Monday Bolts: 7.3.17
Happy Monday, friends. Quite the weekend, huh?
Chris Mannix on how landing Paul George is a message to Russell Westbrook: “Overnight, Oklahoma City has gone from a fringe contender with a questionable future to one that should challenge San Antonio and Houston for the second seed in the west. George should fit flawlessly into the Thunder system. He’s an elite shooter off screens and one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders.”
Taj Gibson signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves: “The Minnesota Timberwolves and forward Taj Gibson have agreed to a two-year, $28 million deal, league sources told ESPN’s Chris Haynes.The agreement reunites Gibson and Tom Thibodeau, who coached the 32-year-old from 2010 to 2015 while both were in Chicago. Gibson will also be playing with former Bulls teammate Jimmy Butler, who was traded to the Timberwolves last month.”
Rudy Gay left his OKC visit with no deal in place: “Rudy Gay is leaving Oklahoma City without an agreement to join the Thunder, ESPN reported on Sunday. The free-agent forward, a longtime Thunder target, is seeking a new team after opting out of the final year of his contract with the Sacramento Kings and was in OKC on Saturday.”
Fred Katz on why Terrance Ferguson isn’t at Orlando Summer League: “Oklahoma City Thunder first-round pick Terrance Ferguson has not yet signed his rookie deal and thus, was not in Orlando when the Thunder played their first summer league game, a Saturday evening, 92-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Ferguson’s agent, Rich Paul, is notorious for waiting out contracts to receive the best deal. And while it’s rare for rookies to hold out for better money, it’s not unheard of for one to go into summer league unsigned.”
Daily Thunder’s Matt Craig with a video recap of the Thunder’s summer league opener
Tramel on OKC playing the high-stakes game of superstar collection: “Sustainability is why James Harden was traded. Why Kendrick Perkins wasn’t amnestied. Short-term pain for long-term gain. It cost Presti the trust of some of the Thunder’s fan base, but so be it. Sustainability was the Spurs model Presti learned in San Antonio and has become the Thunder Way. Until Friday night. That’s when Presti traded Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis for what everyone believes is a Paul George rental.”
Nine years ago yesterday, the SuperSonics received permission to move to OKC: “Sunday is the ninth anniversary of the settlement that allowed the owners of the Seattle SuperSonics to move the NBA franchise to Oklahoma City. Renamed the Thunder, the franchise has been among the NBA’s most successful since 2008-09, its first season playing in Oklahoma City.”
Carmelo Anthony will waive his no-trade clause: “Carmelo Anthony, a 10-time NBA All-Star, is open to waiving his no-trade clause to join the Houston Rockets or Cleveland Cavaliers should those teams create a pathway to a deal with the New York Knicks, league sources told ESPN.”
Paul Millsap signed with the Denver Nuggets: “The Denver Nuggets have agreed to a three-year, $90 million contract with star forward Paul Millsap, sources told ESPN. The third year of the deal is a team option, sources said, which limits the Nuggets’ liability for the 32-year-old, who has made the All-Star team in each of the past four seasons. The signing was first reported by The Vertical.”
This will be fun:
https://twitter.com/HPbasketball/status/881717066528694272
ESPN’s running list of every deal made so far in free agency: “Free agency is in full swing in the NBA. Here’s the latest look at the deals that have gone down, with plenty of updates to come.”
