Tag: Kelly Oubre Jr.

Thunder to trade Chris Paul to Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr. and others

The Thunder will reportedly receive Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 first-round pick.

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With the transactional moratorium period lifted by the NBA ahead of the 2020-21 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly struck a deal on Monday to send Chris Paul and Abdel Nader to the Phoenix Suns, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The Thunder will receive Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 first-round pick. The pick the Thunder will receive is reportedly top-12 protected in 2022, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Oklahoma City had been working with Paul to find a potential destination for the future Hall of Famer. Paul turned in an All-Star season with the Thunder, averaging 17.6 points, 6.7 assists and five rebounds in 70 games played last season.

The Suns proved to be aggressive in their pursuit of adding Paul after sending two cornerstone players in Oubre and Rubio while including young players in Jerome and Lecque. The organization is looking to take the next step in its development and believes Paul can be key to get there.

The trade of Paul comes just one day after the Thunder agreed to send Dennis Schroder to the Los Angeles Lakers for Danny Green and the 28th pick in the NBA draft. Oklahoma City is looking to rebuild and has amassed as many as 17 draft picks over the next six years.

The NBA draft is scheduled to begin Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN.

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Report: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signs multi-year deal with Converse

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is earning an opportunity to continue expressing himself in signing with Converse.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has always been in touch with his style and aesthetic.

As a second-year player out of Kentucky, Gilgeous-Alexander has been featured on SLAM’s League Fits page numerous times. He was even recently named the League Fits People’s Choice MVP. Now, Gilgeous-Alexander has an opportunity to express himself with a brand that’s working to make a comeback.

According to ESPN’s Nick DePaula, Gilgeous-Alexander has signed a multi-year shoe and apparel endorsement deal with Converse.

Gilgeous-Alexander signed with Nike ahead of his rookie season, and he will join Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, Phoenix Suns wing Kelly Oubre Jr. and Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud as Converse athletes. Nike bought Converse in 2003. 

DePaula reported that Gilgeous-Alexander will start wearing Converse this week as the Thunder prepare for the NBA’s Orlando bubble.

“The exclusiveness of the brand, not having so many guys, and the ability to express myself on and off the court in so many different ways appeals to me so much,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, per DePaula.

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Gilgeous-Alexander is a perfect fit to help Converse swing back into hoops. His unique style aligns with Converse, a brand that’s generally been original.

The signature star on the shoe, along with the brand’s vibrant colors, makes for a cool design. With his fashion sense, Gilgeous-Alexander will have some control over his designs, per DePaula.

Gilgeous-Alexander has had a stellar second year. He has scored a career-high 19.3 points per game this season, dished 3.3 assists a game and shot 47.1% from the field. He is a vital part of the Thunder’s effective three-guard trio, which includes Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder.

The Thunder will play their first seeding game Aug. 1 against the Utah Jazz, with tip off set for 3:30 p.m. ET.

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Tobias Harris’ father, Torrel Harris, representing Suns’ Kelly Oubre Jr.

Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is signing with Torrel Harris, the father of Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris.

With the outbreak of COVID-19, there is not much to do other than maybe conduct some business.

Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr., who is having a breakout season in 2019-20, has a new agent. That agent would be Torrel Harris who happens to be the father and agent of Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris.

Torrel Harris works for Unique Sports Management International and he helped negotiate the 5-year $180 million deal Tobias received from the Sixers. If Torrel could work that type of magic for Tobias, then Oubre Jr. should feel like he is in good hands.

Oubre Jr. is averaging a career-high 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 35.2% from deep with the Suns, but he underwent surgery on his right knee on March 3.

Tobias is having a solid season in his own right averaging 19.4 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 36.2% from deep on the season. Hopefully, he will get a chance to continue those numbers and help the Sixers chase down a championship. [lawrence-related id=28383,28374,28366]

Klutch Sports: Draymond Green signs endorsement deal with Converse

The Golden State Warriors star and Klutch Sports player has agreed to a new deal with Converse, a subsidiary of Nike.

Draymond Green has been with Nike Basketball for his entire NBA career and while he’s staying within the Swoosh family of companies, he will have a chance to be featured even more as for one of the brand’s many subsidiaries. Green has agreed to a new endorsement deal with the iconic sneaker brand Converse, based in Boston, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Although Draymond has been with Nike Basketball for a long time, he was highly unlikely to be a featured athlete behind the likes of LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Paul George, and Kyrie Irving. This should give Draymond the opportunity to be more of a forward-facing part of the Converse basketball brand, which also boasts stylish Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr.

