SportSpyder - The Latest Oklahoma City Thunder News

02 August 2025

• [Sports Illustrated] - OKC Thunder-Russell Westbrook Reunion Not Realistic
  As the calendar flips to August, Russell Westbrook is still a free agent. In the summer of reunions that sees Damian Lillard return to Portland and Chris Paul r
• [THE SPORTSRUSH] - How Much Will Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Actually Take Home From His $285M Thunder Extension?
  The money NBA players make is no joke. The average player receives a salary of $10 million. That doesn’t even take into consideration the amount top stars are earning. In July, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed a massive four-year $285 million extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder. But how much of that will he actually take home? […] The post appeared first on .
• [Last Word on Sports] - Chris Paul Stat Throughout Career Is Good Omen For Clippers
  is preparing for his 21st year in the NBA, a number few have reached. Now 40 years old, he is rejoining a that he previously played six seasons for. CP3 has switched teams more than a handful of times in his entire career. There has been a common theme that occurs in his first year with a new team. This Chris Paul stat is a good omen for Los Angeles. [caption id="attachment_151635" align="alignnone" width="640"] Jan 29, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) dribbles up the court in the second half against the LA Clippers at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images[/caption] Chris Paul Stat Throughout Career Is Good Omen For Clippers Paul Always Sees Team Improve When He Joins Spending last season for the Spurs, Paul will begin his second Clippers tenure in 2025-26. The six-foot point guard has donned the jersey of seven teams in his career. Every time, that team has seen their record improve from the previous season in Paul’s first year for them. Selected by the New Orleans Hornets with the fourth pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, Paul joined a team that went 18-64 in 2004-05. In his rookie year, they improved to 38-44. Here are all the other instances of Paul joining a new team. The first year is the year before Paul joined that club. The second year is his first with that squad. Los Angeles Clippers 2010-11: 32-50 2011-12: 40-26 Houston Rockets 2016-17: 55-27 2017-18: 65-17 Oklahoma City Thunder 2018-19: 49-33 2019-20: 44-28 Phoenix Suns 2019-20: 34-39 2020-21: 51-21 Golden State Warriors 2022-23: 44-38 2023-24: 46-36 San Antonio Spurs 2023-24: 22-60 2024-25: 34-48 Now, OKC had five less wins in Paul’s year with them than the previous season, but that was in 10 less games. Thus, they had a higher winning percentage in Paul’s year. Including his rookie year, he now has seen his team improve in his first year for them on seven instances. Can Paul help make it happen for an eighth time in the upcoming season? Clippers Last Season Last year, the Clippers exceeded everyone’s preseason expectations as they finished with a 50-32 record. They entered the Western Conference playoffs as the fifth seed, where they lost a hard-fought seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets in the opening round. As of this writing, LAC has an over/under win total of 47.5 according to . Of course if the trend of what has happened during Paul’s career continues, taking the over would be the way to go. While the , they are a deep one as well. This offseason has seen them add , , , as well as Paul. They are added to a team that is returning , , and , who is coming off his best season. Other players who are likely to have a large role that remain on the Clippers include , , , and Of course, the West is very deep, so getting to 51 wins (one more than last season) won’t be easy. Even with someone like Leonard who will need days off due to injury or rest, the Clippers look like they will be able to handle player absences just as much, if not more, than any other team. Photo credit: © Katie Goodale / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The post appeared first on .
• [USA Today: OKC Thunder Wire] - Former Thunder Olivier Sarr back in NBA on Exhibit 10 deal with Raptors
  Former Oklahoma City Thunder Olivier Sarr back in NBA on Exhibit 10 deal with Toronto Raptors.
• [Fansided: Thunderous Intentions] - Nightmare Thunder scenario more likely than ever after Luka Doncic's extension
  The idea of the biggest threat to the OKC Thunder landing LeBron James has now gotten a bit more realistic after the Luka Doncic extension.
