Player News - Thunder

Date: Team: Pos:

The Clippers are "high" on Nate McMillan, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard.

We're taking this with a grain of salt, but it appears McMillan's name is being linked to almost every head coach opening in the league. It's becoming increasingly apparent that he'll have a job somewhere next season, and he's been called the frontrunner in Detroit a couple of times.
Source: ESPN
May 24 - 8:45 AM

Nate McMillan said he won't return as an assistant on Mike Krzyzewski's Team USA staff.

Coach K officially returned as head coach Thursday but will apparently have a brand new staff after both McMillan and Mike D'Antoni declined to return as assistants. D'Antoni's issue is related to family concerns while McMillan said he wants to give another coach the opportunity. McMillan is also up for a number of head coaching jobs this summer and likely will want to devote as much time to that as possible in the next couple years. Coach K should have no problem filling out his staff.
May 23 - 3:59 PM

Nate McMillan is a candidate for the Clippers head coach vacancy, according to the Los Angeles Times.

McMillan is "one of about five candidates" the Clippers are "seriously considering," but it's not clear who the other four names are in this circle or how serious McMillan is being considered. McMillan is also known to be a candidate for the Pistons, Hawks and Bucks as well.
May 22 - 12:35 PM

Thunder GM Sam Presti said that SG Jeremy Lamb "is definitely going to be a contributor to our team in the near future."

Lamb made 23 brief appearances with the Thunder as a rookie, spending most of the season with the Tulsa 66ers where he averaged 21.2 points, 1.8 threes, 5.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Kevin Martin will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and if he's not retained Lamb could step into a considerable role behind Thabo Sefolosha in 2013-14.
May 19 - 5:16 AM

Thunder GM Sam Presti said Russell Westbrook (knee surgery) is expected to make a full recovery and should be the same player he was before the injury.

Westbrook should get a firmer rehab timetable once he sheds his crutches within the next month. At that point, we'll have a better idea of when he can begin working out and eventually resume basketball activities. Westbrook should be completely healed and ready to go by the start of training camp.
May 18 - 1:04 PM

Thunder GM Sam Presti said the amnesty exemption is not something Oklahoma City has considered using.

Presti was asked the question in relation to Kendrick Perkins, who is due $18.63 million over the next two seasons. Presti said the Thunder believe Perkins has "a lot of value to our team," which certainly didn't seem to be the case in OKC's second-round loss to Memphis. We'll just have to wait and see if Presti is true to his word.
May 18 - 12:30 PM

Kendrick Perkins said Wednesday he's "pretty sure" he'll still be with the Thunder next season.

It's good Perk is so sure of his return because we're definitely not. Perkins is a candidate for OKC's amnesty clause given the $18.63 million left on his contract over the next two seasons. Perkins also hasn't played like he deserved anywhere close to that sort of payday in quite a while. Given OKC's need for a legit third scorer and a budget already crunched by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka's big deals, it wouldn't be surprising if Perkins finds himself a free agent.
May 16 - 4:38 PM

Kevin Martin said he'd love to stay with the Thunder but will go through the process of free agency.

Martin came to the Thunder as one of the central pieces in the James Harden deal. Although he had his moments, Martin failed to replicate the off-the-bench production OKC got from Harden last season. We imagine Martin will have a fair amount of suitors in free agency and it's unlikely the Thunder will overpay to keep him. Depending on the asking price, Martin looks like he might be a one-year rental for OKC.
May 16 - 3:59 PM

Derek Fisher said Thursday wants to play next season and would like to return to the Thunder, and the veteran is not currently considering retirement.

Fisher was signed by the Thunder to provide backcourt depth after the trade of Eric Maynor to Portland. However, the emergence of Reggie Jackson as the primary backup to Russell Westbrook largely limited Fisher's impact down the stretch. Once Westbrook went down with a season-ending injury, Fisher consistently played between 24 and 30 minutes a night, which if way too much for a player of high age and diminishing ability. It's hard to see a role for Fisher on the Thunder next season assuming Westbrook is ready for the start of the season, but he might be able to offer veteran depth to another team looking for a backup guard.
May 16 - 2:59 PM

Kevin Durant hit just 5-of-21 shots, was 0-for-4 from downtown and 11-of-15 from the line to finish with 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two blocks and seven turnovers in Wednesday's Game 5 elimination loss to the Grizzlies.

This was KD's worst shooting night of the season, as he went 1-on-5 all night against a tough Grizzlies' defense. Durant got himself wide open for a potential game-tying shot at the end, but wasn't even close with the attempt. Scott Brooks will catch a lot of heat for his poor game plan (Durant vs. the Grizzlies), but this would have likely been a much different series had Russell Westbrook not blown out his knee. Serge Ibaka had 17 points, eight boards and three blocks in the loss, while Reggie Jackson had 16 points, nine boards, five assists and a huge 3-pointer in the loss.
May 16 - 12:45 AM

The Hawks interviewed Nate McMillan for their head coaching job on Wednesday, despite the fact current coach Larry Drew is under contract until June 30, and has not been let go.

It sounds like Drew is not likely to return as the coach of the Hawks, but it also appears that Danny Ferry and the Hawks want to keep him available as an option in case a better candidate isn't found. As usual, the Hawks seem to listen to their own drummer when it comes to organizational issues. Ferry is also said to be interested in Stan Van Gundy, but it doesn't appear likely that he'll coach next year, while the Bucks and Pistons are also interested in McMillan.
May 15 - 9:08 PM

Kevin Durant is struggling in the fourth quarter and overtime over the last two games, shooting just 3-of-17 from the field.

Durant is being asked to do everything and he's looking like a player who runs out of gas at the finish line over the last couple of contests. Without Russell Westbrook, Durant will continue to shoulder a heavy load for the Thunder, and the only way the team will keep their season alive is if someone (anyone) can consistently assist Durant on the offensive end.
Source: Oklahoman
May 15 - 9:31 AM

Beat writer Darnell Mayberry "can't wait" to see Reggie Jackson next season.

Jackson, the No. 24 overall pick in 2011, is gaining invaluable experience as a starting point guard in the playoffs. In the eight games since Russell Westbrook's injury, he's averaging 15.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Jackson's first shot at unrestricted free agency will likely come in 2016.
Source: Oklahoman
May 14 - 4:00 PM

Reggie Jackson played 48 minutes in Monday's overtime loss to the Grizzlies and had 15 points, four boards, eight assists, one block, one 3-pointer and four turnovers.

Besides making some bad decisions, Jackson had a solid outing against some stiff competition in Mike Conley. He's obviously no Russell Westbrook, but Jackson has been a pleasant surprise in these playoffs. The Thunder have been using Jackson along with Derek Fisher (three points, two boards and one 3-pointer in 26 minutes) in the backcourt a lot and they've been burned quite a bit because of it. They'll look to stay alive at home on Wednesday.
May 14 - 12:53 AM

Kevin Durant scored 27 points on 10-of-27 shooting during Game 4's loss in Memphis, adding seven boards, seven assists, one steal, one block and five 3-pointers in 48 minutes.

Durant hit a big shot with six seconds left to get the game to overtime, but the Thunder totally ran out of gas in the extra frame. OKC played a solid game and actually won the battle on the glass and limited Memphis to 40.4 percent shooting. Serge Ibaka had a great game, scoring 17 points with 14 boards, one assist, three blocks and one 3-pointer.
May 14 - 12:50 AM


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