- Big man Steven Adams and his Thunder head coach, Billy Donovan, have spent time bonding in Adams’ native New Zealand, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman writes. “For me, there’s an incredible power with a group of people that are connected in what they’re doing,” Donovan said. “I feel like my job, my role, my responsibility – whether it be during the season or in the offseason – is to try and create those connections. Because if we’re all unified, connected and moving in the right direction, it has a chance to be something really powerful.“
Enes Kanter holds a player option worth slightly over $18.62MM for the 2018/19 campaign and the center is expected to exercise it, according to Fred Katz of the Norman Transcript (Twitter link). A source close to the situation told Katz that it would be shocking if Kanter opts to become a free agent after this season.
Kanter signed a four-year, $70MM offer sheet with the Blazers back in the summer of 2015 when he was a restricted free agent. The Thunder then matched the offer despite the presence of a blossoming Steven Adams on the roster. Heading into this offseason, some speculated that Kanter could be on the move, as Oklahoma City had a surplus of big men. No trade materialized and the Turkey native is slated to begin the season as the team’s backup five.
Kanter played in 72 games for OKC last season, coming off the bench in each one. He scored 14.3 points and grabbed 6.7 rebounds per game and sported an excellent 23.7 player efficiency rating during the regular season. However, he struggled mightily on the defensive end during the playoffs, prompting coach Billy Donovan to play him in only 45 minutes of action during the team’s five postseason games.
As Doug McDermott prepares for his first full season with the Thunder, he knows that he will have to improve, writes Nick Gallo of NBA.com. “I try to add something each summer because I don’t want to stay the same player,” McDermott said. “I feel like I can still get a lot better.”
McDermott will need to be a more dynamic threat. The forward must take better advantage of post-up opportunities, as he did in high school and college. “I’m just more than a spot-up shooter. I know I can move without the ball, and I think that just puts more pressure on them, and it can open up more things for everyone out there,” McDermott explained.
“The way the league is trending, it’s getting smaller with a lot of small ball and guys that can really spread the floor regardless of their position. I feel like I’m just a basketball player,” McDermott added. “I’m excited after talking with Coach Donovan. We’ve got a great facility here, and it’s a great city, too, so I plan on bouncing around a little bit, having some fun, but also coming here ready to work.”
Here’s more from the Northwest division:
- Of all the teams trading for superstar players this offseason, the Thunder gave up the least in return, argues Berry Tramel of NewsOK.com. Tramel looks at the Paul George trade, as well as the deals involving Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, and Kyrie Irving, and the scribe pronounces that the Thunder traded away the least value.
- Mike Jensen of Philly.com profiles Nuggets veteran point guard Jameer Nelson, focusing on what it takes to thrive in the NBA at Nelson’s advanced age of 35 years old. Nelson’s boxing training has helped him stay in peak physical condition. “He’s in better shape than the first five years I trained him,’’ Nelson’s trainer said, adding that Nelson picked up boxing part “like it was walking.”
- The Trail Blazers have named Jesse Ellis the new Director of Player Health and Performance. “The addition of Jesse is another step toward developing the finest health and performance staff in the NBA,” said general manager Neil Olshey.
The G League held its expansion draft to accommodate for the association’s four new franchises and Chris Reichert of 2 Ways, 10 Days has broken down the results, recapping the nuances of the developmental league’s various processes.
As Reichert lays out, teams made their bids for each player’s returning rights for a period of two seasons. What that means is that the G League clubs will effectively reserve those players should they ever find themselves back in the league. Many currently ply their trade either for NBA squads or for teams overseas.
The current NBA crop selected in the G League expansion draft is headlined by Sean Kilpatrick and Okaro White. The big league rotation players, however, are unlikely to return to the G League, at least in 2017/18, rendering them ineffective selections.
