Oklahoma City Thunder

Luguentz Dort is sticking around Oklahoma City for a while.  

According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Thunder have signed the guard to a multiyear contract:

Dort, 21, has averaged 6.2 points and 1.9 rebounds in 22 minutes per game (29 appearances) for Oklahoma City this season, shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 30.1 percent from three. Those aren't the most impressive numbers, though in his 21 starts he's averaging 7.1 points and shooting a more respectable 35.7 percent from deep. 

More importantly, the Thunder have a 4.6 net rating when he's on the court—outscoring opponents by 4.6 points per 100 possessions—per NBA.com, and a 2.3 net rating when he sits. 

Before the NBA season went on hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Thunder were rolling out a three-guard starting lineup, with Dort joining Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That trio had a 6.3 net rating in 292 minutes played together. 

Dort has made himself an important player for a Thunder team that has somewhat surprisingly emerged as one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Expectations were that the Thunder would rebuild after Paul George and Russell Westbrook were traded in the offseason, but they've instead been one of the NBA's better stories with a combination of young talent and veteran starpower. 

Dort has been the diamond in the rough for a Thunder team that itself has been something of a diamond in the rough. Keeping him locked into a deal for the coming years was a logical move. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder reopened their team facility Monday, allowing players to take part in voluntary workouts.

The team provided a statement regarding the process:

The NBA season has been suspended since March, but teams were given the green light to reopen facilities on May 8 if local laws permitted. Only the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers opened at the first available opportunity.

A league memo detailed the rules teams must follow upon opening their facilities, including having a maximum of four players and one staff member supervising at any time, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Coaches aren't allowed in the workouts and players must stay at least 12 feet apart at all times.

There is no official decision on whether the 2019-20 season will resume, but several players have spoken out in favor of a return.

Thunder guard Chris Paul, who is also president of the NBPA, reportedly arranged a phone call between several of the game's biggest stars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. The players came to an agreement to return to the court when it is safe.

Paul and his teammates will now have the opportunity to at least practice at the facility as they await news regarding the rest of the NBA.

Oklahoma City had a 40-24 record before the hiatus, tied for the fifth-best mark in the Western Conference.

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul went on The Late Late Show with James Corden and told Corden that it would "take a while" for him to be ready to get back into game shape for a potential resumption of the 2019-20 NBA season, which is suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"A lot of guys have been home, a lot of guys haven't had access to weights and the gyms, and all that different type stuff," Paul said.

"It's a conversation amongst us players and whatnot to figure out but at least four weeks or so," he later added.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on April 12 that one idea being floated around in league circles involved a 25-day transition period to get players physically ready for the remainder of the season.

Eleven days would be earmarked for individual workouts before a two-week training camp.

Some players have already begun working out on an individual, voluntary basis at their team facilities, which have been slowly opening up leaguewide beginning Friday.

Per NBA.com, teams that have welcomed players in include the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers. The Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers have also done so.

Other teams have not had that luxury, most notably in states where there are still heavy shutdown restrictions and stay-at-home orders. Examples include Michigan, New York and Massachusetts, per the New York Times.

There has been much optimism in recent days about resuming the NBA season, with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweeting the following Tuesday:

"ESPN Sources: Attendees left Board of Governors call w/ Adam Silver today feeling positive about momentum toward an NBA return to play this season. Discussion included how league/players will need to get comfortable w/ some positive tests for virus not shutting down a resumption."

Shams Charania of The Athletic wrote that commissioner Adam Silver and the league will make a decision if, when and how the season will resume within the next two to four weeks.

Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter believes his tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder could have resulted in a championship if the team had stayed together for longer.

In an interview with Stadium's Shams Charania, Kanter discussed blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Golden State Warriors in 2016 and subsequently losing Kevin Durant in free agency (beginning at three-minute mark):

Kanter admitted to being upset when the Thunder failed to win the 2016 Western Conference Finals, but he noted that he felt confident they had everything they needed in order to vie for a championship the following year.

Because of that, Kanter said he was "heartbroken" when Durant left to join the Warriors in free agency. Had KD re-signed, Kanter is of the belief that the Thunder could have won it all in 2017.

Instead, Durant led the Warriors to two consecutive NBA championships and was named the NBA Finals MVP both times.

