What's next for Derrick Favors after first season with OKC Thunder?
Derrick Favors was having fun in Las Vegas last summer when he got a call from his agent around 11 p.m. or midnight. Favors, who had spent parts of 10 seasons with the Jazz, had been salary dumped in a trade to the Thunder.
“At first it was kind of a tough thing to deal with,” Favors said before the season, “but right now I’m all in on it … I just want to help them out as much as I can, for however long I’m here.”
Favors stuck to his word.
The 30-year-old center, who played a contributing role on good Jazz teams, was used intermittently on a rebuilding Thunder squad before he was shut down for the last month-plus of the season with lower back soreness.
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Similar to Al Horford’s Thunder tenure a season before, Favors stayed professional in what could have been an awkward situation. After all, no one, not even Favors, pretended that OKC was a proper fit given the Thunder’s youth-focused, long-term approach.
But as Favors said repeatedly in his exit interview, the Thunder’s young guys made Favors feel youthful. Thirty might not sound so old, but Favors was the Thunder’s second-oldest player behind Mike Muscala.
“It brought back that fun,” Favors said, “that joy of playing basketball and not worrying about the business part, not worrying about personal life stuff, just having fun and … feeling that energy of being around 19-, 20-, 21-year-olds.”
As for the business part, Favors has a $10.2 million player option for next season that he plans to pick up. As an aging old-school center, Favors wouldn’t make that much on the open market.
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He averaged a career-low 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 17 minutes per game this season. The former Georgia Tech standout, who was the No. 3 pick in the 2010 draft, made 18 starts in his 39 games.
If the Thunder can’t find a trade for Favors this offseason, Favors will likely be at risk of being waived. His roster spot entering next season is far from secure, especially with the possible addition of four more draft picks.
But Favors said in his exit interview that he “expects to be back” with the Thunder next season.
“I’m glad I’m here,” Favors said. “It opened my eyes to a lot of things.
“I just enjoy watching these young guys. I enjoy watching them come out and improve every game. I enjoy talking to Mark (Daigneault), and I enjoy being in this atmosphere.”
NBA Draft key dates
COMBINE: May 16-22 in Chicago
LOTTERY: May 17 in Chicago
DRAFT: June 23 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Derrick Favors says first season with OKC Thunder 'opened my eyes'
