NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog
NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
OKC Thunder blog – Oklahoma City Thunder basketball blog
The Oklahoma City Thunder has waived guard Josh Gray, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti.
Gray has appeared in seven career games with Phoenix and New Orleans, recording averages of 4.9 points, 2.0 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.14 steals in 15.6 minutes per game. He was originally acquired from New Orleans on Nov. 24.
STATEMENT FROM THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
“As we continue planning for the start of the 2020-21 NBA season, our absolute top priority is the health and safety of our guests and our community. For months, we have worked in close collaboration with Chesapeake Energy Arena, the City of Oklahoma City, local health officials, and the NBA to put into place thorough health and safety measures to allow for reduced seating capacity. However, as we review ongoing and concerning trends in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Oklahoma, we want to exercise an abundance of caution to help control the spread of the virus in our community. Therefore, the Thunder has made the decision to begin the season without fans in the arena.
“We will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation over the coming weeks to determine when fans will be able to attend our games.
“We will take all necessary steps to create a safe environment for those who will be in attendance for games as the upcoming season begins, including players, coaches, staff, media and broadcasters.
“We urge everyone to take all the vital steps necessary to control the spread of the virus, especially wearing masks, washing hands and maintaining proper physical distance. As a community, we must all work together to get through this safely and move forward to welcome our fans into the arena to enjoy Thunder Basketball this season.”
In a three-team trade today, the Dallas Mavericks have acquired forward James Johnson from the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the deal, the Mavericks sent guard Delon Wright to the Detroit Pistons and forward Justin Jackson to the Thunder. The Pistons dealt forward Trevor Ariza to Oklahoma City. The Thunder acquired a 2023 second round pick (best from either Dallas or Miami) and a 2026 second round draft pick from Dallas.
Ariza (6-8, 215) has appeared in 1,064 career games (731 starts) with New York, Orlando, L.A. Lakers, Houston, New Orleans, Washington, Phoenix, Sacramento and Portland, registering averages of 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.49 steals in 29.7 minutes per contest. Last season the former NBA champion split the season between Sacramento and Portland. In his time with Portland, the Miami native appeared in 21 games (all starts) and averaged 11.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.62 steals in 33.4 minutes per game, shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three-point range.
Jackson (6-7, 220) has seen action in 214 career games (58 starts) with Sacramento and Dallas, recording averages of 6.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 19.5 minutes per game, shooting 43.1 percent from the floor. Last season with Dallas, the North Carolina product appeared in 65 games (three starts), averaging 5.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 16.1 minutes per contest, shooting 84.0 percent from the free throw line.
Johnson has appeared in 634 career games (220 starts) with Chicago, Toronto, Sacramento, Memphis, Miami and Minnesota, averaging 8.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 20.6 minutes per game, shooting 47.7 percent from the field. He was originally acquired from Minnesota on Nov. 20.
New Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault’s staff is set. Mike Wilks, Dave Bliss and David Akinyooye will be joined by Mike Miller as assistant coaches and Zach Peterson and Kameron Woods will serve as player development coaches.
“This group has proven to be great collaborators during their time with the Thunder, complementing their ability to help develop our team and players,” said Daigneault. “They all share a deep commitment and understanding for the values of the organization and are dedicated to being continuous learners. I’m looking forward to welcoming Mike to the Thunder and our coaching staff as we work to maximize our team and program.”
Wilks is set to begin his second year as an assistant coach after spending the previous seven seasons with Oklahoma City as a senior pro evaluation scout. Wilks is the second former Thunder player (Royal Ivey) to join the team’s coaching ranks. He enjoyed a seven-year NBA playing career where he appeared in 233 games with ten different NBA teams.
Bliss returns for his second season on the Thunder bench after spending the 2018-19 season as a senior player development coach for the Thunder. Bliss returned to Oklahoma City in 2018 after spending the three previous seasons with the New York Knicks as a player development coach. He previously worked with the Thunder as video analyst/player development coach from 2010-15 and last summer Bliss served as the head coach of the Thunder’s summer league team.
Akinyooye enters his second season as an assistant coach with the Thunder after spending the previous four years as an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Blue. Akinyooye came to Oklahoma City in 2015 following a one-year stint as an assistant coach in Lyon, France with Asvel Lyon-Villeurbanne Basket. Prior to his time in Lyon, he served as a player development quality assurance assistant with the San Antonio Spurs during their 2013-14 NBA championship season.
