Fred Katz (Norman Transcript) on the quietness of the trade deadline outside of Cleveland: “The Thunder, of course, were in that category: active in conversations without anything tangible to show for it. It’s a new normal for the NBA, where teams were weary about taking on longterm money and trading first-round draft picks inside a more fiscally conservative environment.”
Erik Horne (NewsOK) on why he thinks the trade deadline was so quiet: “Could a deal have been done? Yes. Would it have made the Thunder better? The team didn’t think so. The same could be said for the Spurs, Rockets, Celtics and Warriors. The Thunder wasn’t the only team among the contenders in their respective conferences who held off from making a roster-altering decision on Thursday.”
Berry Tramel (NewsOK) on how the Cavs’ moves may have opened the doors for Paul George’s departure: “Losing Clarkson’s $12.5 million salary for next season creates a path for the Lakers to chase not one, but two, superstar free agents this summer. Which is huge, because one solitary star wouldn’t join the clown show that the Lakers have become. But two might collectively believe they can supersede the dysfunction of Showtime. And one of those superstars could be LeBron James. Which would be funny. Unless the second superstar is Paul George, which from the Cherokee Outlet to Little Dixie is no laughing matter.”
Thunder 2-way player P.J. Dozier scored his first career basket last night.
Moke Hamilton (The ThunderWire) on George receiving cheers while playing in Los Angeles: “In fact, it seems that George is so focused on his life as a member of the Thunder that he didn’t even hear a fairly loud and obvious chant that erupted in STAPLES Center of ‘We want George’ by the Lakers faithful. “It’s always appreciated,” George said when asked how it felt to be warmly received by Lakers fans. Unlike his previous comments, George seemed to go out of his way to be vague and dismissive. “Hopefully, it’s more so because I’m home than anything else.”
Now That's Thunder Basketball 