Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

FA Rumors: Maggette, Blair, Telfair, Tinsley

July 26th, 2013 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

Restricted free agents like Nikola Pekovic, Brandon Jennings, and Gerald Henderson represent the most intriguing names left on the free agent market, but in his latest piece for HoopsWorld, Alex Kennedy takes a look at a few unrestricted free agents who have flown more under the radar. Here are some highlights from Kennedy:

Corey Maggette considered retiring to pursue a front office job, but it looks like he'll postpone that plan for at least a year. Maggette would like to play for a contender, and could likely be had for a one-year, minimum-salary deal.
Although more than a dozen teams, including the Bulls and Clippers, have expressed some level of interest in DeJuan Blair, the big man still hasn't been able to secure the sort of multiyear offer he's seeking.
There continues to be mutual interest between the Knicks and Sebastian Telfair, who has also attracted some interest from contenders like the Heat and Thunder.
The Nets nearly signed Jamaal Tinsley earlier in the offseason, but opted for Shaun Livingston instead. Tinsley is now considering teams like the Mavericks, Rockets, Bobcats, and Suns.
Keyon Dooling still appears likely to make a decision on a team within the next week, and he figures to land a one-year contract worth the veteran's minimum.
After turning down the Bobcats last summer to join an apparent contender (the Lakers), Antawn Jamison could end up returning home to Charlotte this time around, according to Kennedy.

Northwest Rumors: Team USA, Pekovic, Nuggets

July 25th, 2013 at 9:53am CST by Luke Adams

Two Northwest stars, Kevin Durant and Kevin Love, announced yesterday that they'll play for Team USA in the 2014 World Cup of basketball, but we don't know exactly who'll join them. USA Basketball Executive Director Jerry Colangelo says he'll narrow the pool of prospects to 25 or 30 by January, and he'll have until 48 hours before next summer's event begins to name a final roster, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com points out (Twitter links).

Here's more from around the Northwest division:

Durant believes current Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook and former teammate James Harden will play in next summer's World Cup as well, ESPN.com's Marc Stein writes in his latest round-up of tidbits from Team USA's camp. That would leave just eight of 12 roster spots to be filled.
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor remains confident that the team will finalize a new deal with Nikola Pekovic, and doesn't think he'll have to call Pekovic personally, though he'd be open to doing so, says Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Within his latest piece on the Nuggets, Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post writes that Denver remains likely to re-sign Timofey Mozgov, and hears from GM Tim Connelly that the team "absolutely" plans to keep Andre Miller.

Thunder Re-Sign Derek Fisher

July 24th, 2013 at 5:06pm CST by Michael Pina

Derek Fisher will be returning to the Thunder next season, according to NewsOk.com's Darnell Mayberry. The contract is a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum of roughly $1.4MM.

Over the past two seasons, Fisher has appeared in 44 games for the Thunder, giving them veteran leadership and filling in in the past for injured guards such as Eric Maynor and Russell Westbrook.

The 39-year-old veteran averaged 8.7 PPG in 11 playoff games last season.

Western Notes: Wolves, Gomes, Mavs, Clark

July 23rd, 2013 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

Grantland's Zach Lowe wrote earlier today that there's about a "99.9999%" chance that the Timberwolves work out a deal to bring back Nikola Pekovic. Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune also suggests that it's just a matter of time, tweeting that he thinks a deal will be completed next week. Whether or not the Wolves re-sign Pekovic, and it seems like a lock that they will, don't expect the team to have any interest in Greg Oden, says Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter). According to Wolfson, David Kahn had interest in Oden, but Flip Saunders is passing on the former first overall pick.

Here are a few more items from out of the Western Conference:

Ryan Gomes, who says he hopes to be a coach one day, has worked out for the Thunder and Spurs as he weighs his options for the upcoming season, he tells Nick Greene of the Hartford Courant.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban appeared on KESN-FM in Dallas to follow up on his comments about the team potentially being better off without Dwight Howard, and the Dallas Morning News has the details.
Undrafted free agent guard Ian Clark put up 33 points in the Warriors' championship win at the Las Vegas Summer League, and is drawing interest from NBA teams, as Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. Zillgitt names the Warriors, Trail Blazers, and Jazz as clubs eyeing Clark.
A strong Summer League performance also has NBA teams eyeing Dionte Christmas, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. The Suns are among the clubs with interest.

Free Agent Rumors: Miller, Oden, Camby, Blair

July 22nd, 2013 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent rumors and rumblings have slowed down since the start of July, as most of the bigger names have come off the board. Still, even though not a ton of teams have significant cap space or exception money remaining, plenty of intriguing players remain on the market. We're entering the point in the summer where teams are hunting for bargains and value signings, so here's the latest on a few players who could fit that bill:

