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Thunder Exercise Team Option On Jerami Grant

June 28th, 2017 at 8:15am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder have officially exercised their 2017/18 team option on forward Jerami Grant, according to RealGM’s transactions log. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter) first reported that Oklahoma City would be picking up the option, which is worth a modest $1,524,305, Grant’s minimum salary.

[RELATED: NBA Team Option Decisions For 2017/18]

Grant, 23, spent his first two NBA seasons in Philadelphia, but was traded from the Sixers to the Thunder early in the 2016/17 season in a deal for a protected first-round pick. After the trade, Grant appeared in 78 games for Oklahoma City, averaging 5.4 PPG and 2.6 RPG with a .469/.377/.619 shooting line.

If the Thunder had opted to turn down Grant’s option, he would have been eligible for restricted free agency, since he only has three years of NBA experience under his belt. Instead, he’ll remain under contract for one more year and then will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2018.

Grant’s option was technically the only one on Oklahoma City’s books for the ’17/18 season, though the team will also have to make a decision soon on point guard Semaj Christon. Christon has a non-guaranteed salary that will become fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster beyond July 8.

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Thunder Notes: Westbrook, Draft, Roberson

June 27th, 2017 at 10:47pm CST by marksuleymanov

Russell Westbrook was honored as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player on Monday after a historic season in which he averaged a triple-double, the first player to do since Oscar Robertson in 1961/62. Royce Young of ESPN writes that Westbrook’s crowning moment was the crescendo of a complete change in his on and off-court demeanor.

A lot changed from 2016 to 2017: Westbrook’s co-star Kevin Durant departed for Golden State, Westbrook became the team’s go-to player, and rumors surrounding his possible departure became hot topic in the NBA and a possible nightmare for Thunder fans. The Thunder now have the option of offering Westbrook a mega deal for five years worth over $200MM. The outspoken Westbrook told reporters, including Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman, after receiving his award that his contractual situation was the last thing on his mind.

“Man, tonight is so important for me, and obviously with the contract and stuff coming up, it’s not really on my mind at the moment honestly,” Westbrook said. “I’m just overwhelmed with a tremendous amount of blessings I’ve been able to get to be able to get this award. Man, I’m just thinking about tonight, and then after that, I’ll move on.”

However, as Young mentioned, Westbrook needing to average a triple-double, while impressive, is not conducive to advancing younger talent or keeping Westbrook sharp. If the mercurial star stays in Oklahoma City, it will need to facilitate a culture where the entire team — not one player — are a part of the offense.

Here are some more notes surrounding the Thunder:

  • Although Westbrook wasn’t eager to discuss a potential extension after winning the MVP, Young writes in his piece that those close to the star point guard expect him to accept an extension offer from the Thunder. That offer may come right when the clock strikes midnight on the morning of July 1, according to Young.
  • Thunder general manager Sam Presti told Dawson (via Twitter) that the team tried to trade into the second round of last week’s draft, but nothing materialized.
  • It’s been a big week for Andre Roberson, who was named to the All-Defensive team on Monday and also received a qualifying offer that will make him a restricted free agent this summer. Having heard from some critics who questioned his spot on the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team, Roberson took to Twitter on Tuesday to tell those critics to “check the numbers.”
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Caldwell-Pope, Roberson Receive Qualifying Offers

June 26th, 2017 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Two more players will officially become restricted free agents when the new NBA league year begins on July 1. According to RealGM’s transactions log, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Andre Roberson have received qualifying offers from the Pistons and Thunder, respectively.

Caldwell-Pope, the eighth overall pick in the 2013 draft, is coming off a 2016/17 season in which he averaged 13.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 2.5 APG, with a shooting line of .399/.350/.832. The Pistons reportedly plan to be aggressive in matching any offer sheet for Caldwell-Pope, perhaps even going up to the max, if necessary.

As for Roberson, his offensive numbers have always been modest, and that didn’t change in 2016/17 — despite setting a new career high in scoring, he still only averaged 6.6 PPG. However, Roberson is one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, earning a spot on the NBA’s All-Defensive Second team earlier today.