Miller brings nearly three decades of coaching experience to the Thunder after spending the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks before assuming the role of interim head coach last December. Miller was moved to his position on the NBA bench after four years at the helm of the NBA G League’s Westchester Knicks. Before moving to New York in 2015, Miller spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League affiliate. He has also spent time as a head coach at Eastern Illinois University (2005-12) and Texas State University (1994-00) and has served as an assistant coach at UC Riverside (2012-13), Kansas State (2001-05), Texas State (1992-94), Sam Houston State (1990-91) and Western Illinois (1989-90).
Peterson returns to the Thunder sideline after spending the 2019-20 campaign with Oklahoma City as a player development coach. Previously, he served as the head video coordinator for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2018-19 season. Prior to his time in Milwaukee, Peterson spent four years with the Atlanta Hawks, where he quickly climbed the ranks from a video intern in 2014 to an assistant video coordinator in 2016 and finally the head video coordinator for the 2017-18 season. Peterson began his work in sports as he attended Michigan State University from 2009-13, spending his first two years as the student manager for the women’s basketball team before working with the men’s team his junior and senior years.
Woods joins the Thunder bench after two seasons as an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Blue. He previously played as a forward for the Blue for two seasons. In his G League career, he appeared in 99 games (43 starts) and averaged 4.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 23.7 minutes per game. A Butler University product, Woods finished his four-year collegiate career as the second leading rebounder in the school’s history with 956 rebounds. He led the Bulldogs in blocked shots in all four seasons.
The Atlanta Hawks have acquired forward Danilo Gallinari (da-KNEE-lo gal-in-ARE-ee) and cash considerations in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder for a conditional 2025 second-round pick in a sign-and-trade transaction.
“Danilo checks a lot of boxes for what we have prioritized. We wanted to add productive veterans and high-level shooting to our group and he provides both. At his size, he is one of the league’s most versatile and efficient scorers and he has proven to be the type of veteran you want in your locker room,” said Hawks President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Travis Schlenk.
Last season in 62 games with Oklahoma City, the 6-foot-10 native of Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Italy averaged 18.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 29.6 minutes (.438 FG%, .405 3FG%, .893 FT%), ranking 16th in the league in three-pointers made (178), tied for 19th in three-point percentage and sixth in free-throw percentage. Over the last two seasons, Gallinari has averaged 19.3 points while shooting .418 3FGs (on 6.2 3FGA per game).
Through 11 NBA seasons, in 611 games (541 starts) with New York, Denver, the LA Clippers and Oklahoma City, Gallinari has averaged 16.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 30.9 minutes (.427 FG%, .380 3FG%, .873 FT%). He’s also seen action in 25 career postseason contests (all starts) with the Nuggets and Thunder, averaging 15.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 31.3 minutes.
Gallinari was the sixth overall pick by the Knicks in the 2008 NBA Draft following an Italian League MVP season with Olimpia Milano.
Born on August 8, 1988 (8/8/88), he will wear jersey No. 8.
The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that the team has completed a four-team trade with the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Pelicans have acquired Steven Adams (via Oklahoma City) and Eric Bledsoe (via Milwaukee), as well as two future first round draft picks from Milwaukee and the right to swap two additional future first round picks with the Bucks.
In exchange, the Bucks have acquired Jrue Holiday and the draft rights to Sam Merrill, the 60th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft (via New Orleans).
Also, the Nuggets have acquired the draft rights to R.J. Hampton, the 24th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft (via Milwaukee).
And the Thunder have acquired a future first round draft pick (via Denver), George Hill (via Milwaukee), Zylan Cheatham, Josh Gray, Darius Miller and Kenrich Williams (via New Orleans) as well as two second round draft picks from the Pelicans (2023 via Washington, 2024 via Charlotte).
“Jrue Holiday’s contributions to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region, both on and off the floor, serve as shining examples to everyone in our Pelicans family,” stated Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin. “They are a statement of what we want to represent and, frankly, what we have to live up to moving forward. He and his wife Lauren have worked tirelessly to affect the quality of life of those around them and we are honored to have been a part of their journey. We are also thankful for the positive impact that Darius, Kenrich, Josh and Zylan have had on our organization and we wish them nothing but success in their future efforts.”
Adams, 7-0, 265, has spent his entire seven-year career in Oklahoma City, appearing in 530 career regular season games with the Thunder, holding career averages of 9.8 points on .589 shooting from the field, 7.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.0 blocks. The New Zealand native appeared in 63 games in 2019-20, averaging 10.9 points on .592 shooting from the floor, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 blocks. Selected 12th overall out of the University of Pittsburgh in the 2013 NBA Draft, Adams ranks fifth all-time in OKC/Seattle franchise history in blocks (531) and first in field goal percentage.
