| 2019–20 Oklahoma City Thunder season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Billy Donovan | ||
| General manager | Sam Presti | ||
| Owners | Professional Basketball Club LLC | ||
| Arena | Chesapeake Energy Arena | ||
| Results | |||
| Record | 44–28 (.611) | ||
| Place | Division: 2nd (Northwest) Conference: 5th (Western) | ||
| Playoff finish | First round (lost toRockets 3–4) | ||
Stats atBasketball Reference | |||
| Local media | |||
| Television | Fox Sports Oklahoma | ||
| Radio | |||
| |||
The2019–20 Oklahoma City Thunder season was the 12th season of the franchise inOklahoma City and the 53rd in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). This was the Thunder's first season since2007–08 withoutRussell Westbrook, as he was traded to theHouston Rockets forChris Paul and future draft picks on July 11, 2019. The trade reunited Westbrook with former Thunder teammateJames Harden, who had played for the team from 2009 to 2012. The trade also marked Chris Paul's first time since2006–07 playing in Oklahoma City after playing his first two seasons there when he was a member of theNew Orleans Hornets (the Hornets temporarily relocated to Oklahoma City for two seasons following the destruction caused byHurricane Katrina in New Orleans). This trade was preceded by a trade wherePaul George was sent to theLos Angeles Clippers forDanilo Gallinari,Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and a record 5 future 1st round draft picks on July 7.
Theseason was suspended by the league officials following the games of March 11[1] after it was reported thatRudy Gobert tested positive forCOVID-19.[2] The Thunder were one of the 22 teams invited to theNBA Bubble on June 4.
The Thunder faced the Rockets in thefirst round. However, they lost in a decisive game 7, extending the Thunder's postseason series victory drought to 4 seasons. Despite their loss, the Thunder set some records during the series, such as Chris Paul becoming the oldest player to record a triple-double, and rookieLuguentz Dort joinedLeBron James andKobe Bryant as the only players 21 years old or younger to score over 25 points in a game 7 playoff game.
Up until the2023–24 season, this season marked the last time the Thunder made the playoffs.
After 5 years as head coach,Billy Donovan’s contract was not renewed following the season, and both sides agreed to mutually part ways.[3]
TheThunder finished the2018–19 season 49–33 to finish in fourth place in the Northwest Division, sixth in the Western Conference and qualified for theplayoffs.
After falling to theUtah Jazz led by rookieDonovan Mitchell in the2018 NBA Playoffs, the Thunder faced personnel decisions after acquiringPaul George andCarmelo Anthony in the offseason. Coming off his lowest scoring season, the Thunder traded Anthony to theAtlanta Hawks forDennis Schröder, placing Schröder into a sixth man role. After the season ended, Anthony rejected the idea of coming off the bench while preferring to play more with the ball in his hands. In free agency, the Thunder re-signed George to a four-year, $137 million deal to stay with spending the year convincing their star to stay.
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| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Brandon Clarke | Power Forward |  Canada | Gonzaga |
| Darius Bazleywas later traded to the Thunder viaUtah Jazz | |||||
The Thunder had only their own first-round pick entering the draft.[4] The Thunder traded their 2019 second-round pick in theHamidou Diallo trade from theCharlotte Hornets back in 2018.[5] On draft night, the Thunder traded the draft rights toBrandon Clarke, the twenty-first pick, to theMemphis Grizzlies in exchange for the draft rights toDarius Bazley, the twenty-third pick, and a 2024 second-round pick.[6] At the conclusion of player acquisitions and transactions on2019 NBA draft night they ended with adding Princeton High School forwardDarius Bazley.[7]
