Head coach Scott Brooks Record 60–22 (.732) | General manager Sam Presti | |
Owner(s) Professional Basketball Club LLC
Clay Bennett (Chairman) Arena Chesapeake Energy Arena Place Division: 1st (Northwest)
Conference: 1st (Western) | ||
The 2012–13 Oklahoma City Thunder season was the 5th season of the franchise in Oklahoma City and the 47th in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After their trip to the NBA Finals, the Thunder improved on last season's output, winning 60 games, earning them the top seed in the Western Conference. The first round pitted the Thunder against the eight-seeded Houston Rockets, led by James Harden. Despite a season-ending injury to Russell Westbrook in game 2, the Thunder still managed to breeze past the Rockets in six games, to advance to the next round, where they faced the Memphis Grizzlies. The absence of Westbrook, however, affected the Thunder and they would end up losing to the Grizzlies in five games.
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Key dates
Draft picks
Going into the draft on June 28, 2012, the Thunder retained only their first-round draft pick, their 2012 second-round selection having been previously traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves during the acquisition of Lazar Hayward.
The Thunder used their first-round pick (#28 overall) and only pick to select forward Perry Jones III from Baylor University.
Off-season
Head athletic trainer for the Thunder Joe Sharpe was named as one of the medical staff members for USA Basketball's Olympic team in London.
In May 2012, Thunder shooting guard James Harden was selected to the 18-man preliminary roster for the USA Olympic basketball team, joining teammates Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. On July 7, 2012, all three were announced as members of the final 12-man roster representing the USA in the London Olympic Games.
In addition, Thunder forward Serge Ibaka, a naturalized Spanish citizen, was named to Spain's Olympic basketball team for 2012, making four Thunder players represented at the 2012 Olympics.
Late on October 27, 2012, the Thunder and the Houston Rockets agreed to a trade that sent G James Harden, C Cole Aldrich, G/F Daequan Cook and F Lazar Hayward to Houston in exchange for G Kevin Martin, G Jeremy Lamb, Houston's 2013 first-round draft pick, the Toronto Raptors's 2013 first-round pick (acquired in the Kyle Lowry trade) and the Charlotte Bobcats's 2013 second-round draft pick.
Injuries and surgeries
In July 2012, center Kendrick Perkins underwent surgeries for a torn ligament in his left wrist as well as a right groin muscle, both injuries suffered during the 2012 playoffs.
Transactions
On June 26, 2012, the NBA assigned the Thunder's 2013 second-round draft selection to the Boston Celtics in compensation for a lack of information disclosure in the February 2011 trade that sent Jeff Green to Boston.
On July 4, 2012, the Thunder announced they had reached a two-year agreement with unrestricted free agent center Hasheem Thabeet, at a reported minimum NBA salary (approximately $880,000 in 2012–13).
Also on July 4, the Thunder announced a four-year contract extension for head coach Scott Brooks, keeping Brooks under contract with the team through the 2015–16 season with total compensation reported at $18 million.
On August 18, 2012, the Thunder signed a four-year contract extension with forward Serge Ibaka, paying him a reported $48 million and keeping Ibaka under contract through the 2016–17 season.