Tag: davis bertans

15 buyout candidates contending teams may consider signing after the 2024 NBA trade deadline

Some of the most interesting names include Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyle Lowry.

NOTE: This story was originally published on Feb. 8 and was updated.

The 2024 NBA trade deadline has passed and hoops fans saw a splattering of deals that could potentially shake up the race for the title.

But it isn’t just trades that potentially could impact the championship odds. After the deadline, once the dust settles, several contenders around the NBA typically make moves to add free agents from the buyout market as well.

Even though buyouts are unlikely to make a dramatic change for teams with legitimate title aspirations, these moves around the edges are still fascinating to follow for those who follow the league most closely.

Due to the CBA, per Yossi Gozlan, players with salaries above the $12.5 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception cannot sign with teams above the first tax apron. Those teams are the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, L.A. Clippers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, and Phoenix Suns.

Players who meet those thresholds are mentioned below in italics. They are permitted to sign with any other team. All players must sign with a team by March 1 to become eligible to make postseason rosters.

Otherwise, let’s take a look at some of the most notable names to emerge:

NBA Twitter reacts to Thunder trading for Gordon Hayward

NBA Twitter reacts to Thunder trading for Gordon Hayward.

The Oklahoma City Thunder improved their roster by acquiring Gordon Hayward from the Charlotte Hornets during the NBA trade deadline.

In exchange, the Thunder sent Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, Davis Bertans and two second-round picks to the Hornets. Micic is likely the largest absence for OKC; he recently started to carve out a nice backup guard role.

In 25 games, Hayward has averaged 14.5 points on 48.6% shooting, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He has shot 36.1% from 3 on 2.4 attempts. He is on an expiring $31.5 million salary.

Health is an issue. He hasn’t played since Dec. 26. Hayward is inching closer to a return; he was recently designated as questionable for the Hornets.

Let’s look at some of the best reactions to the trade from X, formerly known as Twitter.

Report: Thunder acquire Gordon Hayward from Hornets

Report: Thunder acquire Gordon Hayward from Hornets.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have acquired veteran forward Gordon Hayward from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, Davis Bertans and two second-round picks, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The two second-round picks are in 2024 via the Houston Rockets and 2025 via the Philadelphia 76ers. The Thunder also sent out cash considerations to the Hornets.

This is a nice deal for OKC. It doesn’t give up anything serious: Mann and Bertans seldom played this season. Meanwhile, Hayward has an expiring $31.5 million salary, so there’s no long-term commitment.

In 25 games, Hayward has averaged 14.5 points on 48.6% shooting, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He’s shot 36.1% from 3 on 2.4 attempts. Nearly all of his 3-pointers resulted in assists (95.5%), so he’ll be a nice catch-and-shoot option for OKC.

Health is an issue. He hasn’t played since Dec. 26, but Hayward is inching closer to a return. He was recently began to be designated as questionable for the Hornets.

The Thunder can afford to be cautious with the 33-year-old. They’ll likely ask him to be a backup wing off the bench who can score. His immense playoff experience is a valuable commodity for the young Thunder.

Meanwhile, Mann gets a fresh start and has the next 1 1/2 seasons to earn a second NBA deal. In three seasons, he’s averaging 8.5 points on 39.7% shooting, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

Editor’s note: This article was updated following the announcement of Micic and draft compensation to the deal. It was originally reported as just Mann and Bertans.

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3 Thunder players who are most likely to be moved at trade deadline

3 Thunder players who are most likely to be moved at trade deadline.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will enter the Feb. 8 trade deadline as buyers for the first time in several years.

Sitting at 26-11 and tied for first place in the Western Conference standings, the Thunder have broken open a contending window led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams help round out one of the league’s best trios.

While a blockbuster in-season move is unlikely to happen, Thunder general manager Sam Presti has enough draft capital and young players to improve the roster on the margins.

If OKC elects to improve its depth, it’ll need to part ways with players on its roster. Let’s look at three of the most likely candidates on the Thunder who could be moved to upgrade their rotation in preparation for their first playoff run since 2020.

