Thunder Rumors & News

Sportsnaut "When the NBA made the decision to introduce the Play-In Tournament following the regular season, we heard all about it, from fans and players across the nation. Some liked the idea of lower-seeded teams having a chance at competing for a playoff spot by winning an extra game or two,..." May 17

Bleacher Report "NBA commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN's Malika Andrews on Tuesday that he wanted to see both players and teams honor existing contracts.   "From a league standpoint, we want teams to honor contracts, we want players to honor contracts," he said...." May 17

Bleacher Report "A potential rule change to the NBA's "transition take foul" was reportedly met with "widespread support" during the league's general managers meeting in Chicago on Tuesday, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.  Per that..." May 17

Yardbarker "Despite adding point guard James Harden before the trade deadline to pair with superstar Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers' postseason run ended with a second-round loss to the Miami Heat in six games.  ESPN's Brian Windhorst, a guest on Mike Greenberg's ESPN Radio..." May 17

NBA Analysis "Nothing lasts forever, but some things are more sustainable than others. The Phoenix Suns’ reign as one of the top teams in the NBA, however, looks to be crashing at warp speed. They surely didn’t look the part in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Mavericks..." May 17

Heavy "The Los Angeles Lakers may be less than two years removed from winning a championship but there are some massive issues with the franchise. While it’s feasible that the team can get back into title contention next season with LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading the..." May 17

NBA Analysis "The Philadelphia 76ers set some lofty expectations when they acquired James Harden at this year’s NBA trade deadline. Having been eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, it’s fair to say they fell short of them. This offseason, they’ll need to improve their..." May 17

Bleacher Report "We're finally down to the NBA's Final Four. With the Boston Celtics defeating the Milwaukee Bucks and the Dallas Mavericks shocking the world with a 33-point win over the Suns in Phoenix, both have moved on to the conference finals. Here's how the final two..." May 17

The Athletic "Take a breath. Losing in the second round sucks. You can see the conference finals — the only portal to the glorious, honey-drenched, sun-filled NBA Finals — right in front of you. All you have to do is beat this damn annoying team in front of you, that..." May 17

NBA Analysis "Here’s a question being asked throughout NBA circles: is Deandre Ayton a max player? It’s not an easy call to make. On the one hand, Ayton is a hyper-efficient pick-and-roll finisher. He’s basically a walking block of granite who can use his bulk and mobility to get..." May 17

Fadeaway World "After their embarrassing Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the Phoenix Suns are going to have some thinking to do. Many believed that this would finally be the year that Chris Paul would win his first championship ring. Instead, the team lost to the Mavericks at home for the first time since..." May 17

USA Today "Oklahoma City Thunder center Derrick Favors has officially picked up his $10.2 million option for the 2022-23 season, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. This was all but a courtesy call as Favors mentioned during his exit interview that he was probably going to..." May 17

Sportsnaut "Heading into the annual NBA Draft Lottery set to take place prior to the start of Tuesday night’s Eastern Conference Finals matchup, there is no top consensus, LeBron James, Zion Williamson, or otherwise top-regarded No. 1 prospect in the incoming class. Instead, there are..." May 17

NBA Analysis "Heading into the postseason, the Suns looked like the most complete team in the NBA. The Mavericks thought otherwise though, embarrassing Phoenix 123-90 in Game 7 to knock them from the postseason. Phoenix is left to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of one of the largest home Game..." May 17

NBA Analysis "The Atlanta Hawks might be making some changes this NBA offseason after an underwhelming year. The Hawks made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season when no one expected much. This season, the Hawks were looking to prove that last season was not a fluke but was unable..." May 17

Yardbarker "Kevin Durant is one of the best players in the world but that has never stopped him from being extremely active on social media sites like Twitter. While many of his contemporaries use it as a means to engage with fans in a friendly manner and ignore the haters, KD usually comes out all..." May 17

Bleacher Report "The 2022 NBA draft lottery is Tuesday, and it could change everything for whichever team lands the first overall pick. In most cases, the squad that secures that top selection should keep it. Cost-controlled players with star potential are hard to come by, and there's a..." May 16

