On Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Council voted to set a Dec. 12 citywide vote on a proposed 1% sales tax for six years that would help fund a new $900 million arena to keep the Oklahoma City Thunder in the city through 2050.

The new NBA arena will cost at least $900 million. Plus, the council voted 7-2 to approve a letter of intent with the Thunder’s ownership group that would require the group to contribute $50 million (approximately 5.5%) toward the arena’s cost.

Moreover, the Thunder’s seven-member ownership group includes Clay Bennett, the chairman, along with William M. Cameron, George B. Kaiser, Robert E. Howard II, G. Jeffery Records, Everett R. Dobson, and Jay Scaramucci.

Press release from the City of Oklahoma City on the City Council voting today: pic.twitter.com/qyyP7pHmJw

— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) September 26, 2023

On Sept. 12, OKC chairman Clay Bennett unveiled plans for a new arena in his official statement:

“For fifteen years, the Thunder has been honored to help lead the transformation of Oklahoma City and enhance the tremendous pride our citizens have in their community. We now have an opportunity to build on that progress, advance our status as a true big-league City, continue to grow our economy and secure the long-term future of the Thunder.

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with Mayor Holt, members of the City Council, and the forward-thinking business and civic leaders in our community. Together we can develop an arena to serve as a crowning achievement in the ongoing renaissance of Oklahoma City.”

Oklahoma City Council approves Dec. 15 vote on new $900 million arena to keep the Thunder in the city through 2050; vote is for a proposed 1% sales tax for six years to help fund arena

Additionally, the deal also calls for $70 million in city funds from an existing sales tax approved by voters in 2019 for upgrades to the current Paycom Center.

“I commend the Council for authorizing me to sign this historic letter of intent, I thank the Thunder for their partnership, and I congratulate all of OKC for getting to this point,” Mayor David Holt said in a statement.

According to the proposed plan, the six-year, one-cent sales tax would begin April 1, 2028, when the current MAPS 4 sales tax ends so the city’s sales tax rate would remain unchanged.

Although the location of the new arena is unknown at this time, the deal calls for the arena to open in time for the 2029-30 NBA season. The Thunder have played in OKC since the 2008-09 season.

The full video of Tuesday’s Oklahoma City Council meeting is featured above.

Furthermore, not everyone agrees with this plan. Council members Nikki Nice and JoBeth Hamon opposed both the proposed sales tax and the letter of intent with the Thunder owners.

OKC ownership’s $50 million contribution covers just the minimum construction cost. The seating capacity for the new arena has yet to be determined. Paycom Center, the Thunder’s current arena, first opened on June 8, 2002.

For basketball, the current arena holds a max seating capacity of 18,203.

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No one alive can doubt Oklahoma City’s exponential growth in the NBA, ever since Mark Daigneault took over and his front office decided to trust his process. Even though the Thunder only won 46 games in their first two seasons together, this past year his team collected a total of 40 victories and qualified for the Western Conference Play-In Tournament.

The 38-year-old earned himself a second place in the Coach of the Year balloting and immediately raised the stocks for this upcoming season, which Oklahoma City hopes to finally break into some playoff action.

According to Daigneault, the team is only improving, as his young roster is developing even faster than expected. “The offseason for us, especially as young as the team is, is important because these guys are developing very quickly. Especially physically. The five to six months they get of just pure weight-room work and skill work, their growth rate is pretty high. That’s what’s most exciting. And then there’s always moves we made,” he said.

“We’re very excited about our existing young core. And last year was the first example of the power of continuity.” https://t.co/1fNLW7psTh

— OKC Thunder Wire (@The_ThunderWire) September 25, 2023

As the coach is heading into his fourth year at the club’s helm, he said that even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is young and in constant development. Daigneault expects the Canadian star to achieve his maximum potential in the next couple of years.

“We always look at our guys through the lens of development. As good as he is and as mature as he is, he’s still a young player and he’s still growing,” he said about his point guard. “One of the things that is powerful in development is changing context, changing environment, and this was a completely different environment than he’s been a part of. And it’s a different type of pressure you face when you’re representing your country. It’s a different game, it’s called differently, the styles are different. We had a lot of guys playing – [Davis] Bertans, Lu [Dort], Shai, Jack White and [Josh] Giddey played. That was really valuable experience for those guys.”

