Here are the rumblings for Tuesday.
He may have won a title, but Kevin Durant will never be able to escape his decision. Never change, Alex Trebek. Thank you, Jeopardy!
Adam Kemp of NewsOK looks at some of the reactions after Kevin Durant won his title: “You might have seen Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors win the NBA championship last night, taking down LeBron James and the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. Or you might have buried your head in your Thunder pillow and had a good cry.”
Keith Smith of RealGM looks at the Thunder’s offseason plans: “Only five years ago it seemed like the Oklahoma City Thunder would have the run of the NBA for years. They made an earlier than expected NBA Finals run in 2012 around a team full of young talent. Injuries and trades took the team from title contender to mere playoff team, before they rebounded to push the Warriors to the brink in the 2016 Western Conference Finals. But things change quickly in the NBA and the Thunder weren’t exempt. It wasn’t just Kevin Durant leaving, but Serge Ibaka being traded, like James Harden before him. All of a sudden, Russell Westbrook was all that remained from a team many thought might own the Western Conference for years.”
Max Resetar of SLAM Magazine caught with Domantas Sabonis: “Oklahoma City Thunder big man Domantas Sabonis just wrapped up his rookie season, but the Lithuania native has been around the pro game his entire life. Sabonis, the son of former Blazers center Arvydis Sabonis, was soaking up knowledge from his pops, Sheed, Damon Stoudamire and ZBo while he was running around the Portland training facility as a youth. And before he made his way to Gonzaga for his college ball, Domantas played professionally in Spain and has already appeared in multiple games for the Lithuanian national team—including at last summer’s Olympics.”
Fred Katz looks at Thunder’s cap situation and how the luxury tax is still the boogie monster in the room: “Oklahoma City will have a tight budget once the summer comes. The Thunder are approaching luxury tax territory. And once the offseason officially begins July 1, they’ll start figuring ways to improve the roster without spending an inordinate amount of money. No matter how much general manager Sam Presti and the rest of the OKC front office wants to win, they still run a small-market team that has to be more money conscious than the New Yorks or L.A.’s of the world. The Thunder have paid the luxury tax twice before, in 2014-15 and 2015-16. They dipped back under the tax line this past season. But they’re creeping close to it now.”
Now That's Thunder Basketball 