NBA Analysis "One of the biggest goals for the New York Knicks this NBA offseason needs to be figuring out the direction they want to take the roster. When Leon Rose first took over the front office, it looked like this would be a rebuilding effort through the draft. New York would cultivate and..." May 16

The Big Lead "The Phoenix Suns' hopes for a repeat NBA Finals run spontaneously combusted last night, when they fell to pieces for all of Game 7 against the Dallas Mavericks. It was a team failure. No one person can possibly be blamed for the performance. It takes a village to..." May 16

Sportsnaut "The NBA announced the five finalists Monday for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award. Reggie Bullock (Dallas Mavericks), Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks), Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Fred VanVleet (Toronto..." May 16

NBA Analysis "On some level, we’d love to see Zach LaVine stay with the Chicago Bulls. Their 2021-22 NBA season just feels a little incomplete. They had a solid year, but it was unexceptional. They finished the year 46-36 and got eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. After..." May 16

Bleacher Report "Four teams are left in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, and Chris Paul's team is not one of them. He will go into his 18th season with his place more than cemented on the very short list of greatest point guards of all time but still without a ring. We'll have all summer (and beyond) to..." May 16

NBA Analysis "The James Harden experience is a complicated one. It’s proven to be for multiple NBA franchises. There’s no question that he’s one of the most impactful offensive players in the history of the sport. On the other hand, there’s a case to be made that he tends to..." May 15

NBA Analysis "As the NBA playoffs rage on, LeBron James’ absence from the festivities only grows more noticeable. Fans of the league have grown accustomed to seeing him on its biggest stage. Unfortunately, his Lakers didn’t come remotely close to qualifying to perform there. In fact,..." May 15

Bleacher Report "Most of the NBA is already operating in offseason mode. The rest will get there in the next month (give or take a few days). If you aren't thinking about your franchise's next step, you're already behind. We're here to bring everyone up to..." May 15

Clutch Points "The Philadelphia 76ers have their work cut out for them this offseason. With almost no wiggle room, they will have to find ways to upgrade their roster after losing in the second round of the NBA playoffs for the fourth time in five years. Figuring out what to do with James..." May 14

NBA Analysis "Kyrie Irving may be the most unpredictable player in what’s become a wildly unpredictable league. Any headline with his name in it should not come as a surprise to NBA fans this summer. If that headline reads that the Nets traded him, it will anyway. That’s not a decision..." May 14

Fadeaway World "International players have made a big impact in the league in recent times, becoming huge figures in the association, changing the way that American players and fans see foreign stars that land in the NBA looking for an opportunity to shine. It's been a couple of great years for these..." May 14

Clutch Points "After another disappointing showing in the 2021-22 NBA Playoffs, the Utah Jazz could be on the verge of disbanding their core players in a bid to head in a new direction moving forward. According to Bleacher Report, one of those players would be Mike Conley who is already past..." May 14

NBA Analysis "The Cleveland Cavaliers took big steps in the 2021-22 NBA season. Since LeBron James left town, Cleveland has had trouble finding consistency but that might be coming to an end. The Cavaliers are the spot in the play-in portion of the postseason but were eliminated prior to series..." May 14

NBA Analysis "The Oklahoma City Thunder do not appear to be in the business of trading for stars. Apparently, they’re much more interested in trying to land one in the NBA Draft. That would explain why general manager Sam Presti has amassed, by far, the most draft capital in the history of..." May 14

Sportsnaut "There’s now a decent chance that the Brooklyn Nets will have to pull off a Kyrie Irving trade this summer. Following the Nets’ ugly first-round sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics, there’s a ton of drama brewing in Brooklyn. That includes general..." May 13

Fadeaway World "The playoffs are veering towards the NBA’s final four. Still, the league is chock full of around-the-clock trade rumors. And why not? Over 20 teams are already on vacation, looking for ways to upgrade for next season. Even the eight squads still playing could always strive to improve upon..." May 13

NBA Analysis "Show us a Knicks fan who was happy with the team’s 2021-22 NBA season, and we’ll show you a masochist. The disappointment was widespread in the Big Apple following their campaign. Having advanced to the playoffs the year prior, the Knicks didn’t even qualify for the..." May 13

