Thunder waive Darius Miller; reportedly signing Gabriel Deck

The OKC Thunder announced they waived Darius Miller, and various reports say the team is signing Real Madrid forward Gabriel Deck.

The Oklahoma City Thunder waived forward Darius Miller, the team announced Thursday night following the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Miller, who was acquired last offseason in the Steven Adams trade, only appeared in 18 games for OKC. He was coming off an Achilles injury that kept him sidelined for his entire final season with the New Orleans Pelicans, and as a 30-year-old, he was older than the players Oklahoma City was most interested in evaluating.

He averaged 4.1 points in 10.9 minutes per game, both of which were his lowest since his first stint in the NBA, which ended in 2015.

Miller did shoot 40.5% from 3, which could help him latch onto another team for the remainder of the season. Because he was waived on March 8, Miller is still eligible to play in the postseason should he join a team that reaches the playoffs.

By waiving Miller, the Thunder opened up a roster spot that will be filled by Real Madrid forward Gabriel Deck, which was first reported by overseas reporter Chema de Lucas. Emiliano Carchia reported that the deal will be for three years.

Shams Charania later confirmed the news.

Deck, who turned 26 in February, is listed at 6-foot-8 and 232 pounds.

In the 2020-21 season, Deck averaged 10 points and four rebounds per game playing in the top Spanish division. In EuroLeague, the forward posted 8.8 points and 3.6 rebounds.

He broke out playing for Argentina in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, where he averaged 13.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting 56% from the field and 37.5% from 3.

The talks between Real Madrid and …

The talks between Real Madrid and forward Gabriel Deck regarding the latter’s contract extension are paused, according to Carlos Sanchez Blas. Deck is expecting his value to be raised soon when he acquires a Spanish passport and won’t occupy a foreign player’s sport on the team’s roster. Real Madrid signed Deck to a three-year deal in 2018 so the player will become a free agent the following offseason if he doesn’t extend his contract with the Spanish powerhouse. Deck has been reported to be on the radars of some NBA teams.

Another Real star on the radar of NBA …

Another Real star on the radar of NBA teams is Deck. Concluding, Nocioni shared his view on the future of the 25-year-old Argentinian forward. “He is still making his case. He can make the jump, but currently seems more difficult,” he estimated, “I know that there is some NBA interest, but not as open as Campazzo.”