The 2016-17 season was Kanter's final campaign in OKC, as he was traded to the New York Knicks as part of a deal that brought back Carmelo Anthony after Oklahoma City was knocked out in the first round of the 2017 playoffs.

OKC has been ousted in the first round of the playoffs in each of the past three seasons. Paul George came and went, Russell Westbrook was traded to the Houston Rockets, and now the Thunder are a completely different team compared to where they were in 2016.

While Durant staying might have netted the Thunder a championship, there is a lot to like about where they are heading currently.

Before the 2019-20 season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Thunder were fifth in the Western Conference with a 40-24 record. Much of their success has been due to the play of young guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the George trade.

The Thunder have a bright future, but the fate of the 2017 team had Durant re-signed will always be one of the biggest "what ifs" in NBA history.

Former NBA forward Richard Jefferson won his first-ever NBA championship with the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers after 15 pro seasons.  

That ring obviously holds a lot of value for Jefferson, who shot 52.4 percent from the floor during the postseason while contributing to the Cavs' first-ever title.

With that in mind, Jefferson joked on ESPN's The Jump that his ring would come at a hefty price for Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul, who just so happens to have a $44.2 million player option coming up in 2021:

Jefferson, show host Rachel Nichols and analyst Chiney Ogwumike were speaking about Paul on Wednesday in honor of his 35th birthday.

Nichols brought up whether Paul would accept his 2021-22 player option or reject it and enter free agency.

Jefferson never made over $44 million in a single season, but the ex-Arizona star did well for himself in the NBA, making $116 million in total, per Basketball-Reference.

Like most basketball fans, Oklahoma City Thunder star Chris Paul is glued to his television when The Last Dance is on, and the documentary series is getting Paul's competitive fire going as he waits for the NBA to return.

The 10-time All-Star discussed The Last Dance on UNINTERRUPTED's WRTS: The After Party:

"Like this is almost the closest thing that we getting to hoops right now, and this right here, imagine if we was, like, in season right now or if the playoffs was going on right now and we was getting to watch this doc. Imagine what the games would be like. 'Cause I know for me, like, I'll watch this and I'm like, 'I can't wait to work out tomorrow.' And I'm not even going on the court. This is literally just lifting weights."

The WNBA staged its draft April 17, and the NFL draft wrapped up its third and final day Saturday. The NBA even held a H-O-R-S-E competition that included current and former NBA and WNBA players.

Otherwise, sports fans have been starved for original content during the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced to watching classic footage, something to which Paul alluded. There's a reason ESPN moved up The Last Dance from its original air date of June.

Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. The Last Dance would have been a massive hit even if it were business as usual in the sports world.

Under the current circumstances, the series has benefited from a communal effect. Fans know NBA players are just like them, experiencing each episode in the moment.

For the time being, The Last Dance is doing a good job of filling the live-sports void.

Oklahoma City Thunder star Chris Paul thinks it could take "at least three to four weeks" for NBA players get back into playing shape during a conference call with reporters on Wednesday.  

Paul did note the league doesn't "ever want to put guys in a situation of injury," and that players will "have input" on a potential timetable if the NBA is able to resume its season. 

Paul is in his second term as president of the National Basketball Players Association. The players and owners have been in constant negotiations throughout the pandemic about various issues, including players agreeing to a 25 percent salary reduction starting on May 15. 

While there has been no determination about when the season might resume, Paul noted he "doesn't know what's going to happen" as far as potentially playing the rest of the regular season or going right into the postseason. 

"Right now," he said, "I'm just focused on playing in some form or fashion. Last time I shot inside a gym was layup lines against the Jazz. Everyone is just itching to play.”

ESPN's Brian Windhorst has reported that one proposed idea to get players ready for games is a 25-day program that would include 11 days of individual workouts followed by a two-week training camp, pending approval from medical officials. 

The NBA season has been suspended since March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. There were five weeks remaining in the regular season at the time, with the playoffs originally set to begin on April 18. 

If you watched the 2016 NBA Western Conference Finals and thought the outcome might have been different with Kendrick Perkins on the Oklahoma City Thunder, you apparently weren't the only one.