Bledsoe, 6-1, 214, appeared in 61 regular season games for Milwaukee last season, averaging 14.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 0.9 steals. Selected 18th overall out of the University of Kentucky in the 2010 NBA Draft, Bledsoe has appeared in 631 career regular season games with the LA Clippers, Phoenix and Milwaukee, holding averages of 14.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals. The Birmingham, Alabama native is coming off back-to-back seasons with NBA All-Defensive Team honors after being named to the First Team in 2019 and Second Team in 2020.
“Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe are not only fiercely competitive and driven to succeed at the highest levels, they are proven winners with a team-first mentality,” Griffin added. “As we continue to build towards the sustainable success our ownership demands and our fans so richly deserve, we are grateful to be able to do so with such high-quality teammates and human beings.”
Holiday, who was originally acquired by New Orleans in 2013, has appeared in 415 regular season games in a Pelicans uniform, averaging 17.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.5 steals over the last seven seasons. Holiday leaves the franchise ranked fourth all-time in games played (415), minutes (13,913), and points (7,321), third in steals (638), second in assists (2,833) and the leader in three-point field goals made (628). While in New Orleans, Holiday helped lead the Pelicans to two playoff appearances in 2015 and 2018, was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2018 and Second Team in 2019, and was the recipient of the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award this past season.
Cheatham, 6-5, 220, spent his rookie season as a two-way player for New Orleans after going undrafted out of Arizona State in 2019, appearing in four games with the Pelicans. Cheatham played in 34 games for the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League last season, averaging 16.3 points on .530 shooting from the field, 11.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals.
Gray, 6-0, 180, was a two-way player for New Orleans last season, appearing in two games with the Pelicans. The LSU product appeared in 37 games with the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League, averaging 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 2.3 steals.
Miller, 6-6, 225, missed the 2019-20 season after recovering from a ruptured right Achilles tendon. The University of Kentucky product has appeared in 253 career regular season games, all with New Orleans, holding averages of 6.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists. In 2018-19, Miller appeared in 69 games, posting averages of 8.2 points (career-high), 1.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists. In addition to his NBA experience, Miller has also played overseas in Germany, where he won three consecutive German League championships with Brose Bamberg from 2015-17.
Williams, 6-6, 210, appeared in 85 games for New Orleans from 2018-20, averaging 4.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists. In 2019-20, the TCU product appeared in 39 games for the Pelicans, averaging 3.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
Merrill, 6-5, 205, completed a four-year collegiate career at Utah State, appearing in 131 career games, averaging 16.8 points while shooting .420 from three-point range, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals. Most recently, Merrill appeared in 32 games during his 2019-20 senior campaign, averaging 19.7 points while shooting .410 from three-point range, 4.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists, while earning All-Mountain West First Team honors.
In the middle of two days of frenzied free agent signing agreements, a multi-team trade is materializing that will send Thunder center Steven Adams to the New Orleans Pelicans. Via the Oklahoman:
The reality of a rebuild had hit by Monday, but Steven Adams’ name remained at the top of the Thunder roster entering the weekend, giving comfort to those fans still clinging to the past.
That last connection to the glory days disappeared early Saturday morning, when it was reported that the Thunder’s beloved center of seven years is headed to New Orleans as part of a four-team deal among the Thunder, Pelicans, Bucks and Nuggets.
In exchange for Adams, the Thunder will receive guard George Hill, forward Darius Miller, a 2023 protected first-round pick from the Nuggets and two future second-round picks from the Nuggets, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
It’s a tremendous haul for Adams, an old-school, 27-year-old center earning $27.5 million in the final year of his contract…
The Thunder selected Adams with the 12th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. He became a full-time starter by his second season, and the quirky New Zealand native was adopted as an honorary Oklahoman.
Trae Young is getting some scoring help. A forward who gets buckets will be leaving Oklahoma City and heading to Atlanta. Here’s the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the news:
The Hawks are finalizing a deal with unrestricted free agent Danilo Gallinari, the AJC has confirmed.
Gallinari, 32, averaged 18.7 points and 5.2 rebounds with the Thunder last season and shot 40.5% from 3-point range. The Hawks were the worst 3-point shooting team in the league last season (33.3%), and it’s one of the major problems they needed to address heading into 2020-21.
The move greatly bolsters the Hawks’ offense as they aim to go from a 20-47 team to the playoffs the very next season. Gallinari, a forward, also brings significant experience to a young roster. This will be his 13th season in the NBA, and he started 62 games and was a major contributor for a Thunder team that took the Rockets to seven games before falling just short in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. ESPN first reported the three-year, $61.5 million contract.
Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas today announced the team has acquired guard Ricky Rubio and the draft rights to Jaden McDaniels (28th overall) from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for forward James Johnson and the draft rights to Aleksej Pokuševski (17th overall) and Minnesota’s 2024 Second Round Pick.
