Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti told reporters Thursday that guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may not have to undergo surgery to address the foot injury that ended his season.

After the Thunder launched into a rebuild by trading Chris Paul to the Phoenix Suns, Gilgeous-Alexander took an even more prominent role in the team's backcourt.

The 22-year-old built on his 2019-20 breakout season, averaging career highs in points (23.7), assists (5.9) and field goal percentage (.508). In a 102-99 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 24, he erupted for a career-high 42 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Unfortunately for Gilgeous-Alexander, plantar fasciitis in his right foot brought his year to an abrupt halt. After his absence had extended beyond a month, head coach Mark Daigneault said he had suffered a "significant tear," so the Thunder weren't in a rush to get him back on the floor.

The Kentucky product's injury didn't change much for the Thunder. Along with dealing Paul, sending Kelly Oubre Jr. to the Golden State Warriors and shutting down Al Horford midway through the season showed the franchise's priorities. Contending for the playoffs took a backseat to developing the younger players on the roster.

Having Gilgeous-Alexander miss so much time wasn't ideal for Oklahoma City, but it shouldn't be a significant problem for the franchise moving forward, especially given Thursday's news.

Oklahoma City Thunder center Al Horford was a healthy scratch for the team's final 28 games of the season, but the veteran explained Monday that was the plan all along.

"We've had great communication since the moment I got here, and leading to that point, once Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]'s injury happened, it just kind of brought that question even sooner," Horford said, per Royce Young of ESPN.

Gilgeous-Alexander missed the final two months of the season due to a foot injury, effectively taking the Thunder out of playoff contention while allowing them to focus on the future.

"Both of us understanding that the team also wanted to play younger guys and see what they could do with their development, and for me, for myself, health-wise, what's best for me, putting me in the best position to be able to play at a high level for many years to come," Horford added.

The Thunder went 3-25 after Horford was shut down for the season, including a stretch of 23 losses in 24 games before winning the final game of the year. At 22-50 overall, the team tied for the fourth-worst record in the NBA.

The late-season collapse gives the Thunder an 11.5 percent chance of landing the first pick of the 2021 NBA draft and a 45.1 percent chance of getting in the top four, per Tankathon. 

Oklahoma City also got extended minutes to young prospects like Darius Bazley, Theo Maledon and Aleksej Pokusevski, helping it evaluate its roster going forward.

The 34-year-old Horford isn't expected to be part of the rebuilding process despite two years and $53.5 million left on his contract. Young reported the team will look to trade him in the offseason, and the center agreed that it's a possibility.

"I'm sure that I'll be talking with the team and we'll figure out what's best," Horford said.

The five-time All-Star had initially signed a four-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers but didn't fit well in the rotation and was traded to the Thunder after just one year. The 76ers added Danny Green in the deal, and the team thrived with the improved spacing while earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander suffered a "significant tear" in his plantar fascia, according to head coach Mark Daigneault.

"It's not something that you should really mess around with," Daigneault told reporters Tuesday. "If we got aggressive with him, it could compromise him long term, which makes no sense for us for a player that is as important to our franchise as he is."

The coach offered a blunt assessment of Gilgeous-Alexander's prognosis after announcing the guard would be out for an extended period of time in late March.

"I don't want to say long term because that's vague, but it's not day to day," Daigneault said. "This is an injury that we now need to take a look at. The other ones were maintenance. This is what we were trying to avoid. This is why we were being so cautious."

Despite that caution, SGA's return is still going to take some time.

It comes at a brutal cost for Oklahoma City, which saw Gilgeous-Alexander begin to make a star turn in 2020-21 while averaging 23.7 points, 5.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 35 games. The Thunder were never going to contend in the Western Conference this season, but the emergence of Gilgeous-Alexander was a legitimate bright spot for the franchise.

Instead, look for Daigneault to keep doling out additional minutes to Theo Maledon, Svi Mykhailiuk and Ty Jerome.

The sooner SGA returns, the better for Oklahoma City's long-term plans, but with just seven games left, there's no reason to put him back on the floor unless he's fully healed.

Oklahoma City Thunder center Al Horford's season has reportedly come to an end.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder are going to keep Horford out of games for the rest of this season as they build around their young players.

Wojnarowski noted Oklahoma City will explore trade opportunities for the five-time All-Star during the offseason.