Caldwell-Pope’s qualifying offer from the Pistons will be worth $4,958,374, while Roberson’s QO from Oklahoma City has increased to $4,588,840 after he met the starter criteria. As long as the Pistons and Thunder don’t withdraw those qualifying offers, they’ll retain the right of first refusal on their respective free agents, giving them the opportunity to match any offers.

Both Caldwell-Pope and Roberson will have the option of accepting those one-year qualifying offers, but they’re expected to receive much larger multiyear offers in free agency. Generally, the only reason a coveted RFA would sign his qualifying offer is in order to leave his current team as soon as possible — signing the QO would put a player on track to reach unrestricted free agency a year from now.

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Green, Gobert Headline 2016/17 NBA All-Defensive Teams

June 26th, 2017 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2016/17 season, and Defensive Player of the Year finalists Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert, and Kawhi Leonard all earned a place on the First Team. Green led the way with 99 First Team votes, while Gobert received 97 votes for a spot on the First Team.

Here are the full rosters for the NBA’s All-Defensive teams:

First Team:

Second Team:

Avery Bradley (Celtics), Klay Thompson (Warriors), and John Wall (Wizards) were among the other players receiving votes who just missed out on an All-Defensive spot.

As Bobby Marks of The Vertical observes (via Twitter), Gobert’s cap hit for the 2017/18 season will now increase by $500K to $21.9MM based on his spot on the All-Defensive First Team.

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Rashawn Thomas To Get Partial Guarantee From Thunder

June 25th, 2017 at 9:51am CST by Arthur Hill

Rashawn Thomas of Texas A&M Corpus Christi has agreed to a partially guaranteed contract with the Thunder, tweets international writer David Pick.

Thomas, a Mid-Major All-American, turned down several overseas deals before getting the opportunity with Oklahoma City, Pick adds. The partial guarantee means he will have a chance to make the roster in training camp.

A 6’8″ power forward, Thomas averaged 22.8 points and 8.9 rebounds during his senior season with the Islanders.

No contracts can be finalized until the NBA’s new year starts in July.

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Draft Rumors: Monk, Ntilikina, Hornets, Thunder

June 22nd, 2017 at 6:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Malik Monk and Frank Ntilikina may be in “weird positions” tonight, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford. As Ford explains, one of those two players is a good bet to land with the Knicks at No. 8. However, the player who isn’t picked by New York is a candidate to fall out of the top 10 and perhaps to the end of the lottery. In his final mock draft, Ford has Ntilikina going to the Knicks and Monk slipping to the Pistons at No. 12.

Here are a few more draft rumors and notes:

  • Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post continues to hear that if he’s still on the board at No. 11, Donovan Mitchell appears likely to land with the Hornets (Twitter link).
  • There’s “growing chatter” that Frank Jackson has a first-round promise, and the Thunder may be that team that gave him that guarantee, tweets Royce Young of ESPN.com. Young adds (via Twitter) that Oklahoma City may look to trade back a few spots in the first round in an effort to pick up a second-round selection.
  • John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 identifies Davon Reed and Semi Ojeleye as two players to watch for the Suns in the second round (Twitter link).
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Trade Rumors: Jackson, George, Porzingis, Kanter

June 22nd, 2017 at 2:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Numerous teams are trying to obtain a top-4 pick in order to select Kansas swingman Josh Jackson, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. With the Sixers having obtained the top overall pick to select Markelle Fultz, that means a blockbuster deal involving the Lakers, Celtics or Suns could be on the horizon. It also strongly suggests that the Celtics have settled on Duke forward Jayson Tatum as their preferred choice, since Jackson wouldn’t be available at No. 4 if Boston wants him.

