The Oklahoma City Thunder have become infamous for keeping their news tight-lipped. Whether it’s a trade, draft selection, or free-agent acquisition — hardly anyone outside of the franchise ever figures out about said move beforehand. That sentiment is no different than the Thunder’s Summer League roster.
The Thunder are slated to begin their Summer League ventures in the 2021 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Summer League will run from August 8 to August 17. For virtually all other participants, rosters of their teams have gone live throughout the week — the same cannot be said for the Thunder.
Due to the Thunder’s tight-lipped nature, it has been turned to the public to track down who’ll be suiting up in Vegas.
Here is what we know so far:
Theo Maledon will make his Summer League debut. Maledon averaged 10.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in his rookie season while becoming the Thunder’s minute-leader in the process. Aleksej Pokusevski will abstain from Summer League play, as reported by Sam Presti.
All four of Oklahoma City’s draft picks in Josh Giddey, Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Aaron Wiggins will participate in Summer League play. First-round picks Josh Giddey (Pick No. 6) and Tre Mann (Pick No. 18) are expected to control a large cut of backcourt minutes, while second-rounders Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Pick No. 32) and Aaron Wiggins (Pick No. 55) should absorb minutes in the frontcourt.
As first reported by BricktownBeat‘s Ben Creider, Oklahoma City Blue guard Rob Edwards is set to return for the Thunder’s Summer League roster. Edwards joins the Thunder after posting averages of 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists with the Blue last season while also leading the team from three, shooting 44.0% by the season’s end.
Per Raymond Representation, Forward Emmitt Williams will be in attendance for the Thunder’s Summer League roster. Williams placed averages of 4.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in his rookie season with the Agua Caliente Clippers.
Outside of the aforementioned confirmed cases, there’s a long list of players rumored to be on the Thunder’s Summer League roster:
A recent video per Tre Mann’s Instagram helps give a better insight as to who may be suiting up on the Thunder’s Summer League roster. For most, Mann’s clip would confirm a batch full of potential players, but with no league sources backing said players — take the following as pure speculation.
Ryan Woolridge, rumored to be in Mann’s Instagram story, may also be in line for a Summer League bid. Woolridge bolstered his stock from a G-League tryout to posting late-season heroics on the Blue. Woolridge inked a deal with Iraklis of the Greek Basket League last month making his appearance a shocker, but it looks as if he’s been given the green light for the Summer League.
Jaylen Hoard and Vit Krejci have also been coined by some as Summer League pieces through Mann’s story. Hoard received an upgraded two-way contract following his time with the Oklahoma City Blue last season. In his 19 games with the Thunder, Hoard averaged 6.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per contest. Vit Krejci, the 37th pick in the 2020 Draft, has been active throughout the Thunder organization as early as January. The Thunder recently reached a buyout with Krejci’s prior club, making his appearance on the Summer League roster all but etched into stone. If Krejci does not play, look towards his torn ACL as a factor.
Jalen Lecque had been a member of the Thunder for a mere six days last year. Now, he may be back. Per his Instagram, Lecque landed in Oklahoma City this week, and many believe he was also in attendance for the roster’s team dinner. Lecque had originally been dealt to Oklahoma City as part of the Chris Paul trade before being subsequently traded to Indiana for T.J. Leaf and a 2027 second-round pick. Lecque averaged 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the G-League bubble in addition to four games with the Indiana Pacers. The high-flying guard was waived by the Pacers in late March.
Former Oklahoma State guard Lindy Waters III has been a name floating around following Mann’s recent release. Waters III grew into a focal point of the Cowboys’ offense as an upperclassman, but as a product of the pandemic, his pro options became limited after graduating last year. Waters III signed a deal with the Enid Outlaws of the TBL in March of this year, and as of last month — the guard will venture to Palmer Alma Mediterránea Palma of the LEB for next season.
Little chatter has risen amongst forwards Charlie Brown Jr. and Josh Hall to this point. Brown Jr. and Hall spent time with the Thunder throughout last season, but outside of prior history — there are not many context clues to support their return. Brown Jr. inked a two-year contract with the Thunder prior to the franchise’s last regular-season game in May, but his deal is fully non-guaranteed for this year. Hall placed a noteworthy 25-point performance in the Thunder’s regular-season closer and received a qualifying offer from the Thunder this month.
More updates to follow