Derek Fisher Reportedly Agrees to Deal with Oklahoma City Thunder
Derek Fisher will be a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder for the rest of the season.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, Fisher and the Thunder have agreed to terms on a contract that locks him up for the rest of the season. The veteran point guard is already in Oklahoma City, and can sign the deal as soon as he clears waivers at 6 p.m. EST on Wednesday evening.
The day's announcement comes less than a week after Fisher was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Houston Rockets, who promptly bought out his contract. Free to join a contender for the stretch run, Fisher has chosen to sign with the Western Conference's top team.
Fisher's minutes will be much more limited than they were when he was with the Lakers as the Thunder have an All-Star point guard in Russell Westbrook and a handful of other capable guards. He's going to OKC to play a supporting role, not a starring role.
Fisher's greatest value is his veteran leadership, which is one of the few things this Thunder team didn't have enough of. Fisher has been in the league for 16 seasons, winning five NBA championships with the Lakers.
Thunder star Kevin Durant was complimentary of Fisher, saying on Tuesday (via the ESPN report):
"Derek is a consummate professional ... an unbelievable leader. And he played with arguably one of the greatest players to ever play in Kobe (Bryant), and Kobe really respected him as a player and wanted him on his team, so that speaks volumes.
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Fisher is averaging 5.9 points and 3.3 assists per game this season. For his career in the postseason, he has averaged 8.9 points and 2.6 assists per game in a grand total of 209 games, 158 of them starts.