Mike Miller is meeting face-to-face for a second time with both the Thunder and Grizzlies, who appear to be the two favorites for him, says Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Rockets and Nuggets aren't out of the running yet, but Miller's choice will likely come down to OKC or Memphis (Twitter links).
The Heat, Pelicans, and Kings will observe Greg Oden in person as he works out this week, according to Stein and Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, though Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports says (via Twitter) it'll just be the Pelicans and Kings. The Spurs and Mavericks are still in the hunt as well, with Miami and San Antonio still viewed as the frontrunners for the former first overall pick.
Marcus Camby is expected to make a decision on his next team within the next week, with the Rockets, Bulls, and Heat among the finalists, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
According to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, DeJuan Blair's asking price is in the $3MM range, Lamar Odom is only interested in playing for a Los Angeles team, and Josh Akognon is drawing heavy interest from Chinese teams.
Zwerling adds (via Twitter) that the Knicks have some interest in Ivan Johnson, but the big man is still seeking a mini mid-level deal.
Prior to reaching an agreement with the Nuggets, Nate Robinson received serious interest from the Wizards, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). Washington had already used its mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, so making a competitive offer would have been tricky.
Free agent point guard Delonte West spoke to Tzvi Twersky of SlamOnline.com about his desire to return to an NBA roster.

Odds & Ends: Irving, Ellis, Wolters

July 20th, 2013 at 11:52pm CST by Ryan Raroque

In his weekly roundup of topics surrounding Cleveland sports teams, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer offers his thoughts on Andrew Bynum, the Cavaliers' depth at the big man positions, and Kyrie Irving. Regarding some belief that Tyler Zeller might not get much playing time with the addition of Bynum, the return of Anderson Varejao, and the presence of Tristan Thompson and Anthony Bennett, Pluto believes that the second year big man will be needed since he's skeptical of Bynum and Varejao's injury histories. You can find the rest of tonight's miscellaneous links below:

On rumors of Irving possibly leaving Cleveland or wanting out, Pluto explains why it'd be unlikely for the young star to leave the Cavs before he could become an unrestricted free agent in 2016. Pluto also lauds the acquisition of Jarrett Jack as a player who will push Dion Waiters and Irving for playing time, while also serving as an insurance policy in case one of them gets injured.
Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW writes that Monta Ellis significantly upgrades the Mavericks' talent level.
Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel takes a more in-depth look at Nate Wolters' experience in summer league play and several positive signs moving forward for the Bucks' rookie.
Kevin Martin is very much looking forward to teaming up with Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, writes John Krawczynski of the Associated Press (via the Star Tribune), who also shares that Martin played a big role in the recruitment of Corey Brewer from free agency.
In a conference call with Twin Cities reporters earlier today, Martin was asked if he had seriously considered a return to the Thunder for little money and a chance to win a championship, considering that their offer was significantly restricted by the luxury tax: "Always. I also feel like I found the same thing with Minnesota being younger. They've had some injuries over the years, but they're a good team, too. I made a decision and I think it's a great one. I learned from Oklahoma CIty, they're a great organization. The way KD and Russ approach the game, I think that's something I'll bring to Minnesota" (Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune).
Bulls rookie Tony Snell loves being compared to Kawhi Leonard, notes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
ESPN's David Thorpe explains why the quality of summer league play has suffered a bit this year and assesses the performance of key second year players in Las Vegas with Kevin Arnowitz and Amin Elhassan (video links).

Latest On Mike Miller

July 20th, 2013 at 8:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:25pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports that the Nuggets are now receiving strong consideration from Miller's camp along with Oklahoma City and Memphis.

5:36pm: Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets that NBA sources have confirmed the Rockets' reported offer to Miller.

3:28pm: The Rockets have formally extended an offer, Stein tweets. Houston has the $2.652MM room exception available. Meanwhile, Marc Gasol has joined the Grizzlies contingent trying to persuade Miller to go to Memphis.

2:40pm: Stein mentions the Rockets as another team still in the running for Miller, while Kevin Durant is aggressively pitching Miller on Oklahoma City (Twitter link).

2:28pm: Miller and Thunder GM Sam Presti have had their scheduled meeting, and Miller sat down yesterday with Grizzlies owner Robert Pera and CEO Jason Levien, Stein reports (Twitter link).

1:59pm: The Thunder have spent the past couple of days as the apparent leaders in the race to sign Mike Miller, but Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida tweets that they have company. The Grizzlies, along with the Thunder, are the front-runners, though Miller is still evaluating his options, Tomasson says. Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears the Nuggets are a threat as well, with plenty of playing time to offer following the departures of Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer this summer (Twitter link).

The Spurs, Rockets and Warriors were also linked to Miller when he cleared amnesty waivers this week, but it's not clear whether those teams remain in the mix. The Cavs strongly considered claiming Miller while he was still on waivers, but they haven't been mentioned as a candidate to sign him outright. A report surfaced this week that Miller was considering fusion surgery on his back, which was giving pause to teams with thoughts of claiming him off waivers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors speculated that the surgery news was leaked to dissuade the Cavs from claiming him, pointing out that Miller "made it clear to people around him" that he didn't want to play in Cleveland, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal tweeted.

The Thunder appear unwilling to go into luxury tax territory to bring Miller aboard, but they're reportedly willing to waive DeAndre Liggins or Daniel Orton to accomodate a minimum-salary contract for Miller. That may not be enough to corral the sharpshooter, as the Nuggets can use the bi-annual exception to sign him, and the Grizzlies have the bi-annual as well as the mid-level exception. The Thunder have both of those exceptions available, too, but using either of them would push the team above the $71.748MM tax threshold.

