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Chris Bosh, Josh Huestis Hire New Agents

November 7th, 2016 at 3:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat big man Chris Bosh and Thunder forward Josh Huestis each have new representation, according to various reports. Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal reports (via Twitter) that Bosh has signed with Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports Agency, while Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets that Huestis has hired Andy Miller of ASM Sports.

Bosh, who was previously represented by CAA Sports, parted ways with his previous agent earlier this year. The change for Bosh came around the same time that he and the Heat were at odds over his situation in Miami, with the veteran power forward still eager to continue his playing career while the team ruled him out due to blood-clotting concerns that arose during his preseason physical.

Bosh and the Heat reportedly haven’t had much – if any – contact over the last few months, so Pelinka will be tasked with handling that situation as it develops. The Heat are widely expected to waive Bosh later in the 2016/17 league year, assuming the team can get cap relief from the move.

As for Huestis, he was previously represented by Toby Bailey and Mitchell Butler, who played a part in the decision to have their client play a year in the D-League after he was selected in the first round of the 2014 draft by the Thunder. While that was an unprecedented move, there’s no indication that it’s the reason for Huestis’ change in representation.

The Thunder recently exercised their third-year option on Huestis for the 2017/18 season, so he has a guaranteed salary for the next two seasons, and remains under contract for one more team option in 2018/19. If that option is exercised, he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency in 2019.

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First Durant Matchup Comes Early For Thunder

November 6th, 2016 at 7:20pm CST by Arthur Hill
  • The Thunder should be happy that they got their first game against Kevin Durant out of the way early, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. With the Durant distraction in the past, Tramel says the players can now focus on playing their style of basketball, which emphasizes defense to make up for an ineffective offense. Even with Russell Westbrook‘s individual brilliance, Oklahoma City ranked 28th in the league in points per possession through its first five games, yet had a 4-1 record.
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NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/5/16

November 5th, 2016 at 9:35pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are Saturday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the league:

  • The Knicks assigned Ron Baker, Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, earlier today so they could practice with the team, according to their Twitter feed. New York has since recalled all three players.
  • The Pistons have assigned Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije to the Grand Rapids Drive, the team’s D-League affiliate, according to a team press release. Ellenson has only appeared in two games for Detroit, while Gbiniji has only seen action in one.
  • The Thunder assigned Josh Huestis to the Oklahoma City Blue earlier today so he could participate in practice, per a team press release. The practice has commenced and the team has subsequently recalled the forward.
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Heat Notes: Waiters, Whiteside, Johnson, Richardson

November 5th, 2016 at 3:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

It won’t get the attention that Kevin Durant‘s first game against Oklahoma City did, but Dion Waiters is preparing for his own battle with the Thunder, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The Heat will travel Monday to OKC, where Waiters probably would have stayed if Durant had decided to. Instead, the Thunder opted to use Waiters’ cap space to sign Russell Westbrook to an extension, and the fifth-year guard headed to Miami. Waiters spent a season and a half in Oklahoma City and has fond memories of his time there. “The team there really turned me into a pro,” Waiters said. “I really matured there a lot. Just embracing the whole atmosphere and the city, just how much the team and everybody means to the community was huge. I mean, that’s probably the best time I had, in my experiences, and then my first time in the playoffs.”

There’s more from Miami:

  • This year’s extensions put into perspective the big-money deals the Heat signed during the summer, Winderman writes in a separate piece. Miami gave center Hassan Whiteside $98MM over four seasons, which is less than the four-year, $102MM extension Rudy Gobert just got from Utah or the four-year, $100MM extension that Steven Adams received from Oklahoma City. And the four-year, $50MM offer sheet the Heat matched for Tyler Johnson is less than the deals just given to Victor Oladipo, Gorgui Dieng, Cody Zeller or Dennis Schroder. “You’re going to look back at deals like this right now later on down the line and they aren’t going to look like a whole lot,” Johnson said. “Some of these superstars are going to be up there … and it’s going to be crazy.”
  • Guard Josh Richardson made his season debut Friday night, less than two months after suffering a knee injury in September, notes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Richardson missed all four of his shots and committed two turnovers, but was on the floor for his defense in the fourth quarter. “I felt fine,” he said. “I’ve got to trust my knee fully. I’ve got to find a rhythm. I told [coach Erik Spoelstra] going into halftime that I felt good. My teammates were encouraging me the whole game. I feel ready.”
  • James Johnson, one of Miami’s many offseason additions, enjoyed returning to Toronto for Friday’s game, writes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. Johnson had two stints with the Raptors and was a crowd favorite. “We made something happen last year and it was good to see the guys that we made it happen with,” Johnson said.
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Durant Concentrates On 'Moving Forward'

