April 2016 Oklahoma City Thunder Wiretap

Monty Williams Expected To Take Job With Spurs

Jul 30, 2016 12:14 AM

Monty Williams has a standing job offer from the San Antonio Spurs that he's likely to accept.

Williams' wife, Ingrid Williams, passed away in a car accident in February. Williams then took a leave of absence from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The specifics of what role Williams would fill and how much time he could commit have not yet been determined, but sources say San Antonio has opened the door to either a coaching and player-development role or a front-office position -- or a hybrid -- depending on what he prefers.

Williams was also previously head coach of the Pelicans.

Marc Stein/ESPN

Tags: San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor

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Kevin Durant Dismisses Speculation He Changed Course Once Free Agency Started

Jul 29, 2016 2:18 PM

Kevin Durant refuted a report that was later clarified about telling Russell Westbrook or giving him the impression he planned to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Durant had dinner with Westbrook and Nick Collison before the start of free agency.

“It’s false,” Durant told The Vertical on Thursday. “I didn’t say that – words about me telling Russell or Nick that I would stay or leave never came out of my mouth. We met as teammates, but no promises came out of it. In this day and age, I can’t control anything people claim out there. Someone can go out and say something random right now, and people will believe it.

“I never told Russell or Nick [Collison], ‘All right, guys, I’m coming back to the Thunder’ – and then a week later, I decide not to. Never happened. I don’t operate like that. I heard people say that story, but it’s not the truth.”

The Warriors’ projected starting five includes Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Durant, Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia – a seamless transition in Durant’s mind.

“I’m not coming into a team where a guy is playing my position and we have try to fit in two guys playing the same position,” Durant told The Vertical. “I’m not coming in trying to play the point guard, trying to play the shooting guard. I’m a small forward. The team didn’t have a small forward when I signed. Steph, Klay, Draymond, the bigs, we all play different positions.

“Whether it’s minutes, shots, opportunities, any good team will have players sacrificing. That’s the nature of the game. I’m not coming into a game saying that I need my 18 shots and I need to get to the line 12 times. I let the game flow naturally.”

Shams Charania/The Vertical

Tags: Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Video: Russell Westbrook Sarcastically Laughs When Asked About Durant

Jul 29, 2016 1:56 PM

Russell Westbrook has been silent so far this offseason following the departure of Kevin Durant.

Westbrook appeared in a video by a fan this week in which he was asked: "How do you feel about Durant, man?"

Westbrook didn't say anything except gave a sarcastic laugh.

 

Up The Thunder

Tags: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA

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Clippers Were Told They Were In Top-3 On Kevin Durant

Jul 28, 2016 1:27 PM

The Los Angeles Clippers were one of the teams to pursue Kevin Durant despite limited means of signing him.

"We were willing to take the gamble if we felt we were in it. And we were in it. We were in the top-3 at the very end," said Rivers. "But we had to make a couple calls to (Durant's camp). We got two players to delay an hour (before making their decisions). We had two players on our team who could sign for more money but they were going to wait another hour to stay with us.

"The second thing is we had to get this right. If we're going to go after Durant, if we can get him, let's stay in it. It's worth it, even if we don't get him. If we're not going to get him, we have to make that decision. We have to do our job business wise."

Durant was reportedly "blown away" by his meeting with the Clippers.

"We asked a simple question. We sat around trying to figure out what's the right question. And the first question we asked is 'are we in the top-3?' and they said 'yes'," said Rivers. "That made us feel good. We talked about it. My next question is 'are we in the top-2?' We made the decision, if they say 'no' then we go. If they say 'yes' we stay. They said 'no'."

Durant chose the Warriors and his seamless fit with the team and their cap room.