Player grades: Thunder avoid disaster, overcome 30-0 run in 126-120 win over Mavericks

Player grades: Thunder avoid disaster, overcome 30-0 run in 126-120 win over Mavericks.

Stealing the inbound pass, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander started the transition and willed his way to the basket for the layup. The crucial late-game turnover sealed this game’s fate.

After giving up an astonishing 30-0 run in the fourth quarter, the Oklahoma City Thunder quickly got out of their funk and collected an impressive 126-120 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

“Obviously, great mental toughness out of the team to go down (six points) with that game context and to get present and stack a couple of good possessions,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the unconventional win. “Really good attacks offensively after obviously having a hard time finding it on that end…

“It’s kinda a weird way to win but certainly don’t want to underestimate the mental toughness of the team.”

It was the game of the night as the Thunder and Mavericks played a fast-paced style of basketball where each team exchanged loud blows.

A 39-point second quarter by the Thunder helped them enter halftime with a 72-56 lead. That lead grew in the second half as OKC closed the third quarter on a 17-8 run to enter the final frame with a 107-84 lead.

It appeared the Thunder were going to cruise to an easy win — instead what transpired was a mesmerizing 30-0 run by the Mavericks that flipped a 23-point deficit into a six-point lead. It was an unreal stretch of basketball that was hard to process and see unfold.

The 30-0 run by the Mavericks is the longest run without allowing an opposing team basket since the 1996-97 season — when the NBA started to keep track of play-by-play stats.

“Not a lot of 30-0 runs happening and losing the game,” Daigneault said. “So to win despite that is obviously crazy.”

It felt like the Thunder were on the verge of a massive collapse that would’ve easily been the lowest of lows for OKC’s strong season. Instead, a Jalen Williams dunk finally busted the seal on their basket. The Thunder finished the game on a 15-3 run to close out the road win.

“When you’re going through an avalanche like that, I just think it’s my responsibility to try to reset the team and get us to take a deep breath,” Daigneault said on calling his final timeout with 4:18 left. “… I give the guys a lot of credit, each time we reset, they got their feet back on the ground and we were able to go out there and really perform well in the last four minutes.”

After a Chet Holmgren layup tied the game at 120 apiece, Williams scored on a scoop layup to retake the lead OKC never relinquished again. With a two-point lead, the Thunder scored once again on the aforementioned Gilgeous-Alexander steal-and-layup.

Down by four points, the Mavericks missed a pair of 3-pointers in the final 35 seconds to seal OKC’s win.

The Thunder had another efficient scoring night as a whole. OKC shot a pedestrian 44% from the field but went a sizzling 20-of-44 (45.5%) from 3. It also shot 18-of-22 (81.8%) from the free-throw line.

It was an evenly distributed scoring outing for the Thunder. Eight players scored double-digit points with nobody scoring more than 23 points. Gilgeous-Alexander only scored 17 points.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks were led by a monster outing from Luka Doncic — who missed the first night of their back-to-back to attend the birth of his child. In a chuckling 46 minutes, Doncic had 36 points on 11-of-22 shooting, 18 assists and 15 rebounds for the colossal triple-double. This included going 5-of-13 from 3.

It was the type of performance Dallas needed from its franchise player with Kyrie Irving ruled out with foot soreness.

Doncic’s running mate in the pick-and-roll — Dereck Lively II — also had the best game of his young career. The rookie center had 20 points on perfect 9-of-9 shooting, 16 rebounds and seven blocks. The 19-year-old was the recipient of several lob passes.

Derrick Jones Jr. also had a big night with 24 points including going 6-of-12 from 3. The journeyman has reinvented his career by adding a 3-point shot this season.

Overall, this was a massive win for the Thunder. Playing a high-octane offense like the Mavericks usually results in these high-scoring, fast-paced games with major swings each way sprinkled throughout the contest.

The Thunder took a gut punch in the fourth quarter by giving up a historic 30-0 run, but they weathered the storm and answered back with a run of their own to steal the road victory.

“We preach tight huddles, I feel like that’s what got us through the stretch,” Cason Wallace said on the win. “Just staying together and having that mindset that we can still win the game.”

