After two consecutive years of being the seventh or eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and quickly exiting the playoffs after an uncompetitive first-round series, the Orlando Magic broke up the core of those teams at this year’s trade deadline. Gone are stalwarts like Nikola Vucevic, who became a two-time All-Star during his time in
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Boston Celtics lost to the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder, and NBA Twitter let them have it. The Boston Celtics have had some head-scratching losses this year, but Tuesday’s defeat might be their most confounding and inexcusable one yet. In a 119-115 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Celtics gave up a very winnable
The New York Knicks are currently on their longest winning streak since 2014. Along the way, they’ve defeated several teams with whom they’re competing for a playoff spot – and unbelievably, home-court advantage in the first round – including the Atlanta Hawks and the Charlotte Hornets. While the Knicks still have the sixth-hardest remaining schedule,
34 draft picks from 2021-27. A staggering treasure chest of assets, something that means nothing if the team that owns those assets can’t draft well. Thankfully for fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the franchise has already shown that it can build a competitive and fun roster no matter the circumstances. There’s no sugarcoating it,
When Luke Kennard signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Clippers back in December, it was assumed that he was going to be a key player in the rotation this season. The Clippers acquired Kennard in a draft-day trade with the Brooklyn Nets and Detroit Pistons, a move that shipped out
Everybody’s favorite NBA holiday, the trade deadline, came and went on a day that saw a league-record 16 deadline trades. 46 players were involved in trades, with big names like Nikola Vucevic and Victor Oladipo on the move. However, with 46 players being moved, some are bound to fall through the cracks and go largely
Though it may seem like forever ago, it has only been nine years since the Oklahoma City Thunder were playing in the NBA Finals. The young quartet of Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka was unable to stop the Miami HEAT’s “Big Three,” as the team captured their first of two consecutive
Mar 21, 2021; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard John Wall (1) looks to drive around Oklahoma City Thunder forward Luguentz Dort (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 21, 2021, in Houston. Mandatory Credit: Michael Wyke/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports) Tyreek Hill reveals he denied Chiefs request to restructure contract
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports NBA trade grades: Raptors land clever replacement for Norman Powell by Rucker Haringey Raptors take the first step, trading Norman Powell to the Trail Blazers by Steven Kubitza The 76ers have landed veteran point guard George Hill in a three-team trade with the Thunder and Knicks ahead of today’s 3
On March 22, 2021, the worst fast break attempt in the history of the NBA occurred, thanks to Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Theo Maledon. He followed it up by turning the ball over. Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Theo Maledon will be roasted alive on his team’s next film session after completing the worst fast break attempt in the history
George Hill, Oklahoma City Thunder. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) NBA rumors: 1 major hiccup preventing Kyle Lowry trade to Heat by Braulio Perez The Oklahoma City Thunder have reportedly set their own deadline when it comes to fielding offers for point guard George Hill. The 2021 NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, March 25. It feels more
Welcome back to another edition of Deadline Watch. The trade deadline is less than a week away folks. We’ve had a few trades over the past several days that, while they may be inconsequential, it has been fun to see a few swaps go down. However, with the lack of movement that’s gone on since
According to the latest NBA rumors, the Miami Heat are exploring a deal for Trevor Ariza. The Miami Heat make a ton of sense as a buyer heading into the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline, but this probably wasn’t what most people had in mind. According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, the Heat are exploring a
Hamidou Diallo is heading from Oklahoma City to Detroit as the Thunder, and the Pistons agreed to a swap deal involving Sviatoslav Mykailiuk and a draft pick. It’s trade time for Oklahoma City and Detroit. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder have agreed to send shooting guard Hamidou Diallo to the Pistons in exchange for
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. The Oklahoma City Thunder have largely been overshadowed this season. Their brief offseason was highlighted by the departure of Chris Paul and additions to their absurd war chest of
The Houston Rockets are in the midst of a massive freefall. After hitting a home run with the acquisition of Christian Wood, the Rockets appeared to have a solid core with John Wall and Victor Oladipo both looking good coming back from devastating injuries. Wood was even the frontrunner for the Most Improved Player award
Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder. (Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports) A collective jersey debacle made the first half of the Atlanta Hawks vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder game on Friday night completely unwatchable. The Atlanta Hawks and the Oklahoma City Thunder proved to the world once again that red uniforms and orange uniforms do not
Feb 10, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Luguentz Dort (5) reacts with center Al Horford (42) after scoring a basket and drawing a foul against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Eagles could have a deadline for Carson Wentz
In a pre-pandemic world, it would be right around that special time of the season where players, media and fans spend countless hours arguing over the NBA All-Star rosters. In some years, a player might even lash out at a post-game presser over the perceived slight. The first post-snub game for those players is a
Next up in Basketball Insiders’ ICYMI series – where we’re taking a look at the biggest storylines that you may have missed from around the league – is the Central Division. The Central is led by the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers, two playoff teams last season that made aggressive offseason moves to improve this
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder, Gary Trent Jr., Portland Trail Blazers. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) Bad Coaching in the NFL: Dan Campbell wants kneecaps by Mike Tanier Shai Gilgeous-Alexander found Gary Trent Jr.’s flop to be of the hilarious variety on Monday. There are flops and then there is whatever Gary Trent Jr. of
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. After Monday night’s 125-122 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, the Thunder are 7-9, just a game and a half out of the No. 8 seed in the
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder. (Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports) MMA champion Ben Askren to come out of retirement to fight YouTuber Jake Paul by Amy Kaplan Damian Lillard owns the Oklahoma City Thunder with his incredibly petty new Adidas shoes. When Damian Lillard dropped 50 points and eliminated the Oklahoma City
The Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans have leveraged superstar trades into a huge number of draft picks. But how far ahead of the pack are they? The past two years have seen a succession of enormous, superstar trades in the NBA, with Anthony Davis, Paul George, Russell Westbrook (twice), Chris Paul
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a totally new team after myriad changes this past offseason. Here are five big questions facing the Thunder this season. 1. Which is the higher number: Future first-round draft picks owed to the Thunder or the number of OKC wins in 2020-21? According to my count, Oklahoma City has a
Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images Texans to interview former Bengals coach Marvin Lewis for head coaching job by Cole Thompson The NBA is postponing the Houston Rockets’ season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to COVID-19 concerns. Two days into the 2020-21 NBA season, the league is already being forced to postpone its first
ALERT. ALERT. ALERT. The NBA’s 2020-21 season is scheduled to begin in less than a month. If it feels like we just crowned the 2020 NBA Champions, that’s because we did. The Los Angeles Lakers secured their 17th championship on October 11, just over a month ago. Still, the new season kicks off in less
ALERT. ALERT. ALERT. The NBA’s 2020-21 season is scheduled to begin in less than a month. If it feels like we just crowned the 2020 NBA Champions, that’s because we did. The Los Angeles Lakers secured their 17th championship on October 11, just over a month ago. Still, the new season kicks off in less
The Oklahoma City Thunder will look vastly different this season. It’s now Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s team. Can the 13th-best young player deliver? Praise showered down from the heavens — and from the keyboards of fans and journalists alike — when the Oklahoma City Thunder traded star wing Paul George to the L.A. Clippers in the summer
Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Victor Cruz compares Daniel Jones to Eli Manning, but wants Giants fans to stay patient by Mark Carman The Houston Rockets got pennies on the dollar by trading Russell Westbrook on Wednesday. No, the Houston Rockets did not get what the Oklahoma City Thunder did for
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