Abdel Nader likens OKC Thunder to Boston experience
Having cut his teeth in Boston Abdel Nader moves on to the OKC Thunder citing the similarities of the two franchises.
On July 23, OKC Thunder GM completed a trade of recently acquired Rodney Purvis to the Boston Celtics for Abdel Nader. Purvis was obtained via another small trade which sent Dakari Johnson to Orlando. At the time of the trade some mused the trade was primarily for economic reasons. But, that made no sense since Purvis was arriving on a non-guaranteed contract. Clearly Presti saw something in Nader he liked, otherwise he could’ve just released Purvis and his associated contract without penalty.
One of the newer OKC Thunder players Abdel Nader is keen to join his new squad and will spend the remainder of his offseason preparing for that role. Nader became fully guaranteed on August 1 when the Thunder didn’t waive his contract.
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Writer Dan Shalin of the Chicago Tribune spoke to the small forward about his summer and new squad. Nader hails from Chicago, so there is the obvious natural affinity to the Chicago Bulls. In the piece Nader refers to his two games versus his home squad this season.
"“I used to sit in the nosebleeds at the United Center in the early 2000s, watching guys like Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon,” he said. “I was a kid who dreamed of (playing in the NBA), but you never really know if you will get there."
In the article Nader compares his new team with old squad citing their similarities. And, while the forward was initially upset about the trade he traveled immediately to OKC. After meetings with Presti and the OKC brass Nader then traveled to LA to work out with his new teammates . There is one face Nader is familiar with having played his college ball at Iowa State alongside another new signee Deonte Burton.
"“When (the trade) happened, I was a little bummed,” Nader said. “But I flew down instantly to OKC, met with the GM (Sam Presti) and with the coaching staff. Everybody is on the same page, and they welcomed me with open arms, made it seem like they wanted me. It felt good that the organization was putting their trust in me.”"
The summer homework will need to be isolated due to the wrist surgery Nader underwent in June. The former G-League rookie of the year (2016) played in 48 games with his varsity squad last season. Nader posting meager per game averages of 3.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 10.9 minutes.