Oklahoma City Thunder

After dealing Dennis Schroder to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Oklahoma City Thunder received Danny Green, but the team has sent Green packing again in a deal that brings Al Horford to OKC from the Philadelphia 76ers.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the deal, which also includes a 2025 first-round pick and the No. 34 pick in Wednesday's draft, along with Vasilije Micic, going to the Thunder. Terrance Ferguson will head to Philadelphia in the deal.

Oklahoma City has been the catalyst of major deals since the trade window opened Monday, also dealing Chris Paul and Abdel Nader to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for four players and a first-round pick in 2022.

A projected first-round draft order for the next few seasons might be all OKC (h/t Tommy Beer of Forbes):

• 2020: two first-round picks (via Denver, Los Angeles Lakers)
• 2021: two first-round picks (own, via Miami)
• 2022: three first-round picks (own, via Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns)
• 2023: two first-round picks (own, via Miami)
• 2024: three first-round picks (own, via Los Angeles Clippers, Houston)
• 2025: two first-round picks (own, via Philadelphia)
• 2026: three first-round picks (own, via Los Angeles Clippers, Houston) 

But for now, here's a prediction at what their depth chart could look like once the NBA season kicks off on Dec. 22: 

• PG: Ricky Rubio, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque
• SG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hamidou Diallo, Andre Roberson, Luguentz Dort
• SF: Kelly Oubre Jr., Luguentz Dort, Andre Roberson, Hamidou Diallo
• PF: Danilo Gallinari, Al Horford, Kelly Oubre Jr., Darius Bazley, Andre Roberson, Mike Muscala
• C: Steven Adams, Al Horford, Nerlens Noel, Mike Muscala, Darius Bazley

In his 13th season in the league and only campaign in Philadelphia, Horford added 11.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, averaging 30.2 minutes on the court while shooting .450 from the field and .350 from beyond the arc. 

The former third overall pick in 2007 was drafted as a power forward, but he played center for his entire career before joining the 76ers and All-Star big man Joel Embiid. The Thunder pick up a hefty contract with the 34-year-old, who signed a four-year, $109 million deal this past offseason. 

The Thunder have looked to Steven Adams at center in almost every year since they drafted him with the 12th overall pick out of Pittsburgh in 2013. The 27-year-old is coming off of a season in which he posted 10.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists on .592 shooting (.333 from three). He will become a free agent in 2021 as he is in the last year of a four-year, $100 million deal, with $27.5 million on the books for the upcoming season.

Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul thanked the fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Instagram Tuesday following his trade from the team. 

Paul wrote: "OKC!!! What a full circle moment this last season was!! Genuinely grateful for your hospitality and the warm welcome from day 1. Much love to everyone in the organization, the fans, and most importantly the fellas who brought out that dog, day in and day out!! Year 15 will never be forgotten."

The 35-year-old started his career with the New Orleans Hornets in the 2005-06 season, though the team played all of its home games in Oklahoma City for his first two seasons after the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. Paul was traded by the Houston Rockets to the Thunder in July 2019. 

Phoenix will be Paul's third team in as many years, giving him the chance to pair with Deandre Ayton and Devin Booker on a Suns team that looks to be on the rise after going 8-0 in Orlando's bubble. Paul will provide Ayton with an elite pick-and-roll distributor, while Booker won't be burdened with as heavy a playmaking role. 

On the court, at least, it looks like a great fit for Phoenix. 

Veteran point guard Ricky Rubio was reportedly traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday along with Kelly Oubre, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 conditional first-round pick in exchange for Chris Paul and Abdel Nader, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

It was a blockbuster start to the NBA offseason, and a deal that Rubio apparently didn't see coming at all:

So the Suns now have a Big Three of Paul, Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton, a trio that on paper complements one another nicely. Having a facilitator of Paul's caliber should help Ayton get easier looks and will take a ton of playmaking pressure off Booker and allow him to do what he does best—score the rock. 