Bleacher Report "The clock perpetually ticks toward the NBA's next superstar trade. No one knows exactly when, where or why it will happen, but a premature playoff exit here or a fractured relationship there, and suddenly the gears are in motion. While it's impossible to predict..." May 12

NBA Analysis "The offseason came much earlier than the Los Angeles Lakers were expecting. As we near the start of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals, the Lakers are in full NBA offseason mode preparing for potential roster changes to get LeBron James more help. Last season, the major target..." May 12

NBA Analysis "The 2022 NBA free agency class is largely considered a weak one considering most of the top talent is expected to remain with their current franchise. Among the top options to monitor is Jalen Brunson of the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks were reluctant to get a long-term deal done..." May 12

Fadeaway World "Bradley Beal is one of the most talented shooting guards in the game right now because he is an offensive machine that is very capable of averaging at least 30 PPG in a season. Starting off as a spot-up shooter that benefitted from John Wall’s playmaking in Washington, Beal has worked on..." May 12

NBA Analysis "Former NBA All-Star Ben Simmons has not played a minute in a Brooklyn Nets uniform. Surely they couldn’t trade him. That has to be some form of malpractice, right? Wrong. There’s nothing in the rule book that states that just because you acquire a player, you’re..." May 12

NBA Analysis "The postseason is still playing around the league, but it is never too early to take a look at the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft. One intriguing prospect that continues to climb up draft boards is Wisconsin guard Johnny Davis. The Badger was named the Big Ten Player of the Year..." May 12

Side Action "Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine has failed to reach a contract extension over the past year with the team. So now, he finds himself in a position where he can look around to see what’s out there. After the series loss to the Bucks, LaVine re-iterated his love for Chicago and the..." May 12

ESPN "It's no coincidence that in the same year the NBA is celebrating its 75th anniversary, the league is unveiling an ensemble of trophies and awards that will feature new designs and will honor iconic players such as Larry Bird, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Bob Cousy and Oscar..." May 12

NBA Analysis "It’s becoming increasingly more apparent that the world has seen the last of the Donovan Mitchell-Rudy Gobert pairing. After yet another disappointing early exit in the NBA playoffs by the Utah Jazz, newly minted Executive Danny Ainge is poised to shake up the roster in a drastic way...." May 11

Sportsnaut "While it might seem unlikely that the Brooklyn Nets would trade Ben Simmons in the offseason, there are actually rumblings of teams around the league interested in acquiring his services. Meaning the Nets might need to seriously ponder if Simmons has more value to them long-term as part of a..." May 11

NBA Analysis "It’s not hard to find a photoshopped image of NBA All-Star Bradley Beal in a different team’s uniform on the internet. After all, the star off-guard has been the subject of trade rumors for years. It makes sense. His Wizards have struggled to advance in the playoffs during..." May 11

Bleacher Report "After a brutal 3-16 start to the season, the New Orleans Pelicans suddenly look like playoff regulars with a 26.3 percent chance of having a top-four selection in the 2022 NBA draft. They'll own the Los Angeles Lakers' pick, assuming it lands in the top 10 (99.5 percent..." May 11

NBA Analysis "The Oklahoma City Thunder don’t seem concerned with the present as the NBA offseason approaches. Their team-building strategy looks geared toward a dynasty: In the 2030s. It’s a controversial method. General Manager Sam Presti has hoarded draft picks like they were canned..." May 11

Bleacher Report "So many people have bemoaned the lack of star power entering 2022 free agency that it's easy to overlook just how many great under-the-radar finds are staring us right in the face. At long last, we now have this space to acknowledge some of them. Handing out..." May 11

Sportsnaut "Bookmark. Save. Do your thing. We will be providing constant updates on this page as it relates to the biggest NBA trade rumors leading up to the start of the NBA offseason this coming summer.   Offseason of change for the Los Angeles..." May 11

Sportsnaut "The Detroit Pistons were happy to pry away Jerami Grant with a three-year, $60-million contract in free agency during the 2020 NBA offseason. Now, two summers later, the team may already be looking to part ways with their skilled power forward. Grant has undoubtedly grown as..." May 11