Thunder to re-locate D-League affiliate from Tulsa to Oklahoma City

The Tulsa 66ers are moving down the road to Oklahoma City, meaning the Thunder will no longer have their prospects and associated staff a whole 90 minutes away.

The Thunder announced the change on Friday, indicating the 66ers will be able to make the change in time for the start of the 2014-15 season.

From a team release:

The 66ers have played home games the last two seasons at the SpiritBank Event Center in Bixby, Okla., but team officials were notified recently that the facility will no longer offer arena space for lease. The move will take place prior to the start of the D-League regular season, which begins in mid-November and extends through early April.
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Thunder officials are currently in discussions with the City of Oklahoma City to play the team’s 24 regular-season home games at the Cox Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City, directly across the street from Chesapeake Energy Arena.

It's a smart move for the franchise, even if their hand was forced somewhat. More and more, teams are taking greater control over D-League operations and seeing results, as the Thunder did this past season with Andre Roberson, Reggie Williams and Grant Jerrett.