The 33-year-old Miller, coming off a pair of championships with the Heat, isn't ready to retire any time soon, saying last month that he felt he could play for four or five more years. He might not be ready to accept a minimum-salary deal, even though he'll still be getting the remaining $12.8MM from his contract with the Heat.

Odds & Ends: Mavs, Brown, Telfair

July 20th, 2013 at 5:32pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Amin Elhassan of ESPN (hat tip to SportsDayDFW) spoke about the Mavericks' signing of Samuel Dalembert, calling him a player who will be well-suited for a role as an impact player on the defensive end. Elhassan also doesn't think that bringing Dalembert on board will impact the team's pursuit of Greg Oden, who could be "the steal of the century" if healthy. Here are some more news and notes from around the Association this evening:

Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown addresses his relationship with LeBron James and his stint as coach of the Lakers in part one of an interview with Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
The Knicks, Heat, and Thunder have shown interest in Sebastian Telfair, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy tweets.
Kennedy, as part of his NBA PM piece, passes along comments from Chris Douglas-Roberts, who's confident that the Lakers will bring him to training camp for a second straight year.
Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York tweets that contrary to reports, the Bulls, Clippers, and Rockets are all front runners for Marcus Camby, and that the 39-year-old center is still weighing opportunities. It isn't clear as to what reports Zwerling is alluding to, as his list of frontrunners hasn't appeared to change much from this past week (with the exception of the Heat).
The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer touches on LeBron James and Andrew Bynum and a broad spectrum of Cavs-related topics in her mailbag column.
Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets that former NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway Sr. networked with several teams in Las Vegas about potentially joining an NBA coaching staff and is optimistic about his chances.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Kleiza, Iguodala, Dooling, Knicks

July 19th, 2013 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few Friday odds and ends from around the Association….

After being amnestied by the Raptors, Linas Kleiza is drawing interest from several European teams, including CSKA Moscow, writes Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, passing along a report from Djordje Matic.
Sam Amick of USA Today spoke to Andre Iguodala about his free agency, and some drama along the way related to the Kings and Nuggets.
Keyon Dooling is receiving "serious interest" from two teams and will likely decide next week where he'll sign, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, who adds that a reunion with the Grizzlies is unlikely.
There's nothing new on the Raja Bell front, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, noting that the Knicks no longer have any interest in Bell after signing Metta World Peace. The Knicks remain in the market for a point guard and a big man though, says Zwerling.
Tom Ziller of SBNation.com explains why he finds it unusual that the NBA decided to compensate the Thunder for a portion of Kevin Durant's contract.
Multiple teams have inquired on undrafted free agent Khalif Wyatt, according to agent Stephen Pina. Wyatt played for the Sixers' Summer League squad in Orlando, but hasn't talked to Philadelphia yet about a more permanent contract (Twitter links via Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com).

Thunder To Get Cash For Change To Durant’s Deal

July 18th, 2013 at 10:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:32pm: The league is giving the Thunder only a partial amount of the difference between a 25% max and a 30% max extension for Durant, Mayberry tweets.

10:10pm: Durant's cap figure will not change as a result of the reimbursement, reports Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman (Twitter link). That means his full paycheck will still count toward the Thunder's team salary for cap and luxury tax calculations.

9:36pm: The NBA's Board of Governors voted to compensate the Thunder for the additional salary Kevin Durant is receiving as a result of the "Derrick Rose rule" in the latest collective bargaining agreement, Grantland's Zach Lowe reports (Twitter link). The vote, which was not unanimous, followed a protest from Oklahoma City's brass over the adjustment that allowed Durant to receive a starting salary worth 30% of the salary cap in 2011/12 instead of 25%, Lowe tweets.

Durant received more than $15.5MM in the first season of the five-year extension to his rookie-scale contract. Without the benefit of the Rose rule, he only would have made about $12.9MM. The original value of the deal was approximately $75MM over five years, but that figure jumped to more than $89MM with the rule change. The Thunder will now receive the difference from the league. It's unclear whether Durant's cap figure will be reduced, Lowe adds (Twitter link), though the extra $14MM or so could persuade the team to dip into the tax this season to sign free agent target Mike Miller or another player.

The Rose rule stipulates that a former first-round pick who signs an extension to his rookie-scale contract may receive up a starting salary of up to 30% of the salary cap, with 7.5% raises, if he meets certain criteria. The "super-max" is triggered if the player is named to the All-NBA First, Second or Third team at least twice, voted as a starter in the All-Star game at least twice, or named the NBA Most Valuable Player at least once before the extension kicks in. Otherwise, the maximum starting salary the player could get would be 25% of the cap, also with 7.5% raises. Durant qualified for the 30% max thanks to multiple appearances on the All-NBA First Team.

Durant signed his extension in the summer of 2010, a year before the lockout took place. The new CBA took effect for the 2011/12, the first year the extension was in effect. The league applied the Rose rule to Durant, even though he and the Thunder negotiated and finalized the extension long before the new CBA was in place.