Ferguson reportedly agrees to rookie deal

Thunder firstround pick Terrance Ferguson reportedly agreed to a four-year deal with the club late Thursday, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical.

Upon being drafted No. 21 overall by the Thunder on June 22, Ferguson was not initially cleared by the International Federation of Basketball (FIBA), forcing him to miss the Orlando Summer League. Ferguson was the last first-round pick to agree to a rookiescale deal.

The Thunder wanted to have Ferguson signed in order to play in the Orlando Summer League July 1-6, but the 6-foot7, 185-pounder wasn’t allowed to play because his contract wasn’t signed. Once summer league passed, signing Ferguson became less urgent. Clearance of Ferguson was out of the Thunder’s hands, and came down to FIBA and the Adelaide 36ers, who Ferguson played for last season.

Ferguson’s clearance was confirmed by The Oklahoman on Thursday. Ferguson received clearance from FIBA on July 14, according to a report from Fred Katz of the Norman Transcript.

In the time since his reported clearance, the Thunder has signed Nick Collison, Dakari Johnson and Andre Roberson. Ferguson makes 16 guaranteed contracts on the roster, which means the Thunder has until the beginning of the regular season in October to get its roster to 15. Semaj Christon’s contract can become fully guaranteed for $1.3 million this season if he remains with the team through training camp and into the start of the regular season.

The Thunder’s payroll current sits at $128.5 million, more than $9 million above the luxury tax line of $119,266,000 for this season. The Thunder has until the end of the season to get below the luxury tax without incurring tax penalties.

There’s been no indication that Ferguson will be traded, but when he officially signs a deal, the Thunder has to wait 30 days to trade him. As recently as this week, the Thunder has reportedly been interested in Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony.

In the event of trade talks, Ferguson — a young, athletic wing — would potentially be an enticing piece to other teams. Ferguson, who based on the NBA’s rookie salary scale will earn $1,487,000 million in his first season, will likely see most of his minutes this season in the G-League with the Oklahoma City Blue.

Thunder rep: No Sonics throwbacks

The Thunder revealed its two primary uniforms

for the 2017-18 season on Wednesday. The conversation soon shifted to the past on social media, with questions about whether or not the Thunder would wear Seattle SuperSonics throwbacks this season.

In addition to four uniforms for all 30 teams this season, Nike will also outfit eight NBA teams with “Classic” uniforms. The Thunder will not be one of those eight teams.

“No we’re not doing it. It’s

a completely false rumor,” a Thunder spokesperson told The Oklahoman on Wednesday. “That’s not at all based in any truth.”

ESPN recently posted a Snapchat story related to the NBA releasing the “Classic” uniforms this fall. In one of the photos, Gary Payton from his Seattle SuperSonics days was featured. The other photos posted showed retired players from Utah, Detroit, Phoenix, Toronto, Orlando and Philadelphia, among others.

While the photos were of throwback jerseys from the 1990s, it was part of The Undefeated paying homage

to the best throwback jerseys from all 30 teams. Nike has yet to formally announce the eight “Classic” uniforms.

“I believe Nike is doing that Classic throwback for other teams, but we’re not one of them,” the Thunder spokesperson said.

Since moving from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has never worn throwback jerseys of any kind. Even if the Thunder had the Classic-style uniform option, it’s unlikely it would use the opportunity to sport Sonics colors. The Thunder has generally distanced itself from Sonics history and has

worked to create its own identity since arriving in Oklahoma City.

In 2014, the NBA released a special edition jersey around the league with a tag on the back collar to recognize team championships. The Sonics won the NBA Championship in 1979, but the Thunder elected not to wear the tag. Some teams that had switched cities in the past (Atlanta, Sacramento) chose to recognize championships won in different cities.

A Seattle SuperSonics NBA Championship banner from 1979 does not hang in Chesapeake Energy Arena.