As the Thunder‘s roster has undergone a teardown in recent years, one of the most surprising constants has been big man Mike Muscala, who has spent the last two seasons in Oklahoma City. On the surface, a veteran role player like Muscala seems like an odd fit for a team in the midst of a full-fledged rebuild, but he said during his end-of-season interview in May that his time with the franchise has helped him “a lot as a man and as a player.”
As Paris Lawson of OKCThunder.com writes, the Thunder appreciate Muscala’s dedication to the team and rewarded him this offseason with a two-year, $7MM deal that’s fully guaranteed for the 2021/22 season.
“I am tremendously grateful and very moved by the way he feels about the team and the organization,” executive VP of basketball operations Sam Presti said. “I think he really connects with the vision that we have for what we stand for and how we try to operate on a day-to-day basis. We’re not trying to be all things to all people, but there are going to be people that really thrive in this environment and enjoy it, and those are also the people that really help make it what it is.”
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- Zach Harper of The Athletic was underwhelmed by the Thunder’s offseason moves, giving the team a C-minus grade for the summer. Harper questioned the decision to draft Josh Giddey at No. 6 when prospects like Jonathan Kuminga, James Bouknight, and Davion Mitchell were still on the board.
- In his latest mailbag, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman identifies Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort as the only Thunder players who are guaranteed to be in the starting five on opening night (health permitting). Mussatto also discussed Gabriel Deck‘s status and Isaiah Roby‘s potential, among other topics.
- In case you missed it, the Thunder have signed 2020 second-rounder Vit Krejci. Assuming Krejci received a guaranteed salary for 2021/22, Oklahoma City now has 13 players on guaranteed contracts, three on non-guaranteed deals, and a pair on two-way pacts, leaving two openings on the 20-man offseason roster.
