OKC Thunder Devon Hall is expected to play next season in Australia for- Cairns Taipans. Hall will hone his skills with hopes of making the varsity team next season.
Given the amazing offseason the OKC Thunder have experienced, adding depth while a bonus also meant some major decisions needed to be made. Most notably, what to do with the three rookies the OKC Thunder either drafted (Devon Hall, Kevin Hervey) or traded to obtain (Hamidou Diallo).
Hamidou Diallo was the one rookie the Thunder did offer a contract to and fills one of those 15 spots. But, that still left Hall and Hervey with choices to be made.
Thunder crowded in backcourt and at the wings:
OKC already have Russell Westbrook, Dennis Schoder and Raymond Felton at the point guard position. Therefore, adding a fourth guard didn’t make logical sense.
Moreover, the wing depth on OKC is solid with Paul George, Andre Roberson, Terrance Ferguson, Alex Abrines, Timothe Luwawu Cabarrot, Hamidou Diallo and Abdel Nader. Most of these players can shift between either the shooting guard or small forward positions.
Ultimately, this left very little wiggle room for Devon Hall to gain a position with the varsity club, even if Presti makes additional moves (looking at you Mr. Singler).
⚡️ “NBA Draft Pick commits to Cairns Taipans” by @CairnsTaipanshttps://t.co/WOO9KJgP5C
— Cairns Taipans (@CairnsTaipans) August 12, 2018
Options for Hall:
Since there are currently no roster openings on the varsity squad that option is moot. Sending the players to the G-League is an option. There they can focus on specifically developing certain aspects of their game while also learning the OKC varsity system.
The other option is a little more outside the box, but no less viable. Send the player overseas where they can develop within a competitive environment playing other professionals.
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For Hall it seems he elected the latter option as his best bet. Hall has signed on to play with Cairns Taipans of Australia’s professional league. This is the same league Terrance Ferguson played in (with Adelaide 36ers) prior to entering the NBA Draft. Previously Thunder guard Semaj Christon also went this route At playing overseas in Italy.
Do OKC retain Hall’s rights?
In terms of Hall’s ties to OKC this venture doesn’t necessarily preclude a return to the OKC Thunder. In situations of this nature there is a path to keep Hall within the OKC system.
The steps to get there are fairly straight forward:
- OKC Thunder extend a non-guaranteed contract to Hall
- Hall declines the offer
- This retains Hall’s rights with OKC
Although it sounds like hoop jumping the reality is this is more of a formality and a common practice in the Association. Ultimately, the Thunder and Hall would revisit the situation next offseason and determine next steps at that time.
At 23 it does seem to make more sense for the Virginia guard to play in a professional league instead of the G-League.
Hall played this summer in Vegas with the OKC Thunder posting an average of 5.4 points and 1.2 assists in his five games.
He’ll hope to gain valuable experience in Australia, perfect his craft and return next season with the hopes of cracking into the varsity roster.