Horford issued a statement about the decision, via Wojnarowski:

"I know what it's like to be a young, aspiring player, and at this point in the season I understand how important playing meaningful minutes is for their careers and their development. ... I look forward to supporting the guys who supported me.... When I arrived, I understood the direction of the team, we had a great individual plan in place for me, and I feel like as a result I've played really good basketball for the Thunder."

Even though Horford won't appear in games, Wojnarowski noted he will continue to train at the Thunder facility.

Oklahoma City acquired Horford and more from the Philadelphia 76ers in December for a package that included Danny Green and Terrance Ferguson.

The key to that deal may have been the inclusion of a 2025 first-round draft pick. General manager Sam Presti has been stockpiling picks, especially since trading Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers in July 2019.

The Thunder could have multiple first-round draft picks in each of the next six drafts.

Even though Oklahoma City is in the midst of a rebuild, the team has played respectable basketball this season. The Thunder are 13th in the Western Conference, but their 19-25 record is only the eighth-worst in the NBA.

Horford is owed $53.5 million over the next two seasons. The 34-year-old averaged 14.2 points on 45.0 percent shooting, 6.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 28 starts for Oklahoma City this season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have waived forward Meyers Leonard, who they received via trade on March 17.

The team announced the move on Thursday. 

When the deal—which sent Trevor Ariza to the Miami Heat—was finalized, the Thunder said Leonard would "not be an active member of the organization" and did not report to Oklahoma City. 

Leonard was suspended from team activities for one week and was fined $50,000 after he used an anti-Semitic slur during a Call of Duty live stream on March 8. 

In an apology, Leonard said he "didn't know what the word meant at the time" but said his ignorance "is absolutely not an excuse." 

NBA commissioner Adam Silver also released a statement on the incident (via ESPN's Malika Andrews): 

"We accept that he is genuinely remorseful. We have further communicated to Meyers that derogatory comments like this will not be tolerated and he will be expected to uphold the core values of our league -- equality, tolerance, inclusion and respect -- at all times moving forward."

Andrews reported that Leonard would be undergoing a mandatory cultural diversity training and had met voluntarily with the Anti-Defamation League, which was founded to fight anti-Semitism. In 2019, the ADL reported a 12 percent increase in anti-Semitic acts compared to 2018 and the highest number recorded since the organization began tracking in 1979. 

Leonard appeared in three games for the Heat this season, his ninth in the league, before he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. During his suspension, he was still compensated for the games the Heat played, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks (h/t Andrews). 

The 29-year-old is currently rehabbing the injury and working with the South Florida Jewish community, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to set themselves up for the future with Thursday's trade of George Hill.

The three-team trade that also featured the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks helped the Thunder add second-round picks in 2025 and 2026, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

It gives the Thunder an obscene number of draft picks over the next seven years:

Oklahoma City also brought in Tony Bradley and Austin Rivers with the latest trade, but general manager Sam Presti is likely most excited about the additional draft capital. It's been a continuation of the strategy started with recent trades of Paul George, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul.

The Thunder won't be able to turn all these picks into impact players—there won't be a roster spot for more than half of them—but they will have plenty of opportunities to strike gold with a handful of players. It could be what is needed to get back into contention after producing just a 19-25 record so far this year.  

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss an extended period of time with right foot plantar fasciitis, head coach Mark Daigneault told reporters on Wednesday. 

The 22-year-old is the Thunder's most productive player with a team-leading 23.7 points per game to go with 5.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds. But he's one of the only scoring options for a 19-24 Thunder team as no other player is averaging more than 14.3 points. 

The injury is a major blow for the Thunder, who have proved themselves capable in big moments this season. When they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime on Feb. 8, it was all Gilgeous-Alexander, who neared triple-double territory by tallying 29 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. 

Theo Maledon and George Hill will see an increase in responsibility during the Kentucky product's absence. Kenrich Williams, who filled in for Gilgeous-Alexander when he sat out a Feb. 10 game against the Lakers with a knee injury, could also see the floor. 

NBA player Meyers Leonard has reportedly had his Twitch ban lifted after using an anti-Semitic slur while streaming Call of Duty: Warzone last week, per TMZ Sports.

