Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Howard, Brooks, Lockout

June 16th, 2012 at 10:35pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Saturday evening.

Woelfel On Draft, Trades, Jennings

June 16th, 2012 at 8:53am CST by Chuck Myron

Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times tweeted last night about the workout the Bucks have scheduled today for wing players Will Barton and Evan Fournier, as we noted in our roundup of Friday's draft rumors. Woelfel has a full report today on those two and fringe draft pick Ramone Moore, who's also working out for the Bucks today. He also shares news from around the league on a possible extension for Brandon Jennings, teams willing to trade draft picks, and rising and falling draft stocks.

Odds & Ends: Crawford, Warriors, Seattle, Bulls

June 15th, 2012 at 10:18pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Lakers made history on this day 11 years ago when they beat the Sixers 108-96 to claim the NBA championship with the highest playoff winning percentage of all time at 93.8%, according to Hoopedia. Led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles went 15-1 in the playoffs by sweeping the Trail Blazers, Kings and Spurs before losing just once to Philadelphia. Let's take a look around the league to catch up on the latest news and stories making headlines…

Draft Updates: Thursday

June 14th, 2012 at 8:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The countdown until the 2012 draft is down to two weeks, and this week has been heavy on workouts and trade speculation. We'll track the latest news and rumors on both fronts, along with a handful of other draft-related items, right here. New updates will be added to the top of the page throughout the day….

According to their official website, the Pacers will work out Evan Fournier, Ashton Gibbs, Travis Hyman, John Jenkins, Josh Owens, and Tony Wroten Jr. on Friday.

Earlier updates:

Charles F. Gardner Journal Sentinel reported that the Bucks hosted a pre-draft workout today which featured Tyler Zeller, Meyers Leonard, Fab Melo, and Kyle O'Quinn.
Aside from Anthony Davis, ESPN's Ric Bucher thinks that this year's draft still contains big men with star potential, focusing specifically on Andre Drummond, Meyers Leonard, and Thomas Robinson (Insiders only).
Sean Meagher of The Oregonian presents the video interview of Perry Jones III after his workout for the Trail Blazers.
Nate Mulberg of CSN Philly discusses the mutual interest between the 76ers and Terrence Ross.
Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld quoted an NBA executive who thinks that the lottery is loaded with impact rotation players, but not impact starters. Pincus also offered highlights from interviews with JaMychal Green and Kevin Jones.
Tomorrow's workout schedule for the Wizards includes Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Austin Rivers, Terrence Ross, and Tomas Satoransky, according to Michael Lee of The Washington Post (Twitter link). Gene Wang, also of The Washington Post, wrote about today's workout with Hollis Thompson.
Stephen Hewitt of WEEI.com provided a breakdown of Mitchell Watt, a 6'10'' forward out of Buffalo who could be a realistic target for the Celtics' second round pick (51st overall).
Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com wrote an interesting piece on the mental toughness of 27-year-old draft hopeful Bernard James, a 6'10'' power forward who served in the Air Force and did tours in Qatar, Kuwait, and Iraq before starring at Florida State. Howard-Cooper also tweeted an update on John Henson, saying that he has no plans to rest his injured ankle in the midst of upcoming workouts with the Suns, Rockets, Bucks, Cavaliers, Raptors, Pistons, and 76ers.
Darren Heitner of Sports Agent Blog briefly documents the separation of Renardo Sidney and his agent, Johnny Foster.
Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld believes John Jenkins and the Bulls could be a perfect fit at pick No. 29.
Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com published the second version of his mock draft today.
Thomas Robinson will work out for the Bobcats on June 22nd, according to SI.com's Sam Amick (Sulia link). Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com calls Robinson the "clear frontrunner" to be picked second overall (Twitter link).
Jeremy Lamb turned an ankle at his Raptors workout this morning, but it's not serious, tweets Sam Amick of SI. According to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (via Twitter), the ankle is sprained, and Lamb will cancel at least his workout with the Blazers.
The Sixers announced in a press release today that they'll work out Moe Harkless and Hollis Thompson tomorrow.
Arnett Moultrie is the biggest name among the six players working out for the Trail Blazers today, tweets Joe Freeman of the Oregonian.
Harrison Barnes and Bradley Beal will work out against one another for the Cavaliers on Saturday, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). The two players are the most likely candidates to be picked at No. 4 by Cleveland, so that will be an intriguing workout.
Discussing potential targets for the Bobcats if they trade their No. 2 pick, Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com names James Harden as a possibility. It's not clear of Goodman's source, who says Harden "could be in play," means the Bobcats will pursue Harden or the Thunder could make him available. Either way, I'm skeptical about how realistic that scenario is. Even with the long-term cap restraints facing the Thunder, overhauling the roster mere days after making the Finals seems unlikely.
SI.com's Sam Amick examines the question marks surrounding John Henson and the rising stock of Miles Plumlee in his latest draft piece.
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld compares Perry Jones III to Jordan Hamilton, who slipped to 26th overall last year because most teams thought the risk outweighed the upside. Within the same piece, Kyler also says the odds the Bobcats keep a player the select at No. 2 overall are "extremely slim."
The Raptors have a big day of workouts scheduled, with Jeremy Lamb highlighting the first session, Austin Rivers in the second, and Harrison Barnes in an individual workout. Jay Satur of Raptors.com has the details. Unfortunately, Eric Koreen of the National Post passes along a bit of bad news from the first session, tweeting that Lamb left the workout with an apparent injury.
Chad Ford tries his hand at predicting where the players on the first-round bubble will land in an Insider piece for ESPN.com.
Will Barton and five other prospects will work out for the Pacers today, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
The Pistons' workouts so far suggest they're eyeing big men not just with their first-round pick but in the second round as well, says Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News.
Bucks.com profiles the prospects that Milwaukee will be working out today.
Damian Lillard thinks he's ready to be an NBA starter, but he probably won't be a fit for the Kings at No. 5, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.

