Oklahoma City Thunder

New Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey thanked the Oklahoma City Thunder organization in an Instagram post on Friday following his trade.

Giddey's teammates also wished him well on Instagram following the post, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jaylin Williams and Chet Holmgren:

Giddey was traded to the Bulls on Thursday in exchange for guard Alex Caruso, who was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2024.

The 21-year-old was selected by the Thunder with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, starting in 210 games for Oklahoma City over the past three seasons.

Giddey finished his Thunder career with averages of 13.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 31.0 percent from three. He started his career off strong, as he was part of the All-Rookie Second Team and became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double.

In a statement released after the trade, Thunder general manager Sam Presti also thanked Giddey for his time with the organization.

"We want to thank Josh for his many contributions to our team and know he will capitalize on the opportunities before him in Chicago," Presti said. "When we drafted Josh in 2021 he was an essential aspect of our vision for the next iteration of the Thunder. Since then, our team has evolved rapidly and dynamically in ways we could never have anticipated."

While his ability to rebound and pass as a taller guard has been his calling card, his lack of perimeter shooting started to affect a Thunder team that preferred to space the floor around superstar Gilgeous-Alexander.

Although Giddey remained a starter, his playing time decreased under head coach Mark Daigneault in 2024. After averaging 25.1 minutes per game in the regular season, he was on the court for just 18.1 minutes each night in the playoffs.

Presti revealed in his statement that the team approached Giddey about a move to the bench during the 2024-25 season, although "it was hard to for him to envision" the change and he eventually inquired about opportunities elsewhere.

Now, Giddey is expected to join Coby White in Chicago's backcourt following a breakout season from the Bulls guard.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are reportedly viewed as a "top threat" to land New York Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency this offseason, per the New York Post's Stefan Bondy.

"After finishing atop the Western Conference with 57 wins in the regular season, Oklahoma City can make a stronger bid for Hartenstein than the Knicks, who are capped out but can offer a starting salary of roughly $17 million using their Early Bird Rights," he wrote.

Hartenstein, who spent the last two seasons with the Knicks, averaged 7.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season.

The 26-year-old proved to be a valuable piece for the Knicks after having to take over for an injured Mitchell Robinson in the postseason. For Hartenstein, the best season of his career could lead to a bidding war this offseason.

The Thunder are looking to build off of a strong season after making it past the first round for the first time since 2016. They were just short of reaching the conference finals and seem to be on its way to being a contender in the West, and adding Hartenstein could help expedite that process.

Meanwhile, the Knicks will likely look to retain Hartenstein in hopes of keeping a group that was just a game away from the conference finals together. New York took the Indiana Pacers to seven games despite a plethora of different injuries, and the NBA Finals contention window seems open for the young group.

To keep that window open next season, paying to keep him in New York could be a priority.

But the Thunder or Knicks could be looking at a lofty price tag for Hartenstein. The center is reportedly expected to receive some significant offers this offseason, even as high as $100 million.

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti told reporters in his 2023-24 exit interview that he "missed" on the team's trade deadline move for forward Gordon Hayward.

His remarks come a week and a half after Hayward told reporters that he was disappointed with how his Thunder tenure turned out.

"Disappointing with how it all kind of worked out," he said. "Certainly frustrating. I feel as a player, I have a lot to offer. Just wasn't really given much of an opportunity to do that. I thought I would be given that opportunity."

Hayward added: "It's not what I thought it would be."

In 25 games for the Charlotte Hornets this season, the 6'7" Hayward averaged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He was traded to OKC in February for Davis Bertans, Tre Mann, Vasilije Micić, cash and two second-round picks (2024, 2025).

However, the 34-year-old averaged just 17.2 minutes in 26 games for OKC after suiting up for 31.9 MPG in Charlotte. He then played just 46 minutes over seven playoff games for the Thunder, sitting three contests entirely.

Hayward is now a free agent, and it's fair to say he doesn't appear likely to return to OKC. But the 14-year NBA veteran still has something left in the tank based on his play with the Hornets. It's just a matter of him finding a better fit as he continues his NBA career.

The NBA is reportedly no longer investigating allegations that Oklahoma City guard Josh Giddey had an inappropriate relationship with an underage girl.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday that the league reached a "similar conclusion" to the Newport Beach Police Department (California) when investigating the allegations against the 21-year-old.

As a result, the NBA closed its investigation.

In January, the Newport Beach Police Department released a statement saying Giddey would not face charges after "our detectives have reviewed all of the available information and were unable to corroborate any criminal activity related to Mr. Giddey."

Attorney Gloria Allred, who represented the minor, told TMZ Sports in January, "It does not surprise me that law enforcement would close their investigation since our client who is a minor and her parents have chosen not to speak to law enforcement to protect their privacy."

In November, Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported the allegations were made on social media.

"In a since-deleted post, an anonymous social media user said a girl who is seen with Giddey in videos and photographs was a high school junior at the time," MacMahon wrote. "The social media account has since been deactivated."

Giddey remained active with the Thunder throughout the season and appeared in 80 games.

He also played in all 10 of their postseason contests as they advanced to the second round of the playoffs, where they lost in six games to the Dallas Mavericks.

Gordon Hayward played a grand total of 15 minutes during the Oklahoma City Thunder's second-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks, and he opened up about his experience with the team this season.

"Disappointing with how it all kind of worked out," he told reporters Sunday. "Certainly frustrating. I feel as a player, I have a lot to offer. Just wasn't really given much of an opportunity to do that. I thought I would be given that opportunity."

He also said," it's not what I thought it would be."

Oklahoma City landed Hayward via trade from the Charlotte Hornets in February, and there was some thought he would provide veteran leadership for a young team with its eyes on a championship run.

