Oklahoma City Thunder Articles - Page 96

Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum thinks Russell Westbrook and Paul George “stay together” on the Oklahoma City Thunder if OKC makes the 2019 Western Conference Finals instead of the Blazers. Portland defeated the Thunder in five games in the first-round of the playoffs. George requested a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers so […]

We come bearing good news with respect to Oklahoma City Thunder veteran swingman Danilo Gallinari and his recent medical procedure. Basketball insider Emiliano Carchia provided an update on the 30-year-old’s status following an appendectomy, and it appears that the Italian is expected to return to action within a week’s time. Danilo Gallinari has been dismissed […]

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander announced his decision to pass on the opportunity to play with Team Canada ahead of the upcoming FIBA 2019 World Cup in China. The young floor general isn’t playing in the competition after he was part of a trade that sent Paul George to his former team, the LA […]

Former Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Patrick Patterson agreed to a buyout with the franchise this past week. The nine-year veteran forward gave up $3.5 million of his $5.7 million salary for the 2019-20 season, per The Athletic’s Mike Scotto. Following the buyout between the two parties, Patterson, 30, will sign with the Los Angeles […]

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari went through a successful appendectomy this week, the Italian Basketball Federation announced. Despite the setback, Gallinari will still suit up for Italy in the upcoming FIBA World Cup. According to Eurohoops, the Italian forward already missed the Trentino Cup and will miss the Verona Tournament. Gallinari, however, is expected […]

Although the next NBA offseason is still a year away, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari is already thinking about his future. Gallinari was traded by the Los Angeles Clippers to OKC last month, and if the Thunder can’t build a championship-contending team anytime soon, he’s not expected to remain there. Gallo will be a […]

Carmelo Anthony says he wishes the Oklahoma City Thunder situation “would’ve worked out” and that it “wasn’t handled right.” Anthony played just one season with the Thunder. He averaged 16.2 points while shooting 40.4 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc during the regular season. OKC won 48 games, but lost […]

Los Angeles Clippers small forward Paul George will return to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on March 3, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. George played two seasons for the Thunder. He requested a trade this summer to the Clippers so he could play with two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard back home in […]

Some key NBA schedule dates have been revealed for the 2019-20 campaign, and among those dates is Jan. 9, when Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook will return to Oklahoma City to face his old Oklahoma City Thunder squad, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. Westbrook was traded from Oklahoma City to Houston […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder made several franchise-changing moves this offseason. They traded MVP candidate Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for a boatload of picks. 2017 MVP and Thunder fan favorite Russell Westbrook was the next to go, sent to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul and even more future selections. The Thunder seem […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder will have a massive void without the presence of Russell Westbrook and Paul George on the court after enjoying two seasons of the dynamic duo. The franchise has now put its faith in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a player LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers was hesitant to give up in a trade and […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder and forward Patrick Patterson have agreed to a buyout for $5.7 million of the final season of his contract, allowing him to become a free agent, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The veteran stretch-four intends to sign with the LA Clippers upon clearing waivers. Patterson could have once again found himself […]

An anonymous NBA executive expects Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti to trade veteran point guard Chris Paul “for something useful” down the line. Paul is expected to begin the 2019-20 season on the Thunder. However, Presti will most likely try and find a trade partner for CP3 before the February 2020 trade deadline. […]

An NBA rival executive believes that the next season or two will be tough for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but “they might be terrific again” after that, per Keith Smith of RealGM. During free agency, the Thunder traded away franchise stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George. In exchange, they received a ton of first-round draft […]

Trading Paul George and Russell Westbrook came as a surprise to a lot of people, including some within the Oklahoma City Thunder organization. George was traded from the Thunder to the Clippers earlier this month, joining former San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard. In the fallout of the trade, OKC was forced […]

New Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter has some history with critics who have been skeptical about his impact in the most important games. Kanter, 27, has spent eight seasons in the NBA, playing most recently for the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers this past season. Before that, Kanter spent three-plus years with the […]

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is a busy guy, but that doesn’t mean a car ride in an Uber could prevent him from completing one of the summer’s biggest moves—trading for Russell Westbrook. Per Jonathan Feigen in the Houston Chronicle: In the course of that 20-minute ride — with Morey and [EVP Rafael] Stone […]

It’s hardly groundbreaking to submit that Russell Westbrook will receive a far different welcome in his initial return to Chesapeake Energy Arena as an opponent of the Oklahoma City Thunder than Kevin Durant did three years ago. Not only was Westbrook traded by the Thunder whereas Durant left in free agency, but the former’s departure […]

Russell Westbrook says his relationship with Oklahoma City and the Thunder organization is “something that will stay with me the rest of my life.” Westbrook is a Thunder legend and was more than just a basketball player to OKC. He was an idol and hero to all the kids in Oklahoma City. The former MVP […]

Houston Rockets superstar point guard Russell Westbrook says his trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder was a crazy process, but a collaborative effort. Westbrook says the trade talks came quickly and moving to Houston was the best decision for his career. Westbrook on the trade: “It was a crazy process, but a collaborative effort. It […]

