• Hamidou Diallo makes Summer League debut for OKC,
It was late morning local time when Hamidou Diallo officially became a member of the Thunder.
Three hours later, he was in uniform for his on-court debut.
The rookie from Kentucky was part of a trade involving the Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets that couldn’t be finalized until after the NBA transaction moratorium ended on Friday.
That meant he couldn’t practice leading up to Oklahoma City’s 88-87 loss to the Hornets in the Thunder’s Summer League opener Friday at Thomas and Mack Center. Still, he logged 14 minutes, finishing with three points and three rebounds.
“We tried to keep it simple for him,” said Mark Daigneult, the Thunder’s Summer League head coach. “It’s a tough situation for him, and it’s not his fault obviously. So I felt bad for him not being around the team. I thought he went out there and competed.”
The Thunder planned to play Diallo during Summer League, but it wasn’t a given that he’d play in the team’s debut. Though he had traveled to Las Vegas from Oklahoma City with the team, he’d been unable to participate in its training camp.
“We just figured the earlier we throw him out there, the more progress he’ll make in a short period of time,” Daigneault said.
Diallo, who last summer measured a 44.5-inch vertical jump at the NBA Draft Combine, showed his hops on a second-half dunk, his only basket of the game. He shot 1 for 3 from the floor and 1 for 4 from the free-throw line and was active defensively.
“That was a success because he was playing with a motor and he wasn’t really thinking out there,” Daigneault said. “Now it’s a matter of catching him up on what we’re doing and take it from there.”
George signs four-year deal; terms undisclosed
The Diallo trade wasn’t the biggest Thunder transaction that became official on Friday.
Paul George signed the four-year contract with the club that he agreed to last Saturday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s reportedly a max contract worth $137 million. George has a player option for the fourth season.
“Paul’s commitment to Oklahoma City is a moment that Thunder fans will long remember and greatly value in our franchise’s history,” Thunder Chairman Clay Bennett said in a release. “We deeply appreciate his dedication, genuine sincerity and drive to contribute to the Thunder and our community. We are so happy he and his family will remain a part of the Thunder organization and I couldn’t be more excited about the future of Thunder basketball.”
The five-time NBA AllStar, acquired last summer in a trade that sent Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to Indiana, averaged 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and two steals in his first season with the Thunder.
Cat food
Diallo and Thunder teammate Dakari Johnson are among a host of former Kentucky players taking part in the NBA Summer League, and though they’re spread out across many rosters, on Thursday they were in one place.
At least 11 former Wildcats posed for a photo with Kentucky coach John Calipari on the eve of Summer League after a dinner that brought them together. Johnson and Diallo attended, as did Charlotte’s Malik Monk, who scored 23 points in Friday’s Hornets win against the Thunder.
"Dinner was good,” Johnson said. “Cal picked up the check.”
Tip-ins
We tried to keep it simple for him. It’s a tough situation for him, and it’s not his fault obviously. So I felt bad for him not being around the team. I thought he went out there and competed.”
Mark Daigneult, Thunder Summer League head coach, on Hamidou Diallo joining the team
Rahsawn Thomas, an Oklahoma City native and Southeast High School graduate, led the Thunder with 23 points on Friday ... Terrance Ferguson struggled against the Hornets, finishing with seven points, five rebounds and three assists on 2-for-9 shooting. He was 0 for 3 from 3-point range ... OKC will resume Summer League play on Saturday with a game against the Brooklyn Nets at 6 p.m. The game will air on NBA TV.