November 5th, 2016 at 10:06am CST by Arthur Hill
  • Kevin Durant acknowledges “the ghost of your past” that was hanging over his first meeting with the Thunder, but tells Michael Lee of The Vertical that disappeared quickly once Thursday’s game began. Durant posted a season-high 39 points in the blowout of his former team. There were few confrontations, other than some obvious trash talking with backup center Enes Kanter, who took some shots at Durant on Twitter after he signed with Golden State. Durant and OKC star Russell Westbrook barely had any interaction. “It’s something I’m never going to forget. Something that’s never going to go away,” Durant said of his time in Oklahoma City. “I’m just trying to move forward, look forward, but also realize how important the past was and that formed me into who I am today. I’m not throwing that part of my life in the trash. But now I’m on to something new, trying to keep growing in this situation, trying to keep getting better overall, as a basketball player, man, everything. Just keep moving forward, that’s the most important thing in my life.”
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Steven Adams Has 7.5% Trade Kicker On New Deal

November 4th, 2016 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams
  • Steven Adams‘ new extension with the Thunder features a 7.5% trade kicker, so he’d get a bonus if he’s traded by Oklahoma City over the life of the four-year deal, per Stein.

    [SOURCE LINK]
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NBA D-League Affiliate Players For 2016/17

November 3rd, 2016 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Throughout the offseason, and in the weeks leading up to the start of the regular season, NBA teams are permitted to carry 20 players, but that total must be cut down to 15 in advance of opening night. However, up to four players waived by teams before the season can be designated as affiliate players and assigned to their D-League squads.

The players have some say in the decision — if they’d prefer to sign with a team overseas, or if they get an opportunity with another NBA club, they’re free to turn down their team’s request to have them play in the D-League. Most NBA and international teams have fairly set rosters by late October though, so having the opportunity to continue playing in the same system is appealing to many of those preseason cuts. Especially since they’ll maintain NBA free agency while they play in the D-League.

There are a few other rules related to D-League affiliate players. A player whose returning rights are held by a D-League team can’t be an affiliate player for another club, which is why undrafted free agents from the current year are commonly signed and assigned. Additionally, an affiliate player must have signed with his team during the current league year, which explains why we often see players signed and quickly waived in the days leading up to the regular season. And, of course, not every NBA team has a D-League affiliate, so clubs like the Hawks, Nuggets, or Clippers have no place to send affiliate players.

With all that in mind, here are the NBA D-League affiliate players to start the 2016/17 season:

Austin Spurs (San Antonio Spurs)

Canton Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Delaware 87ers (Philadelphia 76ers)

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More Contract Details For Adams, Oladipo

November 3rd, 2016 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams
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Thunder Notes: Grant, Westbrook, Durant, Oladipo

November 2nd, 2016 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jerami Grant may be the new guy in the Thunder locker room, but he has a lot of connections already, writes Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Grant has been friends with guard Victor Oladipo since middle school, and he played for Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan for two years on the Under-19 USA Basketball team. Grant, who was traded from Philadelphia to OKC on Tuesday, is familiar with the area because his father, Harvey, played college ball at Oklahoma. “I love the state. I love the city,” Jerami Grant said. “I definitely have a good feel for the area.”

There’s more out of Oklahoma City:

  • The strong personalities of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were destined to doom their relationship, Horne contends in a separate piece. The former teammates will meet for the first time Thursday night when the Thunder travel to Golden State to face Durant’s new team. Many observers felt it was a slight when Durant sent a text to Westbrook to inform him that he was signing with the Warriors, and they haven’t discussed the situation since Durant announced his decision. “We’ve been together eight years,” Westbrook said. “You don’t throw that away. Obviously, he’s now with a new team. But we definitely will talk. Eventually. But, obviously, now we haven’t.”
  • There was little opportunity cost to giving extensions to Steven Adams and Oladipo, writes Michael Pina of Real GM. The deals cost OKC about $184MM, but the Thunder weren’t in position to get two better players at that price. The team needs to stay competitive to keep Westbrook from leaving in free agency in two years, so it made sense to spend the money to keep two important players in place. The only downside is that Oklahoma City can’t chase elite free agents next summer.
  • Giving $84MM to a player like Oladipo is the kind of deal that can backfire, warns Real GM’s Colin McGowan. Oladipo is a shooting guard without a dependable 3-point shot, McGowan writes, and he could create salary cap problems in Oklahoma City if he can’t blend his game with Westbrook’s.
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