As for the Thunder, they are transitioning fully into a rebuilding mode, having already agreed to a deal to send Dennis Schroder to the Los Angeles Lakers for a 2020 first-round pick and Danny Green. The Thunder will now build around young players like Oubre, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the enormous collection of draft picks they have in the coming years. 

As for Rubio, well, the 30-year-old will likely start at point guard for the young Thunder and see plenty of playing time. But the trade was a surprise to many, Rubio obviously included. 

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul said Thursday he's not paying attention to the trade rumors ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season.

"Man, I'm going into year 16, so I've heard just about every rumor you could possibly hear," Paul said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "You learn to control what you can control. I'm training, getting ready for the season. If something happens, it will. If not, I love being in Oklahoma with our team."

Fallon, a New York City native, then suggested Paul would look good in a New York Knicks jersey, but the 10-time All-Star wouldn't bite.

"Jimmy, I don't know. You know probably more than I do," Paul said with a laugh.

Here's a look at the full interview (trade talk starts at the 4:15 mark):

ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps reported Tuesday discussions between the Thunder and Phoenix Suns about a potential Paul trade had started to "gather traction" but that no finalized agreement was imminent.

The Knicks have also been rumored as a potential landing spot for the Wake Forest product, but New York's front office is "wary of giving up too many assets" that could harm its future pursuits of other high-profile trade targets, per Ian Begley of SNY.

Paul is coming off an efficient first season running the OKC offense, where he averaged 17.6 points, 6.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.6 threes across 70 appearances. He ranked fifth among all NBA players and led all point guards in ESPN's real plus-minus.

The 35-year-old North Carolina native's assist numbers dipped a bit while splitting ball-handling duties with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder, but his other stats were right in line with his career averages across prior stints with the New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets.

Paul has one guaranteed season left on his four-year, $159.7 million contract, which includes a player option for the 2021-22 season.

He makes more sense as an option for the Suns than the Knicks.

Phoenix raised eyebrows by going 8-0 in the bubble, and while the late surge wasn't enough to earn a playoff berth, it increased expectations heading toward next season.

Allowing Paul to take over an offense that also features Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges would give the Suns a chance to make some serious noise in the loaded West.

Meanwhile, the Knicks aren't ready to contend at this stage. New team president Leon Rose has a couple of years of roster reconstruction to oversee before they reach that level, so saving those trade assets for when the franchise is in a more competitive position is probably the right decision.

Whether it's the Suns or another contender, the recent buzz suggests Paul will be on the move before the NBA tips off the new season Dec. 22.

The Oklahoma City Thunder promoted assistant Mark Daigneault to head coach following the departure of Billy Donovan, the team announced Wednesday. 

Daigneault will take over a team that has reached the playoffs in each of the past five seasons under Donovan and 10 of the past 11.

The 35-year-old spent five seasons as the head coach of the G League's Oklahoma City Blue, going 143-107 and leading them to the playoffs four times.

Daigneault then became an assistant under Donovan last season after spending four years in that role with him at the University of Florida.

A UConn graduate, Daigneault was a student manager under head coach Jim Calhoun from 2003 to 2007, and he was part of the staff when the Huskies won the national championship in 2004. Upon graduation, he became an assistant coach at Holy Cross in his native Massachusetts.

The Thunder have lost a great deal of talent over the past several years. Former NBA MVP Kevin Durant left in free agency, Paul George was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers and another former NBA MVP in Russell Westbrook was dealt to the Houston Rockets.

After those two trades, expectations weren't high for the Thunder entering the 2019-20 campaign.

Despite that, the Thunder went 44-28 and qualified for the playoffs, although they were eliminated by the Rockets in a first-round series that went seven games.

While it marked the fourth straight year that OKC was knocked out in the first round, there is plenty of reason for optimism in 2020-21 and beyond.