"I thought he liked us a lot," said Rivers. "He told us since and so have his representatives. The presentation I did and Lawrence (Frank) and Steve (Ballmer) is good or maybe the best presentation. But when they kept looking at how we were going to do it. We had to actually ask each guy to take a hit financially. We needed Kevin to take a hit this year to fit and next year we would have needed Blake (Griffin) and Chris (Paul) to take a hit financially. He didn't have to do that if he stayed in Oklahoma. He didn't have to do that if he went to Golden State. Plus they had room to build around that. I think at the end of the day, they looked at is as far as roster wise, well, 'the Clippers look great, we love who they are but financially they are going to be so strapped, it's going to be so hard to work, I think we're going to go the safer place,' and that was Golden State."

Adrian Wojnarowski/The Vertical

Tags: Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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ESPN Clarifies Report Of Durant Telling Westbrook He'd Re-Sign With Thunder

Jul 27, 2016 7:45 PM

Royce Young has clarified a remark made in a podcast on Tuesday about what Kevin Durant supposedly said to Russell Westbrook during their dinner before the start of free agency.

"Three weeks ago, Kevin Durant's sitting there at dinner, telling [Westbrook], 'Hey I’m coming back, man. Don't worry about it.' And now Russell Westbrook's kinda been thrown into this in having to decide his future a summer earlier than expected," said Young on Tuesday.

Young writes the impression that Westbrook and Collison had was Durant would re-sign with the Thunder and not leave for the Warriors.

Young also adds that they are not direct quotes meant to be attributed to Durant.

Royce Young/ESPN

Tags: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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RealGM Radio: Royce Young On The Thunder

Jul 27, 2016 5:52 PM

Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) and Royce Young of ESPN (@royceyoung) discuss the Oklahoma City Thunder’s present, past and future, from Russell Westbrook’s future with the team (1:09), the impact of the Serge Ibaka trade (25:11), the legacy of the Durant/Westbrook era (58:47) and much more.

 

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RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA, RealGM Radio

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Draymond Green Didn't Recruit Kevin Durant During Playoffs

Jul 27, 2016 2:59 PM

Draymond Green was pivotal in recruiting Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors, texting him often throughout the season but that largely stopped during the playoffs.

“During the playoffs, it’s a little different," said Green. "More is at stake, so we weren’t talking much and that’s normal. I heard something come out where they said Kevin Durant and Draymond were talking during the playoffs. They were lying. If that makes them feel better about themselves, and when I say ‘them,’ I’m talking about whoever, whoever’s saying it. They’re wrong.

“I was told there were people from the Thunder who were mad that me and KD were talking. I don’t know where the report came from. It came from somewhere. And to be honest with you, I really don’t care where it came from. And if we were talking, we were, but I have to reason to come out and lie and say I wasn’t talking to KD, because if I was can’t nobody do anything about it.”

Green admitted there would have been no chance of Durant signing with the Warriors had the Thunder won the Western Conference Finals.

“When you’re thinking ‘if Kevin Durant and OKC, they beat us in Game 7, or 6, or 5, how can he leave there,” Green said. “He can’t leave there. But we came back, and once we came back, it kinda keeps everything that’s his feelings real. I think it allows him to make whatever decision he wants to make, whereas I think if you go to the Finals it kinda puts a stranglehold on his decision. It kinda makes his decision not his decision.”

“During the playoffs, it’s a little different. More is at stake, so we weren’t talking much and that’s normal. I heard something come out where they said Kevin Durant and Draymond were talking during the playoffs. They were lying. If that makes them feel better about themselves, and when I say ‘them,’ I’m talking about whoever, whoever’s saying it. They’re wrong.
“I was told there were people from the Thunder who were mad that me and KD were talking. I don’t know where the report came from. It came from somewhere. And to be honest with you, I really don’t care where it came from. And if we were talking, we were, but I have to reason to come out and lie and say I wasn’t talking to KD, because if I was can’t nobody do anything about it.”

Erik Horne/Oklahoman

Tags: Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Report: Kevin Durant Told Russell Westbrook He'd Re-Sign With Thunder

Jul 28, 2016 11:08 AM

The Oklahoma City Thunder hope to sign Russell Westbrook to a contract extension this summer following the departure of Kevin Durant. 

Westbrook is being pressed to decide his future in 2016 instead of 2017 but he reportedly does not want to be traded this offseason.