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Odds & Ends: Noel, Spurs Prospects, Thunder

June 14th, 2012 at 6:27pm CST by Ryan Raroque

It has been extremely rare for a college basketball team to deliver a number one pick in consecutive years. However, with incoming freshman Nerlens Noel already being touted as the top selection of the 2013 NBA Draft, Kentucky could be the first program to do it since 1955 and 1956, when Duquesne’s Dick Ricketts and Sihugo Green were each selected number one overall on draft day in those respective years. Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld provides some background on Noel, from his early beginnings as strictly a defensive minded player to now, a time when some marvel at the possibility of him being the NBA’s next great big man.

Here's more of what we've heard this evening, including two possible international gems whose draft rights are owned by the Spurs, an offseason dilemma for the Thunder, and some insight on two former Dream Team members looking for work in the NBA…

Offseason Outlook: Oklahoma City Thunder

June 14th, 2012 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Guaranteed Contracts

Kevin Durant ($16,669,629)
Russell Westbrook ($12,922,194)
Kendrick Perkins ($7,800,531)
James Harden ($5,820,417)
Thabo Sefolosha ($3,600,000)
Daequan Cook ($3,090,942)
Nick Collison ($2,929,332)
Cole Aldrich ($2,445,480)
Eric Maynor ($2,338,721)
Serge Ibaka ($2,253,062)
Reggie Jackson ($1,208,400)
Lazar Hayward ($1,174,080)

Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Contracts

None

Free Agents (Cap Holds)

Nazr Mohammed ($7,125,000)
Derek Fisher ($2,790,000)
Royal Ivey ($1,560,000)

Draft Picks

1st Round (28th overall)

Cap Outlook

Guaranteed Salary: $62,252,788
Cap Holds: $11,475,000
Total (not including draft picks): $73,727,788

As Oklahoma City made its run to the 2012 Finals, the traditional narrative suggested the team wasn't supposed to be this good this soon. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are only 23 years old. James Harden and Serge Ibaka are 22. There are a handful of veterans on the club, most notably the 37-year-old Derek Fisher, but the nucleus of the championship roster is incredibly young.

Unfortunately, due to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, this won't necessarily be the start of a Thunder dynasty. Durant and Westbrook are locked up to long-term deals, but the status of the rest of the team's core is up in the air. Harden and Ibaka are entering the final year of their rookie contracts, and will be eligible for extensions this offseason, but it's not clear if the Thunder has the financial means to extend both players.