Leonard was also suspended by the NBA for one week and fined $50,000. He apologized after the incident, claiming he didn't know the word he used during the live stream was a slur:

Leonard was a member of the Miami Heat at the time, and the team released the following statement after the incident: "The words used by Meyers Leonard were wrong, and we will not tolerate hateful language from anyone associated with our franchise. To hear it from a Miami Heat player is especially disappointing and hurtful to all those who work here, as well as the larger South Florida, Miami Heat and NBA communities."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver added:

"Meyers Leonard's comment was inexcusable and hurtful, and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society. Yesterday, he spoke to representatives of the Anti-Defamation League to better understand the impact of his words and we accept that he is genuinely remorseful. We have further communicated to Meyers that derogatory comments like this will not be tolerated and that he will be expected to uphold the core values of our league—equality, tolerance, inclusion and respect—at all times moving forward."

Leonard's use of the slur comes at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise in the United States. Since 2016, acts of anti-Semitism have been increasing after dropping for almost 15 years, according to the Anti-Defamation League. In 2019, the rise saw the ADL record the highest number of acts of anti-Semitic hate and violence across the U.S. since it began documenting these acts in 1979. The trend has continued, with multiple reports of anti-Semitic vandalism ​from New York to Washington already in 2021.

Leonard has since been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder alongside a second-round pick for veteran forward Trevor Ariza. Per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, the Thunder "do not plan to keep Leonard. He will not report to Oklahoma City and will not be an active member of the team."

The veteran big man is currently recovering from shoulder surgery and is out for the season. He has a $10.1 million team option for the 2021-22 season, though it will be a moot point if the Thunder waive him to create another roster spot. 

TMZ Sports reported that Leonard has not streamed since being reinstated on Twitch and "doesn't plan on doing so for a while—while he continues to focus on educating himself."

The Oklahoma City Thunder are reportedly guaranteeing the final two years (2021-22, 2022-23) on Lu Dort's contract, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Per Bobby Marks of ESPN, Dort will make $1.7 million next season and the Thunder will hold a $1.9 million player option in 2022-23 after fully guaranteeing his deal. Given his production, that puts him on one of the best contracts in basketball. 

Dort, 21, has been fantastic for the Thunder since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2019. During his rookie season he averaged 6.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, shooting 39.4 percent from the field and 29.7 percent from three while impressing with his defense and effort across 36 games (28 starts). 

But he's taken a major leap in his second year, averaging 12.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 38.6 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from three. He's OKC's third-leading scorer this season behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (23.6 PPG) and Al Horford (14.4 PPG).

Dort has quickly gone from being an addition for the Thunder shortly before the team participated in the Orlando bubble last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic to a key role player going forward. 

With a slew of future draft picks and intriguing young talents like SGA, Dort, Darius Bazley, Aleksej Pokusevski and Theo Maledon, the 17-23 Thunder are fully immersed in a rebuild. Finding gems like Dort is always key to a successful rebuild, whether it's via the draft or in the pool of undrafted free agents. 

Now, the Thunder will have him around for two more seasons on an incredibly team-friendly deal. 

With the Oklahoma City Thunder focused on their long-term future, George Hill and Trevor Ariza are reportedly drawing interest from opposing teams leading up to the March 25 trade deadline. 

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, "several playoff contenders" have an eye on Hill and Ariza. 

The Los Angeles Clippers are among the teams interested in acquiring Hill. 

The Clippers have a clear need for an offensive point guard, like Hill, who can run the offense to help set up Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Patrick Beverley remains an effective defensive player, but he's limited with the ball in his hands and is only averaging 2.1 assists in 29 starts. 

The Thunder have done well in their rebuild so far this season. Their 17-22 record ranks 11th in the Western Conference, two games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the final spot in the play-in tournament. 

Despite being on the fringes of playoff contention, Oklahoma City has had an eye on its long-term outlook with virtually every move it has made since dealing Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets in July 2019. 

The Thunder could end up with at least two first-round picks in each of the next six drafts through 2026 if swaps and protections go in their favor. 

Ariza is earning $12.8 million this season and will be eligible for free agency during the offseason. The 35-year-old has been away from the Thunder due to a family situation since being acquired in a November trade with the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons. 

Hill's contract includes a partial guarantee of $1.275 million next season and becomes fully guaranteed at $10,047,297 if he's not waived by June 30. He's been out of action since Jan. 14 due to a thumb injury. The 34-year-old is averaging 11.8 points and 3.1 assists in 14 starts.