It may have felt like the plot of a suspense movie for OKC Thunder fans on the first day of the 2019 NBA Free Agency Moratorium. Early in the process, a Woj Bomb announced General Manager, Sam Presti had secured backup center Nerlens Noel to return next season.
Most fans were surprised but delighted by this news given the Thunder weren’t exactly in the market to land many big fish and the center had proven a good fit with the team last season.
When Noel opted out of his second year most felt this signaled the fact he’d be a long shot to re-sign with the expectations he’d likely moved into a contract bracket which would be too rich for OKC.