• [Last Word on Sports] - This Season Will be Extremely Important For Thunder Rookie
  The Thunder have their 15-man roster locked going into next season. They currently have one two-way contract available. OKC IS currently focused on getting prepared for in hopes of defending their title. The Thunder chose to run it back with mostly the same group. However, the Thunder will have two new options at their disposal off the bench. They are , who missed his rookie season due to an ACL injury, and their recent in . Moreover, next season will be important for Sorber. Now, you may be asking yourself why would a rookie's season or development be important for a team that just came off winning the NBA title? [caption id="attachment_149613" align="alignnone" width="640"] Thunder draft pick Thomas Sorber poses for a photo with general manager Sam Presti during a press conference at the First American's Museum in Oklahoma City, Saturday, June 28, 2025.[/caption] There is a very specific reason why his development and rookie season will be important, and that is that Sorber will essentially be the replacement for . Next offseason, the extensions for and will start to kick in, with right around the corner. In addition, Hartenstein and both have team options next offseason, and the Thunder might be forced to lose both or one due to them not being able to pay everyone. The person they most likely will let go of will be Hartenstein, and that is where Sorber will essentially replace him. Let's dive into why this season is important for Sorber This Season Will be Extremely Important for Thunder Rookie The Thunder Needs to Find Minutes for Sorber The best way to give someone experience is to give them playing time. This way, they can make mistakes and learn from those mistakes, while growing as a basketball player. This is exactly what the Thunder need to try and do for Sorber. OKC should find playing time for him next season in order for him to develop. Last season would have been perfect for Sorber to develop, as Hartenstein and Holmgren missed a ton of time last year. However, next season might not be the case for that. The good news is that the Thunder have a great coach who does a solid job of getting everyone decent playing time throughout the season. Mark Daigneault tries to play everyone throughout the season in different situations for a very specific reason. That reason is that when the playoffs come and a specific situation occurs, the team is comfortable showing a look for that situation instead of going to it for the first time. Daigneault will once again have to do a good job in trying to find minutes for Sorber next season to help develop him. Hartenstein Should Take Sorber Under His Wing Since Sorber is a rookie, and the Thunder are competing for a championship next season in hopes of defending their title, it will be hard for them to find minutes for a rookie on a loaded roster and be comfortable with him making mistakes. That is where Hartenstein will play a pivotal role in his development. Sorber's play style is very similar to Hartenstein's as Sorber is a post scorer, a rebounder, a solid rim protector, and has shown flashes with his passing ability. Hartenstein needs to take Sorber under his wing this upcoming season, and Sorber needs to do all he can to learn from Hartenstein. This will help him with his development in case he is unable to get consistent minutes next season. The Thunder had a ton of injuries last season that allowed certain players to have a bigger role. However, the Thunder can't and shouldn't bank on injuries to happen to give players like Sorber minutes. The Thunder want to stay as healthy as possible, and if that happens, it will be hard for Sorber to find consistent minutes. This is why Hartenstein taking Sorber under his wing will be crucial. Why Sorber's Development Will Impact the Thunder's Future Sorber development will be crucial for the Thunder's future for a couple of reasons. The first one is that next offseason, they might be forced to let go of Hartenstein and will need to find a replacement for him. The second reason is that the Thunder were better last year with three centers they could rotate in and out, and if Sorber can't be the player they hope for, then they will be back to relying heavily on Chet being the only real center, with a smaller being the backup. The Thunder's key to sustaining long-term success will come down to how well they can replace guys they are unable to keep and not lose too much ground when that happens. The first test in this could very well be replacing Hartenstein with Sorber. The Last Word on This Season Being Important for Sorber The Thunder are in a tricky position next season with their 15-man roster. They have to balance playing their best players and competing, while also getting certain players to further develop. Sorber is one of those players who might not immediately help the Thunder win now, but still needs to get some minutes to help him grow and develop, as he will be important for the Thunder's future. After nex...
• [Sports Illustrated] - How Does Luka Doncic's Extension with Lakers Impact OKC Thunder?
  One of Oklahoma City’s biggest challengers is set for the next few years. On Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers signed superstar Luka Doncic to a three-year, $165
• [USA Today: OKC Thunder Wire] - 2024-25 Thunder player grades: Jalen Williams
  2024-25 Oklahoma City Thunder player grades: Jalen Williams.
• [Hoops Rumors] - Checking In On Two-Way Contract Slots Around NBA
  NBA teams are each permitted to carry up to three players on two-way contracts, which means at any given time there could be a maximum of 90 players on two-way deals around the league. [RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Two-Way Contract] We can expect the NBA-wide total to hover at or near 90 for much of […]
• [Sports Illustrated] - Could Knicks Threaten Thunder in Hypothetical NBA Finals?
  The 2025 playoffs weren't the time for the New York Knicks to reach the NBA Finals, but with Tyrese Haliburton missing the entire next season for the Indiana Pa