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On July 6, the Thunder traded the draft rights toBrandon Clarke, the twenty-first pick, to theMemphis Grizzlies in exchange for the draft rights toDarius Bazley, the twenty-third pick, and a 2024 second-round pick.[8] On July 6, it was reported that the Thunder tradedPaul George to theLos Angeles Clippers in exchange for a record-setting of draft choices after free agentKawhi Leonard signed with the Clippers, which was finalized on July 10.[9][10] Leonard had spent the offseason recruiting George, who reportedly requested a trade to join Leonard and the Clippers.[11] The Thunder traded George post-extension to theLos Angeles Clippers in exchange forShai Gilgeous-Alexander,Danilo Gallinari, a 2021 first-round pick via MIA, a 2022 first-round pick via LAC, a 2023 first-round pick via MIA, rights to swap 2023 first-round picks with LAC, a 2024 first-round pick via LAC, rights to swap 2025 first-round picks with LAC and a 2026 first-round pick via LAC.[12] George joined the Clippers coming off of being named to his first All-NBA First Team, a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year Award, earning All-Defensive First Team honors and finishing third for theNBA Most Valuable Player award.[13][14]
From the time that Paul and his representation made us aware of what had been transpiring and their subsequent request, our focus as an organization was identifying the best paths for our future. The Thunder thanks Paul for his contributions to the organization and our community. We are proud that Paul is a part of our history as an organization and that some of the best basketball of his career was in Oklahoma City. He should be remembered fondly; we wish him and his family the best.[15]
— Sam Presti
Following George's trade request,Russell Westbrook's future with the Thunder was "certainly in question."[16] It was reported that the Thunder would also tradeJerami Grant to theDenver Nuggets in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick, which was finalized on July 8.[17] By trading Grant, the Thunder saved $39 million in salary and tax.[18]
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On July 11, it was reported that the Thunder tradedRussell Westbrook to theHouston Rockets in exchange forChris Paul, rights to swap 2021 first-round picks, a 2024 first-round pick, rights to swap 2025 first-round picks and a 2026 first-round pick, which was finalized on July 16.[19][20] With George departing, Westbrook's future with the Thunder was in jeopardy and the two sides worked together on a trade.[21]Sam Presti worked with Westbrook and his representatives to honor Westbrook's desires of playing with theHouston Rockets to reunite withJames Harden. Since the2019 NBA draft, the Thunder had accumulated eight first-round picks in embracing a full rebuild of the team.[22] Having spent eleven seasons with the Thunder, Westbrook left Oklahoma City as the franchise's all-time leader in points, second in assists, third in rebounds and steals. Westbrook was theNBA Most Valuable Player in the2016-17 season, an eight-time All-Star, All-NBA First Team honors twice, All-NBA Second Team honors five times, as well as accruing two scoring titles and an assists leader title.[23]
Russell Westbrook is the most important player in the brief history of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has left an indelible mark on this team, city and state. None of us could have anticipated the player he has become, and we are all deeply proud of what he has contributed to the success of the franchise and to our community. Russell and his wife Nina, their three children, his brother and his parents will always remain part of the Thunder family. We wish them nothing but happiness and success in the future.[24]
— Sam Presti
For this offseason, free agency began on June 30, 2019, while the July moratorium ended on July 6.Jawun Evans,Raymond Felton,Markieff Morris andNerlens Noel were set to hit unrestricted free agency. On July 6,Nerlens Noel agreed to a deal to stay with the Thunder.[25] The same day,Markieff Morris signed a deal with theDetroit Pistons.[26] Evans was not re-signed by the Thunder, joined theRaptors 905 of theNBA G League.