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Report: OKC Thunder reworks Davis Bertans’ remaining contract

Report: OKC Thunder reworks Davis Bertans’ remaining contract.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have reportedly reworked veteran wing Davis Bertans’ contract, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

The Thunder and Bertans agreed to remove his 2024-25 clause that would’ve guaranteed $16 million next season if he played 75% of regular-season games this season.

If he didn’t meet this threshold, then his guaranteed salary for next season — which would’ve been an early termination option — would’ve been just $5 million.

Instead, with the clause removed, Bertans will be guaranteed $5.25 million next season in the final year of his current deal. He is owed $17 million this season.

This means that the Thunder no longer have to keep an eye on which games the 31-year-old sharpshooter can play. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault will presumably be able to play him as often as he likes without being concerned about passing 62 games.

The Thunder acquired Bertans from the Dallas Mavericks this past offseason in a trade that also landed them the No. 10 pick, which turned out to be Cason Wallace. In return, OKC sent Dallas its No. 12 pick, which materialized to Dereck Lively II.

In five games this season, Bertans is averaging 3.4 points on 23.1% shooting. He is shooting 3-of-12 from 3.

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Player grades: Chet Holmgren impresses in preseason debut in 122-121 win vs. Wemby’s Spurs

Handing out final grades for the Thunder’s 122-121 preseason win over the Spurs:

OKLAHOMA CITY — Grabbing the rebound, Chet Holmgren forced Zach Collins to commit a shooting foul. After more than a year’s wait, the 2022 No. 2 pick’s first points at OKC came at the free-throw line.

The mundaneness surrounding his first points didn’t detract from the specialness of Monday’s 122-121 win over the San Antonio Spurs for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Though it was just the first preseason game, the atmosphere inside Paycom Center felt different. The return of Holmgren along with this game also serving as 2023 No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama’s debut created an unprecedented feeling for the exhibition matchup.

This was the first of countless matchups between the two giants. Holmgren and Wembanyama headline this season’s historic rookie class — and for good reason. Both enter the league riding several years of hype that already made them household names.

This is the first time both seven-footers shared the floor since the 2021 U19 FIBA World Cup. Since then, the anticipation surrounding both has only grown.

This first round between the two top-two picks likely gets scored as a draw. Both Holmgren and Wembanyama were superb and showed off why they’re both members of the next great generation of players.

“I played against him a couple of years ago in FIBA,” Holmgren said about his first game against Wembanyama. “It’s really cool to see players from across the world be connected through the NBA. I plan to play a long time and I’m sure he does too, so it’ll be no choice but to go back and forth.”

Even though both Holmgren and Wembanyama received all of the hype for the preseason opener, plenty of other Thunder players also shined in the one-point win.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault played all 17 available players. The preseason serves as an opportunity for a head coach to experiment in an inconsequential game environment.

Other Thunder standouts include Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams. Both had their moments in the first half and it was exciting to see how they meshed with Holmgren for the first time in an NBA game. Davis Bertans also shined in the second half as he provided OKC with four 3-pointers and deep range.

This game also marked the debut for Cason Wallace, who drew the start after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was ruled out for rest. He had a quiet stat line of two points, five rebounds and three steals. But even without the stats, Daigneault raved about Wallace and noted how seasoned of a player he looked on the court.

“He’s a winning player. He’s tough, smart. Plays inside the team. He lets the game tell him what to do,” Daigneault said. “He looked like that was his 100th game.”

For the Spurs, Wembanyama was their best player. In 19 minutes, he had 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and five rebounds. When the ball reached him, all eyes in the arena focused on the 19-year-old and he delivered. The 7-foot-4 center played with grace and handled the ball with elegance usually associated with guards.

Collins had 15 points, five assists and five rebounds. Malaki Branham had 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

Both teams’ offenses hummed along. The Thunder scored a franchise-record 74 points in the first half — the most for a preseason game. The second half was a different story as the production wasn’t nearly the same due to the reserves playing the entire final two quarters.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Davis Bertans recounts how he discovered he was being traded to Thunder

“Couldn’t really process it at the moment. It took a little while.”

As they usually do, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a busy 2023 NBA draft night.

