so why would Minnesota even want him?
Hot take
Brewer being bad at basketball is the coldest of takes. Everyone has known this for a while.