Here are some of other trade rumors floating around as the draft approaches:

  • There is a growing sense that unless the Pacers get a suitable offer for Paul George today, President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard will wait until next month to re-engage talks regarding the 2018 free agent, according to Basketball Insiders’ Steve Kyler. However, the latest projected salary cap of $99MM could motivate Indiana and the Lakers to get a deal done today, as Kyler details. The Spurs and Blazers are also making a run at George, Kyler adds in another tweet.
  • The Knicks believe Kristaps Porzingis would have been the top selection in today’s draft and next year’s draft and desire a package of picks that reflect his value, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets. Team President Phil Jackson confirmed Wednesday he is listening to offers for the disgruntled big man. Talks between the Knicks and Suns have not gained any traction because Phoenix is unwilling to part with shooting guard Devin Booker, Wojnarowski tweets.
  • The Thunder could deal center Enes Kanter as early as today, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman speculates. The team has enough big men to take over his minutes, though Kanter is the most offensively-gifted frontcourt player they have, Carlson continues. It makes sense to obtain more shooters and veterans to help out Russell Westbrook, which makes Kanter expendable, Carlson adds. Kanter will make approximately $17.9MM next season and holds an $18.6MM player option on the final year of his contract next summer.
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Harry Giles Could Be Thunder's Pick

June 22nd, 2017 at 11:26am CST by Dana Gauruder

Duke forward Harry Giles could go as high as No. 10 overall to the Kings despite lingering concerns over his knee injury, according to ESPN.com’s Chad Ford. The Blazers, who control the No. 15 and No. 20 picks, are also intrigued by Giles, whose lone college season was marred by the injury, Ford continues. The Thunder, who pick No. 21, could also be a destination for Giles, who has been cleared medically by most doctors that have examined him, Ford adds.

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Latest On Kristaps Porzingis, Knicks

June 21st, 2017 at 10:19pm CST by Luke Adams

10:19pm: The Knicks have talked with each team in the top five of Thursday’s draft about Porzingis, in an effort to extract a pick and a young potential star, sources tell Ian Begley and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. According to the ESPN report, the Knicks have had “substantive” talks with two teams, plus the Suns.

Sources tell ESPN that the Knicks have also spoken Oklahoma City about a possible Porzingis trade, but one source says the Thunder “don’t have enough” to be a viable trade partner.

8:40pm: Asked about what it would take to trade Porzingis, Jackson suggested the Knicks may be seeking two starters and a draft pick (Twitter link via Al Iannazzone of Newsday).

8:27pm: In an interview tonight on MSG, team president Phil Jackson confirmed that the Knicks are listening to calls on Porzingis. “As much as we love this guy, we have to do what’s best for the club,” Jackson said of the big man (Twitter links via Ian Begley of ESPN.com).

Jackson also suggested that he was somewhat bothered by Porzingis skipping his exit meeting. Still, he cautioned that the Knicks aren’t yet “intrigued” enough by what’s out there to make a move (Twitter links via Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders).

8:15pm: After a flurry of Kristaps Porzingis trade rumors surfaced on Tuesday, a follow-up report suggested that the trade talk was somewhat overblown, and that the Knicks were simply listening to calls rather than actively shopping the big man.

However, on The Vertical’s Facebook Live show on Wednesday, Adrian Wojnarowski said that the Knicks aren’t simply listening to inquiries, reporting that they’ve also been making outgoing calls about Porzingis. While Wojnarwoski acknowledges that New York’s asking price is high, and that a deal won’t necessarily happen, he notes that the Knicks appeared to be legitimately exploring the possibility, and haven’t told Porzingis he’s not going anywhere.

Here’s more on Porzingis:

  • According to Wojnarowski, the Knicks would be seeking a top-four draft pick and a starting guard in exchange for Porzingis. Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link) reports something similar, having heard that New York would want a top-four pick plus a “strong” asset for Porzingis.
  • We heard on Tuesday that the Knicks asked the Suns for Devin Booker and the No. 4 selection, so that sounds like the sort of package Wojnarowski and Berman are talking about. Besides Phoenix, the Celtics would seem to be the most logical trade partner for the Knicks.
  • If they were able to land a top-four pick in a deal for Porzingis, the Knicks would likely aim to draft Josh Jackson, says Wojnarowski.
  • Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link) follows up on an item he reported on Tuesday, clarifying that members of the Knicks organization have been in touch with Porzingis since the end of the season, though that contact has been “very minimal.”
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Thunder Work Out Frank Mason, Brad Wanamaker

June 20th, 2017 at 11:07pm CST by Joshua Fischman
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