OKC Thunder in the news: Westbrook admiration continues, LAC free agent OKC should target

Welcome to OKC Thunder – In the news for Friday, June 30 featuring topical daily news on your favorite team and the NBA.

Set your clocks fans as of midnight Eastern Standard Time tonight the free agency moratorium begins for the OKC Thunder and the rest of the NBA. If the action leading into free agency (Chris Paul trade to Rockets) is any indication this is bound to be a even more active event than the 217 NBA Draft proved to be.

Speaking of which, many fans ask me how difficult it is to create mock drafts. First of all, the best bet is to enter it knowing it will never be 100 percent accurate. Hey, there are trades which inevitably occur and mock drafts don’t allow for that scenario. In the end I started off with a bang, quickly slid off the rails but recovered in time to get the OKC Thunder selection right. Hey, it is what is, but in case you missed it here was my submission this season.

So, now we enter the phase of the offseason which has the most potential to alter and effect the outcome next season–free agency.  Buckle up fans, this could get bumpy.

Russell Westbrook Love Pours In:

With Westbrook nabbing the Most Valuable Player Award to start the week, the congratulations and love has poured in.  The city he plays in is leading the way however, with copious articles and visual congratulations. As a result, a number of billboards and murals are peppering Oklahoma City celebrating the Brodie’s well deserved honor. Writer Victor Galvez of Clutch Points highlights these billboards in his article:

"Throughout the city, there were plentiful signs and banners congratulating Westbrook for his achievement, to let him know how happy they are for him. It’s also their way of thanking him for staying with the Thunder, and hopefully have him longer with them in the future."

Sponsor creating special suit to honor Westbrook:

While Oklahoman’s,  NBA fans, players and Westbrook’s sponsors line up to extend their well wishes one sponsor is going above and beyond. As per Ananth Pandian of UpRoxx Mountain Dew is combining Russ’ love of fashion with his achievement via a triple-double suit they are creating:

"To congratulate Westbrook, Jordan and Samsung debuted two ads, which perfectly saluted the Thunder superstar for his historic season. But while those two commercials are quite excellent, another one of Westbrook’s sponsors may have outdone both Jordan and Samsung.Wanting to tie in Westbrook’s eclectic wardrobe in their congratulations, Mountain Dew teamed up with American menswear designer Mark McNairy to create the first-ever triple-double breasted suit. That’s right, Mountain Dew and McNairy are actually making a custom triple-double breasted suit for Westbrook that hopefully he will wear next season."

Westbrook among NBA top jersey sales:

Although Westbrook has always enjoyed popularity he can expect to see his awareness grow following his MVP win. One area which highlights how his performance this past season contributed to his appeal is jersey sales. As per Real GM he is among the NBA players who rank atop NBA jersey sales.

"Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors secured the top spots on the NBA’s Most Popular Jersey and Team Merchandise lists, respectively, based on overall sales on NBAStore.com from April through June.Rounding out the top five among most popular jerseys are the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James (No. 2), the Warriors’ Kevin Durant (No. 3), the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook (No. 4) and the Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving (No. 5)."

Clippers Free Agent Presti should target:

Closer to home T.I. writer Josh Lea looked at  Clippers free agent OKC should consider over Blake Griffin.

"Assuming the Thunder lose Andre Roberson in free agency, the Thunder could make a play for J.J. Reddick. Reddick would be a solid wingman for OKC. Last season, Reddick hit a solid 46% from the floor and 42% from three. He’s not a half bad defender either. Reddick wouldn’t come close to replacing Roberson on that end, but he wouldn’t struggle as much as Roberson does on offense."

If you are among the fanatical NBA fan base who simply can’t wait til morning to get your free agency news a couple of tips. Make sure you are following the right accounts. To wit, every year there are imposters who alter one letter in Adrian Wojnarowski’s twitter to pretend to drop Woj Bombs. To avoid that, follow the above linked address and as a result you’ll be mint for the night.

In addition, keep the caffeine flowing and if worst comes to worst check back with TI tomorrow morning and we’ll have your most up to date news on the transactions which occurred overnight.