Derek Fisher Spotted at OKC Airport, Expected to Finalize Deal with Thunder
Your first Derek Fisher update of the day: he is in Oklahoma City.
According to NBA.com, Fisher was spotted in the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City with Thunder GM Sam Presti.
This comes a day after sources told ESPN that Fisher was working on signing with the team.
After agreeing to a buyout with Houston on Monday and clearing waivers, Fisher is now an unrestricted free agent. The Western Conference leaders who lost backup point guard Eric Maynor to a season-ending ACL injury in January are an obvious fit for the 37-year-old veteran.
To recap: Kevin Durant co-signed Fisher after yesterday's shootaround, telling Darnell Mayberry that Fisher is a "consummate professional and an unbelievable leader." He also had praise for Kobe Bryant, when he spoke of the relationship between Fisher and Bryant.
"“And he [Fisher] played with arguably one of the greatest players to ever play in Kobe, and Kobe really respected him as a player and wanted him on his team so that speaks volumes.”
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Oklahoma City's roster currently sits at 15, so signing Fisher would mean having to waive someone. Waiving a body who doesn't play in exchange for the former Lakers point guard and five-time NBA championship experience sounds like a no-brainer.
Even if Fisher doesn't log a ton of time on the court for the Thunder, he can bring wisdom and leadership to a young team filled with talent.
