Oklahoma City Thunder: Complete 2018 offseason grades
Signing Nerlens Noel
Another great move the Oklahoma City Thunder made during the free agency period was signing Nerlens Noel. The former Dallas Maverick has such a damaged reputation that he was willing to take the veteran minimum over two years ($3.7 million) for a shot with a contender.
At the time of this signing, Carmelo Anthony was still on the roster and OKC had virtually no cap space to work with. It also so happened that the Thunder were lacking some size on the roster. Noel was a player who fit the bill perfectly.
Excellent signing for the Thunder, plus a wonderful opportunity for Nerlens Noel to rebuild his value in the same system that has helped Steven Adams develop. Noel is still only 24 and has shown plenty of elite defensive upside. Great deal. https://t.co/TYL7xi5ezr
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) July 2, 2018
Noel has had a pretty ugly start to his career, but the argument can be made that he hasn’t had a proper chance in the league yet. Aside from dealing with injuries, he was in a logjam at the center position with the Philadelphia 76ers and then later buried on the bench with a Dallas Mavericks team that didn’t really utilize a traditional big.
In Oklahoma City, Noel may find some consistency, even if his minutes are limited. He still has a lot of upside and he was a good calculated risk for the Thunder to take given their financial restrictions.
Grade: B+