On June 30 and July 1, it was reported thatMike Muscala andAlec Burks agreed to a deal with the Thunder.[27][28] However, after thePaul George trade, the Thunder allowed both Muscala and Burks to re-evaluate their situations to remain with the Thunder.[29] Burks instead signed a one-year deal with theGolden State Warriors while Muscala remained with the Thunder.[30] Muscala will later sign with the Thunder on July 10.[31]
On July 6,Luguentz Dort signed atwo-way contract with the Thunder. Dort came undrafted out ofArizona State.[32] On August 13,Justin Patton signed a contract with the Thunder. Patton spent the2018-19 season with thePhiladelphia 76ers.[33] To fill in the other two-way slot,Devon Hall signed a two-way contract with the Thunder on September 4. Hall was originally selected 53rd overall in the2018 NBA draft but did not sign a contract in the2018-19 season, instead playing a season withCairns Taipans.[34]
On July 25,Donte Grantham was waived by the Thunder.[35] On August 1,Patrick Patterson was waived by the Thunder following a contract buyout.[36][37]
On July 23, the Thunder announced David Akinyooye,Dave Bliss,Mark Daigneault,Brian Keefe andMike Wilks as assistant coaches. Akinyooye joins the Thunder after serving four seasons as the assistant coach for theOklahoma City Blue. Bliss joins the coaching staff after serving as a senior player development for the Thunder with previous experience with theNew York Knicks. Daigneault joins the Thunder after serving five seasons as the head coach for the Blue. Keefe joins the Thunder after previously serving five seasons with the Thunder back in 2008 to 2013. Wilks joins the coaching staff after serving as a senior pro evaluation scout for the Thunder. Wilks became the second former Thunder player sinceRoyal Ivey to join the team's coaching staff.[38]
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Head coach Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Conference[edit]
| Division[edit]
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| 2019 preseason game log Total: 2–2 (home:2–1; road:0–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 2–2 (home: 2–1; road: 0–1)
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| 2019–20 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 preseason game log Total: 3–0 (home: 1–0; road: 2–0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Scrimmages: 3–0 (home: 1–0; road: 2–0)
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| 2019–20 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 playoff game log Total: 3–4 (home: 3–0; road: 0–4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First round: 3–4 (home: 3–0; road: 0–4)
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| 2020 playoff schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Adams | 63 | 63 | 26.7 | 59.2% | 33.3% | 58.2% | 9.3 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 10.9 |
| Darius Bazley | 61 | 9 | 18.5 | 39.4% | 34.8% | 69.4% | 4.0 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 5.6 |
| Deonte Burton | 39 | 0 | 9.1 | 34.4% | 18.9% | 57.1% | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 2.7 |
| Hamidou Diallo | 46 | 3 | 19.5 | 44.6% | 38.1% | 60.3% | 3.6 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 6.9 |
| Luguentz Dort | 36 | 28 | 22.8 | 39.4% | 29.7% | 79.2% | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 6.8 |
| Terrance Ferguson | 56 | 38 | 22.4 | 35.5% | 29.2% | 75.0% | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 3.9 |
| Danilo Gallinari | 62 | 62 | 29.6 | 43.8% | 40.5% | 89.3% | 5.2 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 18.7 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 70 | 70 | 34.7 | 47.1% | 34.7% | 80.7% | 5.9 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 19.0 |
| Devon Hallୠ| 11 | 0 | 7.4 | 20.0% | 23.5% | 50.0% | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.8 |
| Kevin Hervey≠ | 10 | 0 | 5.2 | 25.9% | 15.0% | - | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.7 |
| Mike Muscala | 47 | 2 | 12.2 | 40.7% | 37.8% | 81.8% | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 4.8 |
| Abdel Nader | 55 | 6 | 15.8 | 46.8% | 37.5% | 77.3% | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 6.3 |
| Nerlens Noel | 61 | 7 | 18.5 | 68.4% | 33.3% | 75.5% | 4.9 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 7.4 |
| Justin Patton† | 5 | 0 | 4.8 | 40.0% | 25.0% | - | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.8 |
| Chris Paul | 70 | 70 | 31.5 | 48.9% | 36.5% | 90.7% | 5.0 | 6.7 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 17.6 |
| Andre Roberson | 7 | 0 | 12.4 | 27.6% | 21.4% | 50.0% | 3.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.9 |
