2017 NBA free agency grades: Raymond Felton agrees to join Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to a one-year deal with free agent point guard Raymond Felton.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have had a very strong offseason thus far. They found a running mate for Russell Westbrook by landing Paul George in a trade from the Indiana Pacers. To land George, the Thunder only had to part with Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.

Oklahoma City also signed Patrick Patterson with their mid-level exception, who will be replacing Taj Gibson; Gibson agreed to a free-agent deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Thunder also retained Andre Roberson on a team-friendly, three-year, $30 million deal. Oklahoma City did not slow down, as they made yet another good signing.

According to Chris Haynes of ESPN, the Thunder and free agent point guard Raymond Felton have agreed to a deal.

The two sides agreed to a one-year deal. Felton is going to earn the veteran’s minimum on this deal ($2.3 million), which says a lot about the current landscape of the point guard position in free agency and how quickly the money has dried up.

Free agent Raymond Felton agrees to one-year deal with Oklahoma City Thunder, league sources tell ESPN.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 7, 2017

The Thunder will be Felton’s sixth team in eight seasons. He has two tours with the New York Knicks while also playing with the Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers.

For the Thunder, this is another solid deal. Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo, arguably better players than Felton, are both available but would have cost the Thunder a lot more money. Also, Felton is a better fit for Oklahoma City.

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While Rose and Rondo may be more productive players than Felton, neither are likely to accept a diminished role off the bench. Both Rose and Rondo still believe they are top point guards in the NBA and want a chance to start, or at least receive a lot of playing time. The Thunder do not have that to offer, which is what makes Felton a better signing.

Felton has been a backup for a majority of the past three seasons. He has experience in that role, which is partly why he makes for a good fit with the Thunder. Backing up a superstar is not something everyone is capable of doing, but Felton has experience doing it; he did it last season for Chris Paul.

The Thunder fill a big hole on their roster with this signing. Last season, they lacked a true point guard. Cameron Payne was never healthy and was eventually traded to the Chicago Bulls in the package that landed Gibson and Doug McDermott. Semaj Christon played sparingly, and Norris Cole was signed near the end of the season.

Felton represents an upgrade on all of those options and helps the Thunder round out their roster. They now have a veteran that is capable of running the offense to give Westbrook some rest during games. Westbrook is durable, as he played in 81 games last season, but it was clear at times during the postseason that he was tired and wearing down.

Westbrook is durable, as he played in 81 games last season, but it was clear during the postseason that he was tired and wearing down. Whenever Westbrook stepped off the court, the Thunder would get blown out of the water.

The addition of Felton should help mitigate those drastic swings. Having another go-to player in George will also help the Thunder when Westbrook is off the court, as they should have either him or PG-13 on the court at all times.

While signing Felton isn’t a flashy move, it is one the Thunder needed to make. Some credit needs to be given to Sam Presti, as Felton is the third player that Oklahoma City signed under market value. Oklahoma City has had a very strong offseason, and Felton is just the latest of those additions.

Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far

Grade: A

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