With Trey Burke electing to not sign with the OKC Thunder, the last roster spot is still open.
In the aftermath of the OKC Thunder trade for Carmelo Anthony, initial thoughts point to the need for a backup center. Enes Kanter did an awesome job last season when Stephen Adams sat, particularly offensively. With Kanter gone, the lack of depth in size has been exposed.
Dakari Johnson is a mountain of a man but he has never played a game in the NBA. Nick Collison, despite protestations otherwise, is actually getting a little old to fill the regular backup minutes. Jerami Grant could be an undersized small ball center, as could Patrick Patterson.
The problem with all of this is if Adams gets hurt, there is no feasible replacement in the starting lineup on the roster. It does take a lot to hurt the big man, but the NBA is so unpredictable when it comes to injury the OKC Thunder shouldn’t leave this to chance.
There are a number of possible options available to the OKC Thunder at low cost.
Justin Hamilton
Justin Hamilton was recently traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Toronto Raptors and then waived. The Raptors used the stretch provision, so Hamilton will receive $1 Million for the next three years for doing nothing.
Personally, I wouldn’t start a franchise around Hamilton, but his numbers are decent for a backup. In 64 games last year, Hamilton averaged 18.4 minutes, 6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. His shot selection was good, hitting 58 percent from inside the arc.
There are question marks about his defense but I can’t see a huge risk signing this three year NBA veteran.
Tiago Splitter
Tiago Splitter is one of those players who is certainly worth taking a risk on. After being successful with the San Antonio Spurs, (including a championship) Splitter moved on to play with the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers.. Presently he is without a team, thanks in large part to the injuries which restricted him to just eight games last year.
For his career, Splitter has averaged 7.9 points and 5.0 rebounds in just 19.2 minutes per game. Splitter is looking to have a bounce back year to prove his worth in next summer’s free agency and what better way then backing up Adams at the OKC Thunder.
Splitter is fully aware he is not going to command big money this season, so he may accept a veteran’s minimum. It is well worth risking for the upside he can bring to the organization.
Festus Ezeli
In a similar vein to Splitter, Festus Ezeli is looking to get his career back on track. After three years with the Golden State Warriors, Ezeli signed on with the Portland Trail Blazers. Unfortunately for Ezeli, injuries kept him from logging a single minute with Portland meaning he is also looking for a roster spot to prove he is worth money next year.
In his three years in the NBA, Ezeli has averaged 4.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in just 14.1 minutes per game. Ezeli also brings championship experience from the 2014-15 Golden State Warriors.
Signing him with his injury history could be a risk. However, if he passes a physical the risk could reap benefits since he is playing for a contract next season.
Boris Diaw
Boris Diaw is a great option for the 15th roster spot. He could come and and provide leadership and has won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs. Diaw has silky passing skills and showed last season with the Utah Jazz he still has what it takes to play in the NBA.
Diaw started 33 games last season for the Division title winners out of the 73 he played. While his numbers are declining, he still averaged 17.6 minutes, 4.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
The risk of signing Diaw is he is his age (35). However, with career shooting percentages of 49 percent from the field and 34 percent from deep, there is definite upside remaining in the big man’s game.
As per ESPN the main issue with Diaw is he signed with a French team which offers it’s own set of problems. Diaw’s buyout may be prohibitive to the money available, but he remains someone worth a long look.
"Veteran forward Boris Diaw is returning to his native France and will play for Paris-Levallois.Diaw’s contract with the team includes outs for both NBA and European teams, his agent, Doug Neustadt, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski."
These are just some of the many big men still available on the open market. Knowing Sam Presti‘s 2017 summer, the move he makes will most probably be the right one.