It has been quite the summer so far for the Oklahoma City Thunder. After Kevin Durant left them last summer to join the Golden State Warriors, many believed that the Thunder would turn into a mediocre team. Fortunately for them, they have Russell Westbrook. OKC's season ended in the first round of the playoffs as they were eliminated by the Houston Rockets, but Westbrook made history and showed why he is one of the best players in today's NBA. He was rewarded earlier this summer as he won the league MVP award, and couple of weeks after that the Thunder acquired Paul George via trade from the Pacers.
Oklahoma's chances of making a deep playoff run next season are much better now with George in the roster, and it should be fun to watch. The team also announced that they will re-sign another key, veteran player.
Nick Collison stays in Oklahoma
Shams Charania of The Vertical reported on Friday that the Oklahoma City Thunder will re-sign Nick Collison to a one-year deal. It is still uknown how much will the deal be worth, but it is expected that he will sign for veteran's minimum. Collison entered the league in 2003, and he was originally drafted by the Seattle Supersonics. He is a 13-year NBA veteran, and last season he played just 20 games for the Thunder. Collison holds career averages of 6.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
His best season was during the 2007/2008 campaign with the Seattle Supersonics when he averaged 9.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Collison is a fan favorite in Oklahoma and it is expected that he will end his career after the 2017/2018 season.
Nick Collison is re-signing with Oklahoma City on a 1-year deal to end 15-year career with Thunder franchise, sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) 14. srpnja 2017.
He played just 6.4 minutes per game last season, and he should have reduced playing time next season as well.
Boris Diaw waived by the Utah Jazz
According to The Vertical, the Utah Jazz have waived the 6-foot-8 power forward - Boris Diaw. The team announced on Friday that they've waived him, just before his contract became guaranteed for the next season with the Jazz. If Utah hadn't waived waived him before the July 15th, his $7.5 million salary would have been guaranteed for the 2017/2018 campaign.
Utah has waived forward Boris Diaw ahead of guarantee date, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) 13. srpnja 2017.
Diaw is a versatile forward who can handle the ball if needed, and has great passing skills. He played 73 games last season for the Utah Jazz, and averaged 4.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Diaw holds career averages of 8.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He is a 13-year NBA veteran with championship pedigree, and it shouldn't take long before he gets picked up by another NBA team.
