Oklahoma City Thunder: 5 bargain bin targets in 2019 NBA free agency
2. Michael Carter-Williams
In 2014 Michael Carter-Williams won Rookie of Year while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s been all downhill from there. The 6’6″ point guard has since played for five different teams, been traded three times and waived once.
While that may be concerning to some franchises, the Thunder are never afraid to bet on their culture and player development.
In the summer of 2018, Oklahoma City signed Nerlens Noel, a similar player in terms of concerns and question marks. During the season Noel proved himself to be a valuable backup and worked to reshape his image in the NBA. The Thunder could look to do the same with Carter-Williams.
In fact, they reportedly tried to back in the summer of 2017.
Expect the Thunder to be in contact with unrestricted free agent Michael Carter-Williams this weekend as free agency opens.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) June 30, 2017
Carter-Williams began to salvage his career at the end of last season helping the Orlando Magic make a push to the playoffs. In 12 games with the Magic, he averaged 5.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists in nearly 19 minutes a game backing up D.J. Augustin.
He is in no way a good shooter (25.1% from 3 for his career) — something Oklahoma City desperately needs — but Carter-Williams could be a solid third guard for the Thunder, and in the event that the team trades Dennis Schroder, he could find himself as the backup point guard.