Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Teams With Open Roster Spots

October 19th, 2017 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

For the first time, NBA teams are permitted to carry up to 17 players this season. In addition to carrying up to 15 players to the NBA roster, teams can add two more players on two-way contracts. The rule changes related to roster sizes have allowed teams to maintain a little extra flexibility, and many clubs are taking advantage of that added flexibility to open the season, carrying the full 17 players.

Several teams still have open roster spots though, affording those clubs a different kind of flexibility. A team carrying only 14 NBA players, for instance, has the opportunity to sign a free agent or add a player in a trade at any time without waiving anyone, all the while avoiding paying for a 15th man who almost certainly won’t see much playing time.

With the help of our roster count page and our two-way contract tracker, here’s a breakdown of the teams that have at least one open NBA or two-way spot on their rosters:

Teams carrying just 14 NBA contracts:

Boston Celtics
Charlotte Hornets
Detroit Pistons
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Minnesota Timberwolves
Oklahoma City Thunder
Portland Trail Blazers

It makes sense that a few of these teams would avoid carrying a 15th man to open the season. The Rockets, Thunder, and Trail Blazers are all taxpayers, and teams like the Clippers and Hornets are close enough to the tax threshold that avoiding a 15th salary is logical. Among these clubs, the Celtics seem like perhaps the best bet to fill their final roster opening soon, now that the team has likely lost Gordon Hayward for the season.

Teams carrying just one two-way contract:

Atlanta Hawks
Houston Rockets
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New York Knicks
Portland Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers don’t currently have a G League affiliate of their own, but the other five teams on this list do, so that’s probably not the reason Portland has waited to fill its second two-way slot. In all likelihood, these six teams will add a second two-way player in time for G League training camps, which open next week. The season tips off on November 3.

George Sickened While Watching Hayward's Injury

October 18th, 2017 at 10:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Thunder forward Paul George said he felt “nauseous” watching the injury to the Celtics’ Gordon Hayward Tuesday night, relays Royce Young of ESPN. George went through a similar experience in 2014, fracturing the tibia and fibula in his right leg while playing for Team USA in an exhibition game. “It just brought me back to Vegas and when it happened to me, my incident,” George said. “Immediately I felt devastated. I was like nauseous watching it, just going back to that place. Immediately after it happened I texted Gordon. We talked last night. I just tried to give him words of encouragement, just tried to be there for him.” George missed almost an entire season after his injury, returning for the final six games.

Carmelo Anthony Talks Phil Jackson, Trade, OKC

October 18th, 2017 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

In advance of a Thursday night matchup against his old team, Carmelo Anthony spoke this week about the trade that sent him from the Knicks to the Thunder, with both Marc Stein of The New York Times and Fred Kerber of The New York Post passing along the forward’s thoughts. While Anthony says he holds “no grudge” against the Knicks, he acknowledges he wasn’t thrilled with the way Phil Jackson handled his situation earlier this year, calling Jackson’s behavior “hurtful.”

“I was always … going to put my trust in Phil,” Anthony said, per Kerber. “That diminished after a while. I’m out here doing everything I can, and I’m still getting stabbed in the back. I’m not trusting in that anymore. I’m trusting in these guys (teammates) that are out here. Whoever’s out here, this is who I’m dealing with.”

As Anthony explains to Stein, he had a nagging sense that Jackson was trying to force him out of New York, which dampened his devotion to the Knicks. Jackson – who was willing “to trade me for a bag of chips,” according to Carmelo – was eventually ousted as the club’s president of basketball operations. At that point, the Knicks went, in Anthony’s words, “from asking for peanuts to asking for steak” in trade talks.

With Jackson gone and Steve Mills and Scott Perry taking a harder line in trade negotiations, the odds of a deal with the Rockets declined. Still, Anthony felt that bridges had been burned in New York, and remained committed to finding a trade that worked.

“I think at that point it was too far gone,” Anthony said. “I already had in my mind that I wanted to win, that I wanted to move on. We didn’t think it would take as long as it did, but my mind was already made up.”

As for his eventual destination, Anthony admits to Stein that his 10-year-old son Kiran was among those who sold him on Oklahoma City as his new NBA home.

