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Oklahoma City Thunder -
Graham Dudley
Happy Monday, Thunder fans! Welcome back to The Graham Jam newsletter!
It's been an exciting week for the franchise despite a lack of wins. Last week we learned that Sam Presti had made a trade with Miami for KZ Okpala, a third-year forward.
But as more details trickled out, it became clear that the trade wasn't really about Okpala at all.
In exchange for Okpala, Presti sent the Heat a 2026 second-round pick. But the teams also renegotiated the protections on a pick that Miami already owes the Thunder. Previously, Miami owed OKC a first-round pick that would convey somewhere between 2023 and 2026. That pick was "lottery protected" until 2026, though, meaning that the Heat would have kept the pick if it missed the playoffs.
That was highly unlikely, and would have saddled Oklahoma City with a late-first-round pick in 2023.
Now, the pick is lottery-protected in 2025 and unprotected in 2026. It means Oklahoma City could get a great draft pick if Miami happens to be bad during the 2025-2026 season — which seems improbable from here, but has a much better chance of working out down the road.
The trade also grants Miami additional flexibility in future trade negotiations.
Oklahoma City waived Okpala on Friday without him ever having suited up for the team. So the trade was really all about that first-round pick. It was a convoluted transaction, but a classic Presti move that shows he's serious about gaining whatever advantage he can.
In this week's Graham Jam, we'll meet a new Thunder player, find which Thunder will be part of All-Star weekend, and play another round of Tank Time.
Let's go!
Last week
Golden State 110, Thunder 98 (1/7 HOME)
Toronto 117, Thunder 98 (1/9 HOME)
Philadelphia 100, Thunder 87 (1/11 AWAY)
Chicago 106, Thunder 101 (1/12 AWAY)
Get to know: Lindy Waters III
Go ahead and forget everything I wrote last week about Mamadi Diakite, because two days after that newsletter came out, the Thunder waived him.
Oklahoma City also waived Okpala, like I said, and Paul Watson Jr., who started the season on a two-way contract like Aaron Wiggins.
But Wiggins excelled during his stint with OKC and, on Saturday, the team converted his two-way deal into a four-year contract. That left the Thunder with two open two-way spots.
One of those spots is still open, but OKC filled the other Friday with Lindy Waters III, an Oklahoma native whose journey to the league has served as an inspiration to local kids and Native American players across the state.
Waters, a guard, grew up in Norman and attended Norman North, where he emerged as a three-star hoops recruit. Waters chose Oklahoma State for his college career.
In Stillwater, Waters played four years as a frequent starter and deep threat who nailed more than 44% of his 3s in two different seasons. His overall college 3-point percentage was 39, and he averaged 12.2 points in 2018-19.
Waters caught on in The Basketball League after college, a developmental program with teams across the country. In the Enid Outlaws' inaugural season, Waters helped lead the team to a Basketball League championship.
From there, Waters attended a tryout that led to a shot in the G League, one step away from the NBA, with the Thunder affiliate OKC Blue. Waters averaged more than 11 points and shot nearly 48% from 3 this season for the Blue, a scorching clip that has earned him a Thunder contract.
Waters got brief appearances against both Philadelphia and Chicago this weekend, completing his journey from high school, to college, to The Basketball League, the G League and the NBA — all right here in Oklahoma.
Waters is also proud of his Kiowa and Cherokee heritage, becoming the latest Native American player to reach the NBA. He is one of just a handful of native Oklahomans to play for his home state's marquee franchise, joining Daniel Orton, Terrance Ferguson and Etan Thomas.
Waters grew up just down the highway from the Paycom Center, and could appear on the court there as early as Wednesday night. That's pretty darn cool.
All-Star Action
It's hard to believe, but the 2022 NBA All-Star Game is just a few days away. After OKC's home game against San Antonio on Wednesday, Feb. 16, the team won't play again until the following Thursday.
It's true that OKC has no players in the game itself, as I've mentioned before, but that doesn't mean there's no reason for Thunder fans to tune in this weekend. Josh Giddey, OKC's prodigy point guard from Australia, will be taking part in two different competitions in Cleveland.
First on Friday, Giddey will play in the Clorox Rising Stars tournament which features four teams full of young players. The four seven-player rosters were filled with 12 rookies like Giddey, 12 second-year players and four players from the G League Ignite team.
After a draft, Giddey found himself on a team coached by Hall of Famer James Worthy. His teammates will be Cole Anthony (Orlando), MarJon Beauchamp (Ignite), Jalen Green (Houston), Herbert Jones (New Orleans), Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia) and Jalen Suggs (Orlando).
The first team to score 50 points will win the semifinals games, and the championship game will be first-to-25.
Additionally, before the Clorox Rising Stars championship, Giddey will participate in a "Clorox Clutch Challenge" competition which involves hitting tricky shots from five predetermined spots on the floor. His teammate in that challenge will be Cleveland's Evan Mobley.
You can read more about the Clorox Rising Stars and Clutch Challenge rules here. It will air Friday night at 8 p.m. on TNT.
On Saturday night, before the iconic 3-Point Contest and Slam Dunk contest, Giddey will participate in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge on "Team Rooks," alongside Scottie Barnes of Toronto and Cade Cunningham of Detroit.
The Skills Challenge tests shooting, passing and dribbling ability. I think we can all guess where Giddey will excel.
The Skills Challenge begins at 7 p.m. Saturday on TNT; you can read more about it here.
Participating in All-Star Weekend will be incredible exposure for Giddey, the three-time defending Western Conference Rookie of the Month. All-Star Weekend will wrap up with the game itself on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. on TNT and TBS.
Tank Time
Before we go, let's do a Tankathon.com simulation. Oklahoma City is currently 17-39, good for the fourth-worst record in the NBA where the Thunder have been sitting now for quite some time. It has a 12.5% chance to get the No. 1 overall pick. Here goes:
1. Houston (+2 from current record)
2. Orlando
3. San Antonio (+4)
4. Detroit (-3)
5. Oklahoma City (-1)
6. Indiana (-1)
7. Sacramento (-1)
8. Portland (via New Orleans)
9. Portland
10. New York
11. Washington
12. Memphis (via LA Lakers)
13. Atlanta
14. Charlotte
That's all from me this week, folks. Let's look ahead at OKC's abbreviated weekly schedule, and be sure to tune in and support Josh Giddey this weekend. Thunder Up!
This week
1/14: Thunder @ New York, 6:30 p.m., Bally Sports Oklahoma
1/16: Thunder vs. San Antonio, 7 p.m., BSOK