To be clear, the Thunder aren't in the same situation as a team like New York — the Knicks could afford to re-sign all their own free agents and pursue others as well, but cap restrictions will likely prevent them from doing so, even if they have money to spend. For Oklahoma City, cap rules wouldn't stop them from extending both Harden and Ibaka for up to maximum-salary contracts. But as a small market team, the Thunder may not be able to afford such expenditures. The team already has $45MM committed to team salaries in 2014/15, for instance. Eight-figure salaries for Harden and Ibaka would push that number up near $70MM, with the Thunder still needing to fill their remaining roster spots. With more punitive luxury tax penalties on the way, retaining all their stars would almost certainly make the Thunder an annual taxpayer, something they may want to avoid.

The Thunder's potential spending limitations also explain why using the amnesty clause on someone like Kendrick Perkins to create room for extensions probably wouldn't work. While the Thunder might be able to sneak below the tax line if they were to amnesty Perkins and re-sign Harden and Ibaka, the team would still be paying significant money for Perkins not to play for them, which is feasible for big-market teams like the Knicks, but less so for Oklahoma City.

If it seems like I'm focusing too much on the Thunder's future and not on this summer, that's because all the club's moves in the coming months will be made with an eye on that future. Using the mid-level exception to sign a second- or third-tier free agent to a multiyear deal is probably a long shot, for example, since that long-term salary would compromise the Thunder's ability to eventually re-sign Harden and Ibaka. Trading either player is unlikely as well. Even if the Thunder decide they can't keep both players, they can still play another season with the current core and try to get back to the Finals before possibly losing one in free agency next summer.

I expect the Thunder to explore extensions with both Harden and Ibaka this offseason, and perhaps they'll even lock up one of the two, particularly if either player is willing to accept a slight discount. But it's more likely that the Thunder will have a quiet summer, adding a cheap free agent or two and perhaps a rookie with their late first-round pick.

GM Sam Presti has been creative in the way he's constructed the Thunder to date, and it has paid off in a big way this season. Now that he's built a championship contender, he'll face a challenge that could be just as difficult: Finding a way to keep the core of that title contender intact.

Storytellers Contracts and Sham Sports were used in the creation of this post.

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Woelfel On Bucks, Phil Jackson, Kwame Brown

June 14th, 2012 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

It was easy to miss in the midst of our flurry of draft updates on Wednesday, but Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times weighed in yesterday to discuss the Bucks' options with the 12th overall pick. According to Woelfel, Milwaukee has zeroed in on a short list of prospects, mostly big men, for pick No. 12 — Meyers Leonard, Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Perry Jones III, and Terrence Ross are among the team's targets.

Woelfel also shared a few more tidbits from around the NBA in his column, so let's dive in….

How The Thunder Were Built

June 13th, 2012 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

The Oklahoma City Thunder may have become the odds-on favorites for the NBA title earlier than expected, but the team's roster wasn't constructed overnight. Some members of the Thunder have been on the team long enough to have played in Seattle as the SuperSonics, while others were just added within the last few months. With the Thunder holding a 1-0 lead over the Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals, let's take a look at how GM Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City front office built the 2011/12 Thunder, from Nick Collison in 2003 to Derek Fisher in 2012:

Categories:
Oklahoma City Thunder

Odds & Ends: Thunder, Hinrich, D-Will, Garnett

June 12th, 2012 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

We're just hours away from Game 1 of the 2012 NBA Finals, and much of the coverage leading up to the series has focused on how this may be just the first of many title shots for the Thunder. However, Steve Perrin of SBNation.com doesn't necessarily see it that way, noting that the new CBA that was supposed to help small-market teams compete will work against Oklahoma City when James Harden and Serge Ibaka become free agents. The title window for the Thunder may not be as big as you'd think, at least with the current roster, says Perrin.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA, as we await tonight's opening tip….

Odds & Ends: Bosh, Battier, Harden, Sixers

June 11th, 2012 at 8:30pm CST by Michael Pina

One of the most highly anticipated NBA Finals in recent history doesn't kick off until tomorrow night, but here are a few links relating to both teams involved—as well as some that, unfortunately for them, are not.