Draymond is the first All-Star to endorse Converse since NBA legend Dwyane Wade was a Converse spokesman in his early career. But as we continue to see, whether it’s Nike or another brand, Rich Paul and Klutch Sports no doubt helped Green expand his personal brand in a way that he’s not yet experienced before, even though he’s been part of several championship teams.

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Eric Gordon leaves early with injury as Suns scorch weary Rockets

With Russell Westbrook out on the second half of a back-to-back, the four-game winning streak for the Rockets came to an end in Phoenix.

A four-game winning streak for the Rockets ended Friday night in Phoenix, with the Suns pulling away in a 127-91 rout (box score). With 91 points, it was Houston’s lowest-scoring game of the season.

Phoenix improved to 21-31, while the Rockets fell to 33-19. The Suns were led by a career-high 39 points from Kelly Oubre Jr., who shot a blistering 14-of-19 (73.7%) from the field, including 7-of-9 (77.8%) on 3-pointers. Devin Booker scored 33 points on 10-of-18 shooting (55.6%).

Eric Gordon played only nine minutes for the Rockets and left early due to a lower left leg injury, while Russell Westbrook didn’t play at all due to planned maintenance on the second half of a road back-to-back.

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The team did not immediately offer specifics on Gordon’s leg injury or a timetable for his return. Gordon had surgery on his right knee earlier this season, but this issue involved his other leg.

Houston has only two games left before having over a week off for the All-Star break. That could buy Gordon more recovery time, if needed.

Friday’s game tipped off only about 20 hours after Thursday’s emotional road win over the Lakers went final, and the Rockets never looked close to the same. Dating back to Tuesday, it was Houston’s third game in a third city over a four-night span.

A night after they shot 19-of-42 (45.2%) on 3-pointers in Los Angeles, the weary Rockets made just 11-of-48 (22.9%) in Phoenix.

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Excluding James Harden, who scored a team-high 32 points on 5-of-10 shooting (50%) from 3-point range, the Rockets made just 6-of-38 (15.8%) from behind the arc. Two of those six non-Harden makes came in the fourth quarter, after the game had long been decided.

Phoenix shot 85% from the field in the first quarter, including 80% from 3-point range, while Houston shot just 30% overall.

That led to a quick 20-point advantage for the Suns, though Houston cut that lead to five late in the second quarter after Harden caught fire. But with Westbrook sitting out and Gordon leaving early due to injury, the Suns began to double-team Harden and force the ball out of his hands, and the Rockets didn’t make enough open shots to have a counter.

For the game, Phoenix shot 55.8% from the field and 48.4% on 3-pointers, and they out-rebounded the smaller Rockets by a commanding 51-29 margin. Houston shot just 34.1% overall.

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Harden and most of Houston’s available rotation players were pulled by D’Antoni late in the third quarter. From there, the Suns turned what was already a large lead into an epic rout. Chris Clemons, Michael Frazier, and William Howard — who have each spent significant time this season in the NBA G League — all played 12 or more minutes for the Rockets.

The Rockets return to action Sunday night in Houston against Western Conference rival Utah (32-18), with a chance to clinch the season series and potential tiebreaker between the two teams. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Central time from Toyota Center.

Lakers look to ride winning wave as they host Phoenix Suns

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers begin the New Year later this evening when they host Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns.

After a couple of days off where the Los Angeles Lakers were both able to celebrate LeBron James’ 35th birthday and ring in the new year, they’re back on the court Wednesday night as they prepare to host Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns.

Although the Suns are nowhere near the Lakers in the current standings, both teams are currently riding two-game win-streaks coming into Wednesday’s game. The Suns are fresh off a 19-point comeback win Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers and they also just got back center Deandre Ayton from an ankle injury, after Ayton served a 25-game suspension.

Ayton in the middle will add a new dimension to the Suns attack and that’s something the Lakers will have to get used to compared to the previous meeting where they primarily had to worry about Aron Baynes and Frank Kaminsky. Ayton gives the Suns at least some kind of response to the athleticism the Lakers have in the frontcourt.

The Suns are still just 13-20 but they have talented pieces and finally have a full roster available for really the first time this season.

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