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Who are biggest names OKC Thunder has signed in NBA free agency? The list is bleak
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- Who are biggest names OKC Thunder has signed in NBA free agency? The list is bleak
Lu Dort is technically the best free agent signing in Thunder history .
Undrafted out of Arizona State in 2019, Dort signed a two-way contract with the Thunder. He hounded James Harden in the bubble, scored 30 points in a Game 7 loss to the Rockets and … you know the rest.
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Five years later, Dort has developed into one of the premier perimeter defenders in the league and is coming off a season in which he shot a career high 39% from 3-point range.
The second best free agent signee in Thunder history? It might just be Isaiah Joe .
OKC signed the Arkansas sharpshooter after he was cut by Philadelphia before the 2022-23 season.
In two seasons with the Thunder, Joe has shot 41% from 3-point range on 4.9 attempts per game. When Josh Giddey was benched in the Mavericks series, it was Joe who stepped into the starting lineup.
REQUIRED READING: OKC Thunder in NBA free agency: Cap space priorities, trade targets names to watch
But while Dort and Joe might be the Thunder's best free agent finds, they're not among the biggest names the Thunder has signed in free agency.
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And that's saying something, because the Thunder hasn't signed a whole bunch of big-name free agents — which is the point of this exercise.
Yes, the Thunder has just south of $30 million of salary cap space to play with, but it's wise to temper expectations. We're not saying the Thunder can't land a big fish in free agency, we're just saying it hasn't happened. Not in the team's 17 years of existence.
The Thunder might love to sign an Isaiah Hartenstein or Klay Thompson or whomever else you're dreaming of, but that doesn't mean those players want to sign with the Thunder. Oklahoma City is a landlocked small market. You know where free agents often flock toward? Coastal big markets.
Maybe this is the year it changes.
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Who wouldn't want to play with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams ? Then again, we don't have a clue how general manager Sam Presti is approaching free agency. The Thunder is a championship contender as is.
Before free agency opens in full at 5 p.m. Sunday, here's our list of the biggest names to sign with the Thunder in free agency.
Again, not necessarily the best, but the biggest. And we're not counting free agents who re-signed with the Thunder, like Paul George did in 2018. We are counting buy-out guys, because the list is already bleak enough.
MUST READS: Thunder free-agent tracker | Draft grades for all 30 teams | Post-draft NBA power rankings | Top 2025 NBA Draft prospects
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5. Nerlens Noel
Noel signed a two-year minimum deal with the Thunder in 2018, a year after he turned down a reported $70 million extension .
Noel had quickly fallen out of favor, but at least the former No. 6 pick had some name value and could fill a role as a backup center.
His two seasons in Oklahoma City helped rehabilitate his career.
More: OKC Thunder rookie Nikola Topic is 'ready' for challenge of recovering from ACL injury
4. Mike Muscala
Muscala wasn't the splashiest get, but he was an established pro when the Thunder signed him in the summer of 2019.
It turned out to be a great fit for both parties, with Muscala playing three seasons for the Thunder before returning for a second stint last season.
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Muscala initially signed in OKC under the impression he'd be playing for a contender. After Paul George was traded to the Clippers , Presti gave Muscala and Alec Burks , another free agent signee, a chance to rethink their decisions.
Burks took the exit ramp, but Muscala stayed on in OKC.
More: OKC Thunder shows off NBA draftees Nikola Topic, Dillon Jones, Ajay Mitchell | 3 takeaways
3. Derek Fisher
Derek Fisher was traded from the Lakers to the Rockets in March 2012. After reaching a buyout with the Rockets, Fisher signed with the Thunder .
Over the glitzy Miami Heat , no less!
The Thunder was able to offer Fisher more money, but the point stands.
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Fisher, who wore No. 37 to match his age, was a steadying hand on a young Thunder team that made it all the way to the NBA Finals.
OKC lost to Miami, but it beat the Heat for Fisher. Don't cry for Fisher. He already had five rings.
More: OKC Thunder introduces 2024 NBA Draft picks: Here's what Nikola Topic & Co. said
2. Caron Butler
Butler was another buyout guy who chose OKC over Miami. Who says lightning never strikes twice?
Butler was far removed from the two-time All Star he was in Washington, but it was still pretty cool to have Butler in Bricktown .
Butler went cold and was ultimately benched in the 2014 Western Conference Finals, but he was a 44% 3-point shooter for the Thunder in 22 regular-season games.
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More: What were the three best things about the 2024 NBA Draft?
1. Patrick Patterson
It was a big deal — big by OKC free agency standards — when Patterson signed a three-year, $16.4 million contract with the Thunder in the summer of 2017.
The Thunder had just traded for Paul George, and Patterson, coming off a solid four-year stretch in Toronto , was joining the party.
The 28-year-old Patterson should've been entering his prime as a high-end role player. Instead, his two seasons with the Thunder were the two worst shooting seasons of his career.
The Thunder waived Patterson in August 2019, but he retains the unofficial title of biggest name free agent signee in Thunder history.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: NBA free agency: Who are OKC Thunder's biggest free agent signees