The Thunder trainer believes that patience, and not expecting to have immediate results, will be key for a healthier and long-term growth in the league.

“[More attention is] a natural thing, with the exposure the NBA has. And our players deserve it – they’ve worked hard to put themselves in this position,” Daigneault said. “Now our challenge is to continue to take a long view on a young team… We believe, if we keep an eye on the future, we’ll start to check the boxes along the way.”

The Thunder coach believes Chet Holmgren has what it takes to become this season’s Rookie of the Year

There is a long list of rookie players like Blake Griffin who suffered injuries after being drafted to the NBA, weren’t able to compete that campaign, and then came back to win the Rookie of the Year award. Coach Daigneault is convinced that Chet Holmgren has what it takes to be the next player on that prestigious list.

“We’ll see. He’s excited as a competitor and he’s ambitious. He has really high expectations for himself and matches those with his work ethic,” his trainer said. “He’s not just a guy with his head in the clouds – he’s willing to put the work in, And he did so, impressively, in his rehab. That’s a long, dark rehab, and he was consistent and impressive through that.”

The Oklahoma City coach assured that the team kept him close during the process of recovering from his heart-breaking injury.

“Everything he did was in our building. He was around the team in all team settings,” Daigneault shared. “He was in our film sessions. There’s a natural detachment when you’re injured, but we did the best we could to keep him engaged. And the guys did a great job with him… I think everybody is going to be happy for him when he steps in a game for the first time.”

The Brooklyn Nets are signing guard Scottie Lindsey, per sources. Lindsey, 27, went undrafted in 2018 out of Northwestern University. Ahead of the 2018-19 season, the 6-foot-6 guard signed with the Grand Rapids Drive (now Gold), the Denver Nuggets’ G League affiliate.

Lindsey made six starts in 15 appearances with Grand Rapids. The Illinois native averaged 10.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 23.4 minutes per game while shooting 44.1% from the floor and 29.9% beyond the arc. Following the 2018-19 season, the guard signed with the Erie BayHawks (now Birmingham Squadron).

According to multiple NBA betting sites, the Brooklyn Nets hold 20th-ranked odds to win next season’s 2024 championship. Sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and New York Knicks.

Scottie Lindsey kicks off the game with a 3 🔥 No. 4 @MaineCeltics take on No. 5 @ChargeCLE

Tune in to the #NBAGLeaguePlayoffs on ESPN2! pic.twitter.com/ifKp6lZYnV

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) March 29, 2023

In 30 games played with the BayHawks in the 2019-20 season, Scottie Lindsey averaged 10.4 points, 3.7 boards, a career-high 1.8 assists, and 22.3 minutes per game. Plus, he shot career bests of 44.2% from the field, 36.6% from 3-point range, and 94.1% at the foul line.

Before the 2021-22 season, Lindsey was selected 17th overall in the 2021 NBA G League Draft by the Windy City Bulls, the Chicago Bulls’ G League affiliate. The Northwestern product made seven starts in 33 games, averaging 11.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 26.5 minutes per contest.

Brooklyn Nets sign undrafted guard Scottie Lindsey; the Northwestern product will likely join Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets

In April 2022, the guard signed with the Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). The CEBL was founded in 2017 and had its inaugural season in 2019. All six CEBL teams all owned and operated by ownership group Canadian Basketball Ventures.

Last October, Lindsey joined the Maine Celtics’ training camp. He made 12 starts in 29 appearances with Maine in the 2022-23 G League season. The undrafted guard averaged 11.4 points, 3.8 boards, 1.4 assists, and a career-high 26.6 minutes per game.

Just Announced: The Long Island Nets have acquired the returning player rights to guards Scottie Lindsey and A.J. Reeves from the Maine Celtics in exchange for the returning player rights to guards Jordan Bowden and Noah Kirkwood. pic.twitter.com/5Th9h5ajK0

— Long Island Nets (@LongIslandNets) September 25, 2023

Anyway, Lindsey will probably play for the Brooklyn Nets’ G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, to begin the 2023-24 season. If the guard signed a contract that contains Exhibit 10 language, his deal could be converted into a two-way deal before the regular season begins.

Guard Armoni Brooks and forward Jalen Wilson occupy Brooklyn’s two-way slots. However, under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement, each NBA team can sign a maximum of three two-way players.

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