“My son has a basketball mind,” Anthony said. “So I will always throw little topics at him. He was like, ‘Dad, where you getting traded to?’ I told him, ‘I don’t know, where do you think I should go?’ He said: ‘You really want me to give you my opinion? I think you should go to OKC.'”

Thunder Sign P.J. Dozier To Two-Way Deal

October 17th, 2017 at 12:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

OCTOBER 17: The Thunder have officially signed Dozier to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

OCTOBER 16: The Thunder are in talks with guard P.J. Dozier on a two-way contract after he cleared waivers on Monday, ESPN’s Royce Young tweets.

The Mavericks waived the 6’6” rookie on Saturday. He went undrafted after playing two seasons at South Carolina. Doziers played for the Lakers’ Summer League team in July before receiving a partially guaranteed contract from the Mavs.

In three preseason games with the Mavs, Dozier averaged 5.7 PPG and 2.3 RPG. Dozier averaged 13.9 PPG and 4.8 RPG last season for the Gamecocks.

Swingman Daniel Hamilton received the first of the two allotted two-way contracts with the Thunder.

Thunder Cut Semaj Christon, Isaiah Canaan, Others

October 14th, 2017 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have made their roster cuts in advance of the regular season, announcing in a press release that four players will hit the waiver wire. Oklahoma City has parted with points guards Semaj Christon and Isaiah Canaan, as well as center Yannis Morin and forward Chris Wright.

Morin and Wright were never considered likely to make the Thunder’s 15-man regular season roster. Both were signed earlier this week with the apparent intent of eventually having them join the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate.

As for Christon and Canaan, it’s interesting that the Thunder chose to waive both players. The team’s four cuts bring the roster count down to 15 players, but one of those 15 is on a two-way contract, so OKC could have kept either Christon or Canaan. Instead, the franchise – which is well over the tax line – appears set to save some money and maintain some flexibility by starting the season with just 14 players.

Christon, Canaan, Morin, and Wright will become unrestricted free agents on Monday if and when they clears waivers.

Thunder Will Need To Manage Touches In Clutch

October 13th, 2017 at 6:59pm CST by Austin Kent

The Thunder have three players who’ve grown used to getting the final shot over the course of long, impressive careers. Now, Royce Young of ESPN writes, they’ll have to figure out who gets the ball when the game is on the line.

While Russell Westbrook was the painfully obvious choice last season, he’s joined on the Thunder by Carmelo Anthony and Paul George. Both Anthony and George have traditionally been the focal point of their teams’ offenses and were often the go-to options down the stretch, the latter even going so far as to lambaste former teammate C.J. Miles for taking a last-second shot in the playoffs last spring.

“Carmelo’s been a closeout guy the places he’s been, the same thing with Paul. But any time you have a team you have to do it by finding the open man,” Thunder head coach Billy Donovan said. “Clearly for us last year, somebody creating and generating a shot for himself or someone else, it was Russell. But obviously now with Carmelo and Paul being here, I think it’s about making the right play and right decision.”

One knock on the Thunder in the past has been their reliance on isolation basketball when the game is on the long. Considering the roster balance last season, that style of play was more or less expected. With a number of legitimate offensive threats in 2017/18, however, the expectations for ball movement – and making sound decisions – should rise.

Thunder Sign Yannis Morin, Chris Wright

October 11th, 2017 at 4:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have inked a pair of players to contracts, announcing in a press release that center Yannis Morin and forward Chris Wright have been added to the roster. Having waived three players earlier today, Oklahoma City has already filled two of those newly-created openings, bringing the roster count back up to 19.

Morin, a 24-year-old French center, reached a reported agreement with the Thunder way back in July, but the team didn’t make it official until now. He’ll likely be ticketed for the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League as an affiliate player.

Wright, a Dayton alum, is a good bet to head to the G League as well. He signed with the Thunder a year ago and eventually joined the Blue when the G League season began, so OKC still holds his returning rights.

Thunder Waive Alford, Brown, Thomas

October 11th, 2017 at 12:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have waived three players from their preseason roster, announcing today in a press release that guard Bryce Alford, guard Markel Brown, and forward Rashawn Thomas are no longer part of the squad.