The Thunder moved up from the No. 12 pick to No. 10 in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks. As part of the deal, the Thunder absorbed Davis Bertans’ possibly hefty $33 million contract over the next two seasons. He is due a $17 million salary this season and up to $16 million next season if he plays 75% of regular season games this year.

The Thunder used the No. 10 pick to select Cason Wallace, but in the process, they also acquired a legit bench-scoring piece.

While the trade didn’t become official until days later, the 30-year-old wing found out about it late at night. During media day, Bertans revealed the details of how he discovered the news he was being shipped from Dallas to OKC.

“I was back home, sound asleep. 4 a.m. for me at that point. My wife tapped me on the shoulder at 6 a.m. and told me I was traded. My question was, where? OKC? I was like, well, that’s where we’re moving. Couldn’t really process it at the moment. It took a little while. You know, waking up in the middle of the night knowing you’ve got to pack your stuff and get on the road. Luckily, I was happy it was only a three-hour drive so the move was kind of easy from Dallas.”

Since his arrival, Bertans said the positive reviews he heard around the league about the Thunder have been justified. The veteran mentioned OKC does a fantastic job of re-energizing the eight-year veteran.

“Honestly, I’ve heard only great things about the organization; that it’s one of the top class organizations in the NBA. I’ve been here two weeks, and during the summer they kept proving it right that this is a top-class organization. They tried to install the qualities in players that can make a great team, not just the players, the staff, everybody and these two weeks, I feel energized every time I walk in the building and excited to get to work.”

Even though he had a down season last year, Bertans could serve as a valuable outside shooting weapon for the Thunder. The 3-point shooting wing has been one of the better long-range outside shooters since arriving in the NBA in 2016.

If Bertans can shoot around his career average of 39.8% from 3 on 4.7 attempts, the Thunder will have one of the best 3-point shooting bench options in the entire league.

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OKC Thunder 3 goals: What Davis Bertans has to accomplish in 2023-24 season

Here are 3 goals Davis Bertans can accomplish this upcoming season.

In this continuing series, Thunder Wire assigns three goals to each of the 21 players, per Spotrac, that make up the Oklahoma City Thunder roster.

The Thunder’s season kicks off on Oct. 25 against the Chicago Bulls. After a surprising 40-42 campaign that ended a win shy of the playoffs, OKC enters this year with playoff aspirations.

Let’s assign three goals for Davis Bertans. The veteran wing was shipped to the Thunder from the Dallas Mavericks in a draft night trade as a salary dump.

If he can return to having an average season after a down year, then he can provide immense value on the court despite his hefty salary.

The Lowe Post brainstorms trade that would bring Buddy Hield to the Thunder

A potential Buddy Hield deal would bring the former Sooner back to Oklahoma.

In the latest episode of “The Lowe Post,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks had an interesting trade proposal that would bring a former Sooner back to his old college state.

Marks suggested a trade that would land Buddy Hield to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He also notes that this is just him thinking of potential landing spots for Hield and not reporting anything significant.

The Thunder would send Davis Bertans, Isaiah Joe and three second-round picks to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Hield.

“Put some shooters around Shai. And certainly, the Bertans contract is probably going to be the one…,” Marks said. “I’m looking at Bertans with a combination of Isaiah Joe and three (second-round picks).”

Lowe said he wasn’t really a fan of the deal for the Thunder, noting that Joe is too good to give up in that deal.

The Pacers have recently begun trade discussions surrounding Hield after both sides failed to agree on a contract extension. The 30-year-old is entering the final year of his current deal and is set to make $19.2 million this season.

Bertans is set to make $17 million this season with an early termination option of $16 million for next season. Joe is on a bargain deal as the sharpshooter is set to make $4.2 million over the next two seasons if his contract is guaranteed and next season’s option is picked up.

This proposal has some juice to it for both sides. The Thunder will gain one of the best 3-point shooters ever in the middle of his prime while the Pacers get some nice draft assets along with two helpful rotation pieces.

While losing Joe would sting since the Thunder basically developed him last season, the upside with Hield providing spacing for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is attractive enough to consider the deal.

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