Russell Westbrook’s tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder is over. The eight-time All-Star and 2017 NBA MVP was traded earlier this month to the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster deal that sent Chris Paul, two protected first-round selections and future pick swaps to the Thunder. Sources: Pick protections in Thunder/Rockets, Russell Westbrook/Chris Paul trade: 2024 […]

Like most NBA fans, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Hamidou Diallo was shocked when Russell Westbrook and Paul George were traded in the offseason. Diallo spoke on how the trades came out of nowhere for him, blindsiding him both times: “No. No idea at all. That really hit home base. I didn’t know anything. And, I […]

To say Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti is excited about young point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would be an understatement. With Russell Westbrook and Paul George gone, the Thunder are handing the keys to the franchise to Gilgeous-Alexander, who is only 21-years-old. “We’re really excited about him,” Presti said, via Maddie Lee of the […]

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti can’t predict how many years veteran point guard Chris Paul will be in OKC. The Thunder acquired Paul from the Houston Rockets in the blockbuster Russell Westbrook trade. Paul has three years left on his deal. He’ll make $38,506,482 next season, $41,358,814 in 2020-21 and has a player […]

Paul George says the chance to play with Kawhi Leonard on the Los Angeles Clippers “seemed like an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.” George says he and Leonard spoke during Leonard’s free agency. Once Leonard told George he was leaning toward going back home to California, that’s when George requested a trade from the […]

Los Angeles Clippers superstar small forward Kawhi Leonard says the idea of playing with Paul George first started back in the summer of 2017 when he tried to get the San Antonio Spurs to trade for George after PG requested a trade from the Indiana Pacers. George wound up getting traded to the Oklahoma City […]

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti spoke with the local media on Thursday and talked about why he granted small forward Paul George’s trade request. The Thunder traded George to the Los Angeles Clippers and got an unbelievable haul. OKC acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and five first-round picks: Sam Presti on why he […]

Despite the fact that the Oklahoma City Thunder lost Paul George and Russell Westbrook this offseason, general manager Sam Presti isn’t quite ready to say that his team is entering a rebuilding phase. “I wouldn’t say that we’ve started to rebuild,” Presti told Brett Dawson of The Athletic on Thursday. “The first step is re-positioning […]

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti had kind words for former stars Paul George and Russell Westbrook at a press conference on Thursday, but he also seemed surprised when questioned about the reported discontent of the duo. Presti claimed that most NBA players are unhappy when the season ends without a championship, and insisted […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder have gone through a massive overhaul in the last couple of weeks, losing both Paul George and Russell Westbrook in surprising trades. With the team now looking at a rebuilding situation, the Thunder will lean on the players they already have to help them, and thankfully, one key contributor should be […]

Though they lost Paul George in their recent trade with the L.A. Clippers, the Oklahoma City Thunder received Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as part of the deal — a player who Sam Presti is excited to have aboard. In a recent interview with Brett Dawson of The Athletic, Presti noted that Gilgeous-Alexander has “a bright future in […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder will be fielding a team led by Chris Paul next season, as long as there’s no surprise trade in the coming months. The Thunder are not expected to contend for a championship, but they have what it takes to be competitive. General manager Sam Presti said he’s excited to see what […]

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti explained the Paul George situation at length, claiming he did not hear of his trade request until July, according to Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman. “When the situation developed in July, that was the first we heard of that,” said Presti, referring to the George trade request. Presti […]

The L.A. Clippers welcomed Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to the organization with an introductory press conference on Wednesday afternoon. During the event, George noted that his decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder was “mutual.” However, Thunder general manager Sam Presti “wouldn’t necessarily agree” with George’s assessment, according to a report from Brett Dawson […]

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti was effusive in thanking Russell Westbrook and Paul George for their contributions shortly after taking out an op-ed on The Oklahoman to explain the team’s decision to undergo a rebuild. Presti thanked Westbrook “for the tremendous contributions he’s made to our organization and community, the time he put […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder has lost two of their best players after they have decided to trade both Paul George and Russell Westbrook. And as painful as it is for the team executives, particularly general manager Sam Presti, they will have to go through the long process of rebuild once again. Since 2008, the Thunder […]

When it was revealed that Kawhi Leonard was joining the Los Angeles Clippers a couple of weeks ago, it took only minutes for the news to break that Paul George would be joining Leonard via trade. According to reports, it was Leonard who told the Clippers to look for another star before he committed to […]

At the end of last season, fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder were still optimistic about their team’s future, even after back-t0-back exits in the first round of the playoffs with Russell Westbrook and Paul George leading the way. Back then it felt like they only needed a couple more pieces to legitimately contend for […]

Paul George felt the cracks in the floor upon a second disappointing playoff exit in the first round of the NBA playoffs, concerned about the unstable Oklahoma City Thunder roster and the possibility that it could soon blow up after falling short two years in a row with the pairing of him and Russell Westbrook. […]