Alford, Brown, and Thomas all received training camp invitations from the Thunder, but didn’t appear in a game during the preseason. There’s a good chance that the trio will end up playing for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. Alford and Thomas are particularly well positioned to head to the Blue, since they’re rookies whose G League rights haven’t been claimed by another team.

Following today’s roster moves, the Thunder still have 17 players under contract, with one of those 17 on a two-way deal. The club will have to make at least one more cut to its NBA roster before the regular season begins, and that decision figures to come down to Isaiah Canaan or Semaj Christon.

Northwest Notes: George, Nurkic, Nuggets, Wolves

October 11th, 2017 at 8:38am CST by marksuleymanov

Paul George loves the excitement in Oklahoma City, especially with the reigning Most Valuable Player, Russell Westbrook, and 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony on the same team. Chris Mannix of The Vertical writes that George is optimistic and has found a comfort zone with the Thunder. Yet, the ex-Pacer simultaneously wants head coach Billy Donovan to put him in uncomfortable situations as a challenge.

A Los Angeles native, George has been rumored to join his hometown Lakers for a while. There were rumblings all offseason that George’s goal is to end up home in California — whether it was this season or when he hits free agency next summer. However, George tells Mannix that L.A. isn’t on his mind as he focuses on succeeding with the Thunder.

“I’m committed here, we’re all committed,” George said. “We want this to happen and we want this to work really well. Once we get on the court, it’s been like magic. We understand one another, we have a feel for one another, we know each other’s games so well. We want to make the most out of it, to be in the best position to succeed.”

George and the Thunder may be in a position where they have a one-year window before he departs for his home team. But he has made it clear he wants to win before he makes any long-term decisions.

Below you can check out other news around the Northwest Division:

Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic will miss the team’s Wednesday game against Phoenix due to a concussion, and may end up sitting out the rest of the preseason, writes Mike Richman of The Oregonian. Nurkic is eligible for an extension up until October 16, so by the time he takes the floor next for Portland, he may have a new deal in hand or be preparing to play out a contract year.
ESPN’s Micah Adams writes that the Nuggets‘ blueprint to build a championship contending team is eerily similar to how the Warriors went from Western Conference contender to budding dynasty.
Veteran Jameer Nelson is back in the competition for the Nuggets‘ starting point guard job after battling a toe injury, Gina Mizell of The Denver Post writes.
Timberwolves‘ head coach Tom Thibodeau has a roster with several players he coached in Chicago with the Bulls, which has made for a comfortable environment, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune writes.

Thunder Notes: Westbrook, Christon, Grant

October 10th, 2017 at 5:57pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Russell Westbrook, who finds himself playing alongside two perennial All-Stars after GM Sam Presti made a pair of offseason trades, doesn’t believe chemistry will be an issue, as Erik Horne of The Oklahoman relays.

“I think one thing [that’s] key for everybody to know, especially you guys … you guys keep asking about the chemistry every damn day … we’re gonna get it together,” Westbrook said to the local media in OKC. “It’s a season-long thing. It’s not gonna happen overnight…We’re professionals. This is something we obviously want to see work and make it happen, so it’s gonna be a process.”

Here’s more on the Thunder:

Semaj Christon, whose contract will become guaranteed on October 15, may be the favorite for the team’s final roster spot, as his energy and defensive ability makes him popular among the coaching staff, Brett Dawson of the Oklahoman writes. Isaiah Canaan could always steal that last spot, though it’s worth noting that the point guard didn’t play in the Thunder’s final two preseason games.
Coach Billy Donovan hasn’t yet had an opportunity to sit down with the front office to discuss the 15th roster spot, Dawson passes along in the same piece. “Sam [Presti] and the front office, they’re always trying to figure out and find ways to help improve our team, and I totally trust that,” Donovan said. “When we get a chance to sit down and talk about that and discuss that, we will. But right now, there hasn’t been time.”
The Thunder are thin at the center position with Steven Adams as the team’s only proven option, Dawson contends in a separate piece. OKC’s lack of depth likely means Jerami Grant will see time at five this season. Donovan has faith that Grant can protect the paint in a situational role. “Jerami is strong, he’s got length,” Donovan said. “He may not necessarily have the size or the height of a center, but he’s got the length to be able to alter and challenge shots. He’s a really good rim protector.”