Perkins told The Athletic's Joe Vardon that the Thunder unsuccessfully attempted to acquire the then-New Orleans Pelican midway through the 2015-16 season. Had the center gone to OKC, the 35-year-old believes he would've helped the team beat the Golden State Warriors.

"If I was on Oklahoma City, we wouldn't have blown that 3-1 lead," he said. "There's no way in hell we would have blown that. I'm not saying because of me playing, I am saying just my locker room presence.

"Then I think about it on the other hand—he cost me a championship," Perkins said of then-New Orleans general manager Dell Demps. 

Kevin Durant might beg to differ with Perkins.

The difficulty with Durant's stance is that locker room leaders can be a valuable asset, especially during critical stages of the season.

As much as general managers and coaches attempt to optimize their rosters and lineups based on statistical trends, the human element is still a part of the game. Some would argue that's where the Houston Rockets have continued to fall short.

Having said that, it's hard to see where Perkins would've helped in what were the two pivotal games of that Thunder-Warriors series.

Losing Game 5 to Golden State at Oracle Arena wasn't too surprising for Oklahoma City because the 73-win simply weren't going to drop that game.

The turning point game when Klay Thompson scored 41 points—shooting 11-of-18 from beyond the arc—in Game 6. He helped the Warriors claim a 54-point edge in three-point scoring.

Unless his plan was to dish out some hard fouls on the perimeter, Perkins wouldn't have done much to slow down Golden State's long-range barrage.

Maybe the former center could've helped the team remain even-keeled ahead of a Game 7 at Golden State, but the Thunder didn't unravel until well into the night.

They led 48-42 at halftime, so they didn't appear to be shell-shocked after failing to clinch the series at home. Getting outscored 29-12 in the third quarter is when things fell apart for OKC.

Durant's comments from January may offer some insight into where Perkins' former teammates would fall in that conversation.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Terrance Ferguson will not face charges after a woman said he raped her in September 2018.

Nolan Clay and Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman reported the news, noting Oklahoma City police completed an investigation and did not provide a police report because he was not arrested or charged.

"Evidence to support the reporting person's allegations that the sexual conduct was not consensual was absent," District Attorney David Prater said Saturday.

The woman said he raped her at a house party in September 2018 and reported it to police in February of this year.

"He continues to deny any wrongdoing and is looking forward to having this experience behind him," Ferguson's attorney, Billy Bock, said.

The Thunder said they "were made aware of the situation" and "followed the protocols that are in place, and allowed the legal process to take its course."

OKC selected Ferguson with the No. 21 overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft, and he has been with the team his entire career.

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul was on the floor when his team's game against the Utah Jazz was suddenly called on March 11.

The confusion on the court right before tipoff preceded a series of events that included the announcement of a Jazz player (big man Rudy Gobert) testing positive for COVID-19 and the league suspending its current season with no set date for return.

"It was crazy," Paul said of that night, per Mark Medina of USA Today. "My first instinct was to get back to my family. Everyone thinks about the game and what happened that night. But my first instinct was to get back to my family, to my wife and kids."

The 10-time All-Star revealed he has helped his children with their homework, included them in his daily workouts and even had his son Chris present when he lost to WNBA star Allie Quigley in the first round of the league's H-O-R-S-E competition.

He has maximized the family time after spending much of the season away from their home in California.

"This is the most we've all been able to be together," Paul said. "That's the case for a lot of families at home. It's one of those things where you learn new things and learn not to take some things for granted."

Paul's role as the president of the National Basketball Players Association has kept him busy too as the league discusses contingency plans for how it will handle a potential return to the regular season and eventually playoffs in light of the pandemic.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported the NBA is "looking at a 25-day return-to-basketball window" for individual workouts and team training camps before any return to games, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told TNT's Ernie Johnson there won't be any decisions made about coming back until May at the earliest.

If the season does return, Paul's Thunder will be well-positioned to make noise in the Western Conference.

OKC is 40-24 and sitting in the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference but just one game behind the fourth-seeded Jazz and 2.5 games behind the third-seeded Denver Nuggets. Unless the league elects to jump straight into the playoffs, the Thunder will have an opportunity to make a final push up the standings before any postseason.

For now, though, Paul is enjoying his time with his family as there remains uncertainty about when basketball and sports across the landscape will return.