There’s more from around the NBA:
- Speaking of G League peculiarities, the Oklahoma City Blue (the G League affiliate of the Thunder) made a trade with the SLC Stars (Jazz affiliate) for the rights to Marcus Paige but, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer explains, Paige will actually suit up for the Greensboro Swarm (Hornets affiliate). Earlier this month the Hornets signed Paige to a two-way deal and that supersedes whichever team owns his G League rights.
- With one more year left on his suspension, former Bucks guard O.J. Mayo could consider a gig in the G League, Adam Johnson of 2 Ways, 10 Days opines. There is, however, no guarantee that he would be permitted to do so.
- It’s been a decade since he coached the Rockets, which makes Jeff Van Gundy‘s return to the bench with Team USA all that much more exciting. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN recently spoke with Van Gundy about his role with the USA Basketball World Cup qualifying team.
The introduction of the designated veteran player extension in the new collective bargaining agreement has forced Russell Westbrook to re-evaluate his future, writes Royce Young of ESPN.
The DVPE didn’t exist last summer when Westbrook agreed to a three-year extension with a player option for the final season. His plan, Young explains, was to get two more years of service to become a 10-year veteran, which qualifies him for an extension worth up to 35% of the salary cap, then make a long-term decision in 2018.
But Westbrook became retroactively eligible for the new extension option and can make that decision now if he chooses. The Thunder formally made a max offer almost two months ago worth $207MM over five years. Westbrook has until October 16, the day before the season starts, to accept the deal.
The Thunder would like an answer this summer, but other than long-term security there is no advantage to Westbrook from signing right away. As a 10-year vet in 2018, he can receive the same money, although he could opt for a shorter contract, while the DPVE is locked in at five years.
Thunder officials may be getting nervous after watching Kevin Durant walk away last summer, but Young says the team is giving no thought to trading Westbrook if he lets the offer expire. Likewise, there hasn’t been any indication that the reigning MVP is giving consideration to signing elsewhere if he hits free agency again.
With Michael Winger headed to the Clippers to become L.A.’s new general manager, the Thunder will once again have to replace a departing executive. As Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman observes, Rich Cho and Rob Hennigan previously left the organization to become GMs with new teams. It’s not yet clear who will replace Winger as assistant GM for the Thunder, but Dawson notes that there are internal options in the front office if GM Sam Presti doesn’t want to make an outside hire.
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- With Presti having delivered a significant offseason acquisition in the form of Paul George, the pressure in Oklahoma City may now shift to head coach Billy Donovan, who will be tasked with building on last season’s 47-win showing. Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman spoke with Donovan about the new challenges facing him and the Thunder this season.
- Erik Horne of The Oklahoman examines whether the addition of George has had an impact on 2017/18 ticket sales for the Thunder.
- Besides Sixers draftee Anzejs Pasecniks, who will play overseas in 2017/18, Terrance Ferguson was the last of this year’s first-round picks to sign with his new NBA team. The fact that Ferguson played in Australia rather than in the NCAA last season contributed to that delay, and as Jonathan Givony of ESPN notes (via Twitter), it also cost the Thunder a little money — OKC paid the Adelaide 36ers a small buyout in order to free up Ferguson.
After having offered their general manager position to Michael Winger several days ago, the Clippers have now reached an agreement to bring the Thunder executive aboard as the team’s new GM, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, Winger will get a multiyear contract from Los Angeles.
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Winger’s hiring is one move in a series of changes to the Clippers’ front office this month. The overhaul began in early August when the team announced that it was removing Doc Rivers‘ president of basketball operations title, allowing him to retain a voice in the front office but to focus primarily on coaching.
Executive VP of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was elevated to the top front office role to replace Rivers, and the Clips have since committed to filling out the front office with more seasoned executives. Winger, who will report to Frank, was the assistant general manager in Oklahoma City, where he worked closely with GM Sam Presti over the last several years. The Clippers have also agreed to hire former Cavaliers executive Trent Redden, who will be L.A.’s new assistant GM.
Winger had been a key voice in the OKC front office under Presti, along with Troy Weaver, so the Thunder figure to promote or hire a replacement to fill his role in the not-too-distant future.