"Three weeks ago, Kevin Durant’s sitting there at dinner, telling him “Hey, I’m coming back, man. Don’t worry about it.” And now, Russell Westbrook has been kind of thrown into this in having to decide his future a summer earlier than expected," said Royce Young.

Westbrook can go back into free agency in 2018 by signing an extension with a player option.

"In some ways, (Westbrook) feels personally betrayed," added Young about the departure of Durant.

"Kevin Durant, more so than even that, was telling people, “Hey, yeah, I mean I’m coming back.” Like I said in there, a week before Kevin Durant sat down in the Hamptons, he was in Oklahoma City ready to make an offer on a multi-million-dollar house. So, the guy was pretty serious about coming back, and then things turned rather quickly for him to leave. And there’s no doubt the organization has felt a little bit burned by this."

If Westbrook doesn't sign an extension, Young expects the Thunder to strongly consider trading him before the start of the season.

Update: Royce Young later published a clarification of his comments from the podcast.

Royce Young/ESPN

Tags: Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Victor Oladipo Looking For Max Extension From Thunder

Jul 26, 2016 2:41 PM

Victor Oladipo was traded by the Orlando Magic to the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason just as he became eligible for an extension from his rookie deal.

Oladipo was the second overall pick in 2013 out of Indiana.

Oladipo is currently seeking an extension from the Thunder.

Zach Lowe/ESPN

Tags: Victor Oladipo, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Russell Westbrook 'Angry, Hurt' By Kevin Durant's Departure

Jul 26, 2016 11:44 AM

Since Kevin Durant announced he would sign with the Golden State Warriors, he hasn't spoken with Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook is reportedly "both angry and hurt not only by Durant's decision to leave but also because Durant didn't even call to tell him personally."

Westbrook thought Durant was going to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder and found out his decision online as did everyone else.

Westbrook can become a free agent in 2017.

Royce Young/ESPN

Tags: Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Kevin Durant Was Looking For New Home In OKC One Week Before Free Agency

Royce Young/ESPN

Russell Westbrook Not Seeking Trade From Thunder

Royce Young/ESPN

Cameron Payne Undergoes Surgery On Broken Foot

RealGM Staff Report

Dion Waiters Agrees To Two-Year, $6M Deal With Heat

Adrian Wojnarowski/The Vertical

Westbrook's Own Free Agency Wasn't Discussed During Durant Meeting

Sam Amick/USA Today

Kevin Durant Didn't Leave His Bed For Two Days After His Decision

Al Iannazzone/Newsday

Dion Waiters Met With Nets Before Becoming UFA

Marc Stein/ESPN

Thunder Hope To Pair Blake Griffin With Russell Westbrook In 2017

Adrian Wojnarowski/The Vertical

Thunder Rescind Qualifying Offer To Dion Waiters

Adrian Wojnarowski/The Vertical

Russell Westbrook 'Controls His Destiny' One Year Before Free Agency

Kevin O'Connor/CelticsBlog

Thunder To Sign Alex Abrines to Three-Year, $17M Deal

Eurohoops.net

Russell Westbrook Has Given Thunder No Indication He Would Like Trade

Anthony Slater/Oklahoman

Randy Foye, Nets Agree Upon One-Year Deal

Adrian Wojnarowski/The Vertical

Celtics Haven't Recently Held Trade Discussions On Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin

Steve Bulpett/Boston Herald

GMs Expect Russell Westbrook To Be Traded Before Start Of Season

Howard Beck/Bleacher Report

Nets Considering Pursuit Of Dion Waiters

Adrian Wojnarowski/The Vertical

Mitch McGary Suspended Five Games For Drug Violation

RealGM Staff Report

Kevin Durant: I've Got A Short Amount Of Time Left To Play Basketball

RealGM Staff Report

Durant Texted Reporter Wanting To Be Asked At Podium About Criticism From Skip Bayless

Royce Young/ESPN

Exec: Westbrook 'Hundred Percent Gone' From Thunder No Matter Durant's Decision

Steve Bulpett/Boston Herald