The Timberwolves are also acquiring the draft rights to Leandro Bolmaro (23rd overall) from the New York Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to Mathias Lessort (50th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft) and the Detroit Pistons’ 2023 Second Round Pick.
“Ricky is a great fit to what we are building here in Minneapolis and we are thrilled to welcome him back to the Timberwolves organization,” said Rosas. “He will be a solid addition to our core in All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell and First Overall Pick Anthony Edwards. Ricky is an elite playmaker and someone who will boost our defense and bring a veteran presence to our team.”
Originally drafted by the Timberwolves with the fifth overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft, Rubio played in 353 games over six seasons with Minnesota averaging 10.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game. He ranks among the top-10 in numerous franchise records including ranking second in total assists (2991), second in total steals (747) and 10th in games played (353). Rubio holds the record for the most assists in a single game in Timberwolves history after dishing out 19 dimes against the Washington Wizards on Mar. 13, 2017. The 6-3 guard played in 65 games for the Phoenix Suns last season, averaging 13.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, his most since averaging 5.7 rebounds in 2014-15, and 8.8 assists in 31.0 minutes per game.
“Ricky is a needed piece when it comes to being a culture builder, a team-first player and the impact he has on and off the court,” said Timberwolves Head Coach Ryan Saunders. “I’m thrilled to welcome him back to Minneapolis.”
The El Masnou, Spain native began his national team career on Spain’s Under-16 team in 2005, winning a bronze medal at the 2005 FIBA Europe U16 Championships. Rubio was named MVP of the 2006 FIBA Europe U16 Championships after leading Spain to the gold medal where he averaged 22.3 points, 12.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 6.5 steals per game during the tournament, including two triple-doubles and a quadruple-double (posted 51 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists and 7 steals in the championship game against Russia). Rubio was named to the Spanish team for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where at age 17 he became the youngest ever to participate in the gold-medal game.
Bolmaro, a 6-6 forward, played his first season with FC Barcelona’s primary team for the 2019-20 season. He appeared in 13 games (two starts) across the club’s ACB and EuroLeague schedule. The Las Varillas, Argentina native averaged 4.4 points and 0.9 steals in 12.9 minutes in seven games in Spain’s top pro league. Bolmaro joined FC Barcelona’s “B” team for the second consecutive season and averaged 14.6 points, 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals in 26.8 minutes in nine games in Spain’s third division, LEB Silver. The 20-year-old joined FC Barcelona’s “B” team in 2018-19, averaging 10.4 points in 33 games in Spain’s second division, LEB Gold.
McDaniels, a 6-9 forward joins the Timberwolves after spending one season at the University of Washington where he averaged 13.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 blocks. He was the only player in any of the major conferences to average at least 1.4 blocks and 1.4 three-pointers made per game in 2019-20. The Federal Way, Washington native is the younger brother of Charlotte Hornets forward Jalen McDaniels.
Johnson was originally acquired by the Wolves in a three-team deal from the Miami Heat on Feb. 6, averaged 12.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in 14 games with Minnesota.
Pokuševski (7-0, 195) averaged 10.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals in 22.6 minutes in 11 games with Olympiacos B in the Greek Second Division, HEBA A2 in the 2019-20 season as the team went 17-4 and earned a second-place finish in A2. At the 2019 U18 European Championships, the Serbian native averaged 10.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.7 steals and led with event with 4.0 blocks per game.
Quickley, 6-3, 188-pounds, averaged 10.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists, shooting 46.2-percent from the field, including 39.7-percent from three over 67 games (27 starts) at Kentucky. The Havre de Grace, MD-native was named the 2019-20 SEC Player of the Year after helping guide the Wildcats to the SEC regular season championship. During his sophomore season, the 2019-20 All-SEC-First Team selection recorded 16.1 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 42.8-percent from downtown over 33.0 minutes in 30 games (20 starts).
The Oklahoma City Thunder has acquired center Vincent Poirier and cash considerations in a trade with the Boston Celtics. In return, the Celtics receive a protected 2021 second-round draft pick.
Poirier (7-0, 235) appeared in 22 games during his rookie season with Boston, registering averages of 1.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 5.9 minutes per contest, shooting 47.2 percent from the floor and 85.7 percent from the free throw line. The French native also saw action in four games on assignment with the Maine Red Claws of the NBA G League, averaging 16.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and a team-leading 3.00 blocks in 26.5 minutes per game, shooting 62.2 percent from the field and 90.0 percent from the charity stripe.
Poirier’s salary for the 2020-21 NBA season is reportedly around $2.6 million.