Thunder executive Michael Winger has received an offer to become the new GM of the Clippers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who adds that the deal is expected to be finalized soon.
Winger, 37, currently serves as both assistant GM and team counsel for Oklahoma City and has been with the organization for the past seven years. He also spent five years with the Cavaliers and is viewed as one of the league’s top young executives, Wojnarowski adds.
As Clippers GM, Winger would report to Lawrence Frank, who was appointed president of basketball operations in a front office shakeup ealier this month that saw Doc Rivers reassigned to strictly coaching duties.
NBA teams have about two more weeks to apply the stretch provision to the 2017/18 cap hits for players they waive. After August 31, teams will no longer be eligible to stretch salaries for the coming season, and the stretch provision will only apply to future seasons on a player’s contract.
The stretch provision is a CBA rule that allows teams to stretch a player’s remaining salary across additional seasons. For July and August, the rule dictates that a team can pay out the player’s salary over twice the number of years remaining on his contract, plus one. So a contract with three years left on it could be stretched out over seven years. After August 31, only the future years on the contract can be stretched in that manner.
In practical terms, here’s what that means for a player who is earning $6MM in each of the next two years ($12MM total):
| Year | Current contract | Stretched by August 31 | Stretched after August 31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | $6,000,000 | $2,400,000 | $6,000,000 |
| 2018/19 | $6,000,000 | $2,400,000 | $2,000,000 |
| 2019/20 | – | $2,400,000 | $2,000,000 |
| 2020/21 | – | $2,400,000 | $2,000,000 |
| 2021/22 | – | $2,400,000 |
In some cases, it can be advantageous to wait until September to waive a player and use the stretch provision. If a team isn’t close to the tax line and can’t clear additional cap room by stretching a player’s current-year salary, it may make more sense to be patient, since that extra immediate cap room wouldn’t be useful.
However, there are several teams around the NBA who may be motivated to waive and stretch players prior to that August 31 deadline. Here are five stretch provision candidates to keep an eye on during the next couple weeks:
Russell Westbrook and Paul George will be teammates for the first time in the NBA this upcoming season after George was traded to the Thunder earlier this offseason. Just like any other superstar duo in NBA history, it will take time for both players to get acclimated to each other on and off the court. The duo got a head start after having their first workout together on Monday at a UCLA gym with four Oklahoma City teammates, ESPN’s Royce Young writes.
Young noted that Monday’s workout was the second organized by Westbrook this summer but George was unable to attend the first one due to a pre-planned vacation. Monday’s acclimation was the first of many steps for the reigning MVP and George to become comfortable; George addressed the importance of establishing a chemistry with his new teammates during his introductory press conference.
“Right now, it’s taking it as it comes,” George said (via ESPN). “We have a fresh start, and a chance to do something special is really the first thing that comes to mind. I’m not looking past 2017-18, we haven’t accomplished nothing yet. When it comes to that, when I get there, we’ll address that, but right now me and [Westbrook] have something to build now, and we’ll see where it takes us. It could be something that’s special that we build and want to continue on building.”
Read up on other news around the Northwest Division:
- Roster turnover in Utah has left the future of the Jazz in flux and that includes 24-year-old Rodney Hood, Benjamin Mehic of The Deseret News writes. The departure of Gordon Hayward has left a major void, which Hood, a player the Jazz believe can be a scoring weapon, could fill seamlessly. However, a poor season could end Hood’s run in Utah as the team prepares for the future.
- In a Q&A with Donnovan Bennett of Sportsnet, Canada native Jamal Murray answered a series of questions pertaining to undergoing surgery on his core muscles, his recent travels, and his expectations for the Nuggets during the 2017/18 season.
- In a lengthy feature, James Blancarte of Basketball Insiders recaps the Timberwolves‘ active offseason, which included a major trade (Jimmy Butler) and free agency signings (Jeff Teague, Jamal Crawford). With a strong core that already includes Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, the team is poised for a strong season.