| Isaiah Roby≠ | 3 | 0 | 3.7 | 0.0% | - | - | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Dennis Schröder | 62 | 2 | 30.8 | 46.9% | 38.5% | 83.9% | 3.6 | 4.0 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 18.9 |
After all games.[39]
‡ Waived during the season
† Traded during the season
≠ Acquired during the season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Adams | 7 | 7 | 30.0 | 59.6% | 0.0% | 45.0% | 11.6 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 10.1 |
| Darius Bazley | 7 | 0 | 18.0 | 41.9% | 50.0% | 90.0% | 6.7 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 6.6 |
| Deonte Burton | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | - | - | - | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Hamidou Diallo | 3 | 0 | 8.3 | 36.4% | 20.0% | 57.1% | 2.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 4.3 |
| Luguentz Dort | 6 | 6 | 29.2 | 35.5% | 26.0% | 53.3% | 3.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 12.5 |
| Terrance Ferguson | 4 | 1 | 10.5 | 18.2% | 20.0% | - | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| Danilo Gallinari | 7 | 7 | 30.3 | 40.5% | 32.4% | 96.7% | 5.4 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 15.0 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 7 | 7 | 39.9 | 43.3% | 40.0% | 95.7% | 5.3 | 4.1 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 16.3 |
| Mike Muscala | 2 | 0 | 10.0 | 50.0% | 100% | - | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| Abdel Nader | 3 | 0 | 8.3 | 14.3% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| Nerlens Noel | 7 | 0 | 13.9 | 47.1% | 0.0% | 50.0% | 4.1 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 3.0 |
| Chris Paul | 7 | 7 | 37.3 | 49.1% | 37.2% | 88.5% | 7.4 | 5.3 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 21.3 |
| Andre Roberson | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | - | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Dennis Schröder | 7 | 0 | 32.4 | 40.0% | 28.9% | 80.0% | 3.7 | 3.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 17.3 |
After all games.[40]
Regular season[edit]
After all games.[41] | Playoffs[edit]
|
|
|
| Date | Player | Award |
|---|---|---|
| December 23, 2019 | Dennis Schröder(1/1) | December 16–22 Player of the Week |
| January 2, 2020 | Billy Donovan(1/1) | December Coach of the Month |
| January 30, 2020 | Chris Paul | All-Star |
| September 16, 2020 | Chris Paul | All-NBA Second Team |
| October 5, 2020 | Chris Paul | NBA Cares Community Assist Award |
| Players Added Via trade Via free agency | Players Lost Via trade Via free agency Waived |
| July 6, 2019[42] | ToOklahoma City Thunder Draft rights toDarius Bazley 2024 second-round pick | ToMemphis Grizzlies Draft rights toBrandon Clarke |
| July 8, 2019[43] | ToOklahoma City Thunder 2020 first-round pick | ToDenver Nuggets Jerami Grant |
| July 10, 2019[44] | ToOklahoma City Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Danilo Gallinari 2021 first-round pick via MIA 2022 first-round pick via LAC 2023 first-round pick via MIA 2024 first-round pick via LAC 2026 first-round pick via LAC Right to swap 2023 first-round pick with LAC Right to swap 2025 first-round pick with LAC | ToLos Angeles Clippers Paul George |
| July 16, 2019[45] | ToOklahoma City Thunder Chris Paul 2024 first-round pick 2026 first-round pick Right to swap 2021 first-round pick Right to swap 2025 first-round pick | ToHouston Rockets Russell Westbrook |
| January 24, 2020[46] | ToOklahoma City Thunder Isaiah Roby | ToDallas Mavericks Justin Patton |
| Date | Player | Contract | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 6, 2019 | Nerlens Noel[47] | Standard | |||
| In-Season Re-Signings | |||||
| June 24, 2020 | Luguentz Dort[48] | Multi-Year | |||
| Date | Player | Contract | Former team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 6, 2019 | Luguentz Dort[49] | Two-Way |  Arizona State (NCAA) | ||
| July 10, 2019 | Mike Muscala[50] | Standard | Los Angeles Lakers | ||
| August 13, 2019 | Justin Patton[51] | Standard | Philadelphia 76ers | ||
| September 4, 2019 | Devon Hall[52] | Two-Way | Cairns Taipans (NBL) | ||
| In-Season Additions | |||||
| December 12, 2019 | Kevin Hervey[53] | Two-Way | Oklahoma City Blue (G League) | ||
| June 27, 2020 | Devon Hall[54] | Substitute Player | Oklahoma City Blue (G League) | ||
| Date | Player | Reason left | New team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2019 | Raymond Felton | Free Agent | N/A | ||
| July 1, 2019 | Jawun Evans | Free Agent | Raptors 905 (G League) | ||
| July 6, 2019 | Markieff Morris[55] | Free Agent | Detroit Pistons | ||
| July 25, 2019 | Donte Grantham[56] | Waived | Agua Caliente Clippers (G League) | ||
| August 1, 2019 | Patrick Patterson[57] | Waived | Los Angeles Clippers | ||
| In-Season Subtractions | |||||
| December 12, 2019 | Devon Hall[58] | Waived | Oklahoma City Blue (G League) | ||