Instead, he played just 17.2 minutes a night in 26 regular-season games and appeared in seven of the team's 10 playoff games. He played just 6.6 minutes per game in the postseason and didn't score a single point.

It's certainly not what the 2016-17 All-Star envisioned considering Hayward is someone who has averaged better than 19 points per game in four different seasons during his career.

The season also ended in disappointing fashion for the team as a whole, as the Thunder blew a double-digit lead and lost Saturday's Game 6 by a single point. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fouled P.J. Washington on a three-pointer with two seconds remaining, and the ensuing free throws provided the difference.

Instead of a Game 7 at home, the Thunder were eliminated and will now turn their attention toward the offseason.

It doesn't seem like that offseason will include bringing back Hayward in free agency.

Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said Rookie of the Year runner-up Chet Holmgren is going to be an even more dominant player during his second NBA season.

"Right now, this is, in my opinion, the lowest level of Chet Holmgren we're going to see, which is pretty exciting," Daigneault told reporters (h/t Thunder reporter Rylan Stiles.) "And the reason I'm so confident in saying that is because of his appetite for improvement.

"He's a guy that is incredibly focused. Basketball is his number one priority. He sleeps in his sneakers."

Holmgren led the Thunder with 2.5 blocks per playoff game, while averaging 15.6 points through 10 postseason contests, before the Thunder were eliminated Saturday with a Game 6 conference semifinals loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Daigneault said he expects Holmgren to build on those skills this offseason.

"He will have a great summer, physically and skill-wise," Daigneault said. "He has done a great job on working with us as an organization on a plan and sticking to that plan. He did that last summer, through season, he'll do that again this summer.

"When you've got a guy with that kind of drive, the plan is that focused, and he's wanting to execute it the way that he is, improvement is very predictable. I would say that for him, and I would also extend that to all of our players."

Daigneault added that the Thunder have "runway" as contenders due to the average age of the roster, which made Oklahoma City the youngest team in NBA history to win a playoff series with its first-round sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Holmgren, the No. 2 pick of the 2022 draft, missed his projected first NBA campaign with a foot injury and is eligible for an extension next summer. He will play on a $10.9 million club option for the Thunder as the team looks to return to the playoffs as a title contender in 2025.

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as a top player in the NBA, finishing second in MVP voting and leading his team to the top seed in the Western Conference.

But according to his teammate Chet Holmgren, he's "super chill" and sees himself as equal to the rest of his squad. Per The Athletic's Anthony Slater, Holmgren referenced an iconic Kobe Bryant story to explain how Gilgeous-Alexander differs from other NBA greats.

"He's super chill," Holmgren said. "Usually it's just kind of talking us through mistakes. He's not in here reigning like Kobe (Bryant) was. He's not the type of guy who'd take his (signature) shoes away because he doesn't want us wearing them. That's not him."

According to Slater, Holmgren was referring to a story he heard on a podcast about Bryant taking away his teammates' shoes after an embarrassing loss. On The Big Podcast, former Los Angeles Laker Lou Williams said Bryant didn't want his teammates wearing his signature shoes anymore following a bad performance.

While that kind of leadership boded well in Los Angeles as the Lakers won five championships during Bryant's tenure, Gilgeous-Alexander's more relaxed approach has led to an outstanding year from a young Thunder team.

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and two steals during the regular season as Oklahoma City went 57-25 to claim the top seed in the West. His outstanding play has carried into the postseason as he put up 27.3 points per game in a first-round sweep against the New Orleans Pelicans and is averaging 31.4 points against the Dallas Mavericks in the ongoing conference semifinals.

Behind Gilgeous-Alexander's leadership, the Thunder won their first playoff series since Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook led Oklahoma City to the Western Conference finals in 2016. The Thunder now are down 3-2 in the series against the Mavericks but will look to force a Game 7 on Saturday.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was not about to let his team fall into a 3-1 hole.

The MVP finalist led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a comeback 100-96 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Monday's Game 4 of their second-round playoff series at American Airlines Center. While Dallas led by double digits in the second half, Gilgeous-Alexander gradually chipped away at the deficit and took over in the fourth quarter to spearhead the win.

He finished with 34 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks while also hitting two free throws in the final two seconds to ice the win. It stood in stark contrast to Luka Dončić, who missed one of two free throws with 10 seconds remaining and Dallas facing a two-point deficit.

Dončić posted a triple-double of 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, but he was just 6-of-20 from the field with seven turnovers.

Gilgeous-Alexander was the star who shined the brightest, and social media reacted accordingly:

All of the momentum was on Dallas' side coming in after two straight wins, and jumping out to an 11-point halftime advantage did nothing to dispel it. P.J. Washington remained on fire from deep on his way to 21 points, Kyrie Irving played a facilitating role and Dončić drilled a step-back three to extend the lead to double digits.

But it was the defense that stood out the most.

Dereck Lively II, Derrick Jones Jr. and Daniel Gafford seemed to build a wall around the rim at times, while the perimeter defenders swarmed Oklahoma City's three-point looks. Every time it looked like the Thunder might make a first-half run, the Mavericks shut things down on the defensive side.

That is what made the comeback so impressive for Oklahoma City.

It started with its own defensive effort, as the Mavericks managed just 15 points in the third quarter. Their offense devolved into Washington or bust for extended stretches with Dončić struggling, which opened the door for Gilgeous-Alexander.

And he busted right through it.

The explosive guard hit seemingly every tough shot in the fourth quarter when the game was hanging in the balance. Just for good measure, he assisted on critical baskets for Luguentz Dort and Jalen Williams down the stretch as the best player on the floor in winning time.

As a result, the Thunder stole back home-court advantage with the series returning to Oklahoma City for Wednesday's Game 5.