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| Derek Fisher reportedly wants to join a contender. (Getty Images) |
Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com's Marc Stein that the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are still trying to fill the void created by Eric Maynor's season-ending knee injury, are deciding whether to register a formal bid for Fisher.
Fisher is said to be strongly interested in joining the Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat, while sources told Stein that the San Antonio Spurs have not yet ruled out pursuing Fisher because their planned signing of former Portland Trail Blazers guard Patty Mills has been held up by the fact that Portland has not yet renounced rights to Mills.
via Derek Fisher, Houston Rockets reach buyout agreement - ESPN.
The Clippers are reportedly not interested, mostly because they just added Nick Young and have about 1,700 point guards. Let's evaluate each option, shall we?
Chicago Bulls: Kind of a weird idea, since they have C.J. Watson who has done a really quality job with Rose out this season and John Lucas III who after getting dunked over by LeBron wound up going off in a Bulls win over Miami last week. It's not like they're lacking in leadeship or veteran savvy. It's hard to see why the Bulls would need Fisher on roster.
Miami Heat: Norris Cole has been a sparkplug for the Heat off the bench, but as always, the fear with rookies in the playoffs is that they won't know how to react to the intensity and make the smart play. Fisher on the other hand can't spark nitroglycerin at this point but will always make the smart play. The Heat would also likely use Fisher's knowledge of not only the Lakers, but the Celtics and Tom Thibodeau's system in Boston. His tactical knowledge outweighs his actual on-court contributions at this point.
San Antonio Spurs: Mills is inexperienced, incomplete, and mostly flash. Fisher on the other hand fits perfectly in with a long line of players who contributed to the Spurs' championship runs far past the point where their legs said they should be able to. The Spurs aren't short on leadership, or experience, but a point guard with defensive experience who can hit a big shot in the closing seconds of a playoff game is what the Spurs are always shopping for.
Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder have been chasing a back-up point guard for months. They like Reggie Jackson but with Eric Maynor out, they know they need a playmaker. Fisher's not really that, but he is a guy who can run an offense in terms of getting the ball where it needs to go to initiate and then hit the shot in the corner. There are enough athletes on OKC to cover for Fisher's liabilities. Particularly, a lineup with James Harden running the offense and Fisher camped out in the corner would be similar to what the Lakers have done with Fisher.
Wherever Fisher goes, he provides a wealth of knowledege and a limited skillset at this point. Either way, it's going to be really weird seeing him in a uniform other than Lakers' gold.
