How did the OKC Thunder lure Vasilije Micic to the NBA this offseason?
By Rylan Stiles
Vasilije Micic has been a white whale of sorts for the OKC Thunder fanbase. Micic has flirted with coming to the NBA for the past three summers but ultimately elected to stay overseas. Vasilije Micic is a two-time EuroLeague Champion and MVP and offers a ton of veteran leadership as a ball handler for the OKC Thunder.
However, the question remained: why now? After many flirtatious Summers, what made Vasilije Micic make the NBA leap this time? That question was poised to General Manager Sam Presti at Wednesday’s annual preseason media availability.
The OKC Thunder have finally signed Vasilije Micic and Sam Presti let us in on how the timing “lined up” this Summer.
On Wednesday, Sam Presti was peppered with all the burning questions that face the Oklahoma City Thunder this season. Those included questions as to why now for Vasilije Micic.
Sam Presti on Vasilije Micic “You don’t get to choose when things happen…In his case he had a contract overseas, team goals to achieve overseas, we had good communication. There was one year where there was no out in the contract.” Mentioned it just lined up this year.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) September 27, 2023
The first thing that leaps out about Sam Presti’s reply is the fact that there was at least one offseason where there was no NBA-out in Vasilije Micic’s contract. Despite the rumors that swirled of Micic’s NBA desires, at least one offseason, it was truly unfounded buzz.
This allowed for the timing to just “line up” this Summer, as the two sides continued to have “good communication” throughout the process.
Vasilije Micic was traded to Oklahoma City from Philadelphia when the Thunder acquired Al Horford back in 2020. Micic skipped the 2023 FIBA World Cup to prepare for his NBA jump. We will see how Mark Daigneault will deploy the 29-year-old rookie in this Oklahoma City Thunder rotation.
Next. Sam Presti opens up about managing Chet Holmgren. dark