Diallo can give OKC flexibility
Thunder secondround pick Hamidou Diallo will sign a threeyear contract with the team, The Oklahoman confirmed on Wednesday.
Diallo (6-foot-6, 197 pounds), the 45th overall selection by Brooklyn in the 2018 NBA Draft, impressed in five NBA Summer League games with the Thunder, shooting 49 percent from the field and averaging 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game.
The Thunder purchased Diallo’s rights on draft night, the start of a summer shift toward adding more young wing talent capable of playing multiple positions to the roster. Diallo certainly fits that designation, with athleticism that stood out during Summer League and his lone season at the University of Kentucky. Diallo’s contract, first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, is for three years, $4 million. Second-round picks are typically signed to a minimum first-year salary of $838,464, a figure which would save the Thunder millions in luxury tax compared to signing a player at the minimum starting salary for a two-year veteran ($1.5 million).
The Thunder would pay $93.1 million in luxury tax if it ended the season with its current roster.
What’s next?
The addition of Diallo,
20, brings the Thunder to the maximum 15 guaranteed contracts, but doesn’t mean the team is finished making moves before the start of the preseason in late September. The Thundertraded for forwardAbdel Nader on Monday, who is expected to remain on the roster beyond the Aug. 1 deadline, thus guaranteeing his $1.37 million salary.
The Thunder still has until Aug. 31 to use the stretch provision on the contract of Kyle Singler, who has played sparingly during his five-year, $25 million deal with the Thunder. Singler is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract, worth $4.9 million. In order to free up a roster spot and alleviate luxury tax burdens this season, the Thunder could stretch Singler’s contract over three seasons at an average of $1.6 million per season. But, like theCarmelo Anthony trade which was finalized on Wednesday, the Thunder would prefer to get return via a trade rather than waiving Singler.
The Thunder could also trade Singler to a team with salary cap space which
could absorb his salary without sending back any players in return. In this scenario, the team with salary cap space would likely want incentive (such as a future second-round pick or cash considerations) to complete the deal.
Sacramento ($11 million) and Phoenix ($1 million) are currently the only teams under the salary cap, but the Thunder could also absorb the incoming salary of a player making as much as, but not exceeding, $10.8 million based on a trade exception created in the Anthony deal. That salary, however, would count against the salary cap and luxury tax. The Thunder could still waive Singler after the Aug. 31 stretch provision deadline, or seek a trade at or before the February trade deadline.
Hamilton signs deal with Hawks
Dennis Schroder’s arrival in Oklahoma City left no room on the roster for Daniel Hamilton.
So Hamilton — the 6-foot-7 guard who last season was on a two-way contract with the Thunder and its G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue — is off to Schroder’s old team instead. Hamilton on Wednesday agreed to a one-year contract with the Atlanta Hawks, ESPN reported. Schroder came to the Thunder in a threeteam trade finalized on Wednesday. He’s expected to be OKC’s backup point guard. With last season’s primary backup, Raymond Felton, back this season, there wasn’t a roster spot for Hamilton.
Hamilton’s two-way contract last season allowed him to spend 45 days in the NBA, and he played in six games for the Thunder, averaging two points and 1.3 assists in 4.7 minutes.
In two seasons with the Blue, Hamilton played 94 games, averaging 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists. The former Connecticut guard was the 56th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Nuggets, who traded him to the Thunder on draft night.