The primary reason is the continued development of young guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was part of the George trade. The 22-year-old averaged a team-high 19.0 points per game last season and added 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

OKC also boasts veteran guards Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder as well as center Steven Adams, giving the Thunder a solid core capable of competing at a high level next season and beyond.

Donovan may have run his course as head coach after five seasons, so perhaps a new voice on the sidelines will help the Thunder get over the hump. The 55-year-old parted ways with the team mutually and was named the Chicago Bulls' new head coach in September.

Daigneault was a Donovan understudy and may employ many of the same tactics, but he could also give a fresh perspective as a first-time head coach at the NBA level.

As the NBA offseason continues, a new name has been added to the list of worthy trade candidates: Oklahoma City point guard Dennis Schroder. 

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported Thursday that Schroder, who just wrapped up his seventh season in the league, "would draw strong interest" as teams look to bulk up their roster with talent that can help them win immediately.

Lowe raised the possibility of a trade for Schroder while acknowledging trade rumors surrounding some of his Thunder counterparts who have made headlines this offseason: Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari. When Schroder left the NBA bubble during the seeding games for the birth of his daughter, Paul, who starts ahead of Schroder at point guard, noted that his absence changed the Thunder's dynamic in six games without him. 

"We're a totally different team without Dennis," Paul said in August, via Logan Newman of ThunderWire. 

Since he was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks at 17th overall in 2013, Schroder has averaged 14.1 points per game in addition to 4.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 496 career regular-season games.

He was dealt to Oklahoma City in a three-way deal ahead of the 2018-19 season and has been slotted as the team's sixth man in his two seasons with the Thunder. He finished second in voting for the league's Sixth Man of the Year Award this offseason, after he averaged 18.9 points, 4.0 assists and 3.6 rebounds on a career-best 46.9 percent shooting, with another personal record 38.5 percent beyond the arc. 

The 27-year-old Germany native will hit free agency after next season, with the team due to pay him $15.5 million.

If the Oklahoma City Thunder trade veteran point guard Chris Paul this offseason, CP3 will reportedly have some say in where he goes.

Appearing on Tuesday's Bill Simmons Podcast (beginning at the 1:04 remaining mark), Ryen Russillo of The Ringer said he has heard that Paul will have "some sort of say" if he gets dealt.

Russillo added that the Thunder won't send Paul "somewhere that sucks," and will take his wishes under consideration before executing a trade.

Simmons and Russillo agreed that when the Thunder received Paul last offseason in the trade that sent Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets, CP3 was essentially a salary dump.

Not only did the Thunder receive Paul, but they also got multiple first-round picks in the deal.

Although Paul was far from the centerpiece of the trade, the 35-year-old ended up enjoying a great season. He averaged 17.6 points, 6.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game en route to being named an All-Star for the 10th time in his career.

He was also an ideal mentor for young guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder, and he helped lead OKC to the playoffs, which was far from a guarantee entering 2019-20 after trading away both Westbrook and Paul George.

Despite the fact that Paul assimilated well in OKC, the Thunder have plenty of incentive to trade him now while they still can.

Both Gilgeous-Alexander and Schroder are under contract through at least next season, which gives them more than enough guard depth. Also, Paul can become a free agent after the 2020-21 season if he opts out.

Per Spotrac, Paul is set to make over $41.3 million next season and would then make over $44.2 million in 2021-22 if he were to opt in.

That is a huge financial commitment, especially for an older player who has had some durability concerns over the past several years.

Rather than getting stuck with a potential albatross of a contract, trading Paul now while he still has value could land the Thunder more assets to add to the treasure trove of draft picks they already possess.

Trading Paul would also open up even more playing time for Schroder and Gilgeous-Alexander, the latter of whom seems poised to become a perennial All-Star.

Paul is a future Hall of Famer who has earned the right to dictate his next move, though, and Russillo's comments suggest the Thunder agree with that sentiment.

Oklahoma City Thunder star Chris Paul will serve as an executive producer and recount his firsthand experiences in an HBO Sports documentary about how the COVID-19 pandemic put the sports world on hold.

