Darius Bazley to Thunder: Oklahoma City's Current Roster After 2019 NBA Draft
The Oklahoma City Thunder added Darius Bazley with the No. 23 in the 2019 NBA draft Thursday night.
Here is how the Thunder's roster looks after the selection:
Abdel Nader, SF: $1.4M (2021)
Andre Roberson, SG: $10M (2020)
Dennis Schroder, PG: $17.5M (2021)
Deonte Burton, SF: $0.8M (2020)
Hamidou Diallo, SG: $1.1M (2021)
Jerami Grant, SF: $9.1M (2021)
Nerlens Noel, C: $1.9M (2020)
Patrick Patterson, PF: $5.5M (2020)
Paul George, SF: $34.2M (2022)
Russell Westbrook, PG: $41.4M (2023)
Steven Adams, C: $25M (2021)
Terrance Ferguson, SG: $2.1M (2021)
Darius Bazley, SG: $2M (2023)
Donte Grantham, PF: RFA
Jawun Evans, PG: RFA
Nerlens Noel, C: Player option
Markieff Morris, PF: UFA
Raymond Felton, PG: UFA
The 19-year-old last played for Princeton High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. The 6'9", 208-pounder was a five-star prospect after graduating in 2018, according to 247Sports, but he decommitted from Syracuse—also turning down offers from Ohio State, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Florida and Georgetown—to sign with agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.
Through Klutch Sports, Bazley accepted an internship with New Balance, which could pay him up to $1 million over five years.
The forward streamlined his unconventional path with what's expected of NBA prospects by attending the NBA combine in Chicago. There, he posted a 7'0" wingspan.
Heading into the draft, HoopsHype formulated Bazley's aggregate ranking among all prospects to be 35. There was much debate over how he might stack up against NBA competition considering he last played organized basketball in high school.
At the combine, ESPN's Jonathan Givony noted his observations. On June 4, Givony compared Bazley's measurements to those of Paul George and Jayson Tatum—noting that how his body develops remains a "big factor" in his NBA viability:
Clearly, Oklahoma City liked what they saw enough to bet on Bazley's upside. In the meantime, Thunder will look to Bazley to contribute off the bench.
Salary info via Spotrac.
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