The documentary, titled The Day Sports Stood Still, "will chronicle the abrupt stoppage, athletes' prominent role in the cultural reckoning on racial injustices that escalated during the pandemic and the complex return to competition in the summer and fall." 

Paul will have some unique insights to provide.

The 10-time All-Star was on the court as the NBA abruptly postponed a game between the Thunder and Utah Jazz on March 11 with the players already on the court. 

It came out later that Jazz stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell tested positive for the coronavirus, which led league officials to suspend the season.

In Monday's press release, Paul said he was in the Thunder locker room on March 11 when he received a call from Brian Grazer, who also has a producing credit on the documentary. They started brainstorming what became The Day Sports Stood Still.

Beyond what happened on the court this past spring, Paul had an instrumental role behind the scenes through his role as NBPA president as the NBA finalized its plans to resume the season at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

The nationwide protests against police brutality and racial inequality led some to wonder whether it was an appropriate time to bring basketball back. The NBA said in June it was working with Paul and others toward "ongoing discussions between the NBA and the Players Association to address the game's role in facilitating solutions to the persistent inequities plaguing the Black community."

Even as the playoffs were underway, it looked like the NBA's Disney bubble was in serious jeopardy. The Milwaukee Bucks refused to play their scheduled game against the Orlando Magic as a form of protest, and teams from both the NBA and other leagues followed their lead.

As NBA players were weighing their next steps, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported Paul and LeBron James were part of a group that sought the advice of former President Barack Obama: "Obama was in favor of returning to play once the players seized the moment to work with the league's owners to identify and implement actionable items to effect positive change, sources told ESPN."

Eventually, the players and the league agreed on a number of commitments to social justice initiatives, including requiring all arenas owned by teams to be used as voting locations for the 2020 election and establishing a social justice commission. 

Note: HBO Sports and Bleacher Report are both owned by WarnerMedia

Chris Paul is already a surefire Hall of Famer based on what he has achieved in college and the NBA. The Oklahoma City Thunder star sees himself leaving a far bigger legacy outside basketball thanks to the Social Change Fund.

In July, Paul collaborated with Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony to form the fund, which aims to "[invest] in and [support] organizations that advocate for communities of color through long-term policy solutions, community representation, and narrative change."

Paul was a guest on Anthony's YouTube Live series and began discussing the organization around the 25:45 mark.

The 10-time All-Star explained how he was happy to finally work collectively since a group can achieve more than star players working individually to achieve social aims:

"But coming to do this thing together, it was dope because it's bigger than any one of us, right. And to see the amount of reach that we've had in a short amount of time. ... And to know that it didn't just stop with us three. The fact that we got Candace Parker, Donovan Mitchell, Michael Strahan, Khris Middleton, all these guys ... Social Change Fund will end up being bigger than anything that any of us are doing on the court."

Anthony echoed the sentiment:

"I mean the basketball part of it is what it is, our careers is what it is. But this Social Change Fund, this is powerful. Like this is here forever, and I want people to understand why we really decided to do that and do it with us, and we also show that we can come together, no matter what, and make change and get some s--t done. That's why I really, you know, I really like this. I actually love this Social Change Fund because it's so much opportunity."

The NBA announced Oct. 5 that Paul was one of the winners of the NBA Cares Community Assist Award:

Nick Gallo of the Thunder's official site detailed how Paul spent his first season in Oklahoma City working with charitable organizations throughout the city.

As the president of the National Basketball Players Association, the 35-year-old also had a prominent role as NBA players sought more meaningful action from the league and teams amid nationwide protests against systemic racism and racial inequality.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported in August that Paul and LeBron James were part of a group that communicated with former President Barack Obama to help determine the best course of action.

"Obama was in favor of returning to play once the players seized the moment to work with the league's owners to identify and implement actionable items to effect positive change, sources told ESPN," McMenamin wrote.