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What is your take on this move?

Clearly he wouldn't be getting any minutes on the Thunder anytime soon.

Italian league is arguably worse than d-league competition wise, definitely not as good as Spanish league. Although, Bellinelli and Gallo both came from the Italian league.

Does he just turn into another minor trade chip for the Thunder, bait for a team like Philly that is willing to let player develop for a year or two while getting paid money that is superior to d-league?

Seems like the NBA needs to better subsidize d-league pay if NBA prospects start bolting for better international contracts than offered in d-league.

I don't think it is an issue. They haven't announced the terms yet, but I'm assuming it is a short, 1-2 year, deal which will give him a chance to develop over seas and make some more money before potentially returning to OKC. After trading for Augustin and drafting Payne I don't see where Christon would have fit unless you are talking about 3rd string PG next year if they let Augustin walk. If they re-sign Augustin after this season then it is completely irrelevant.

Never thought he would get much PT this year or next with drafting of Payne. That isn't the issue. The issue is they spent a 2nd on him, and they need to get something out of him even if he plays for another team.

Same really applies to Abrines, although I would argue he would have a better job getting minutes at SG next year than Christon would this or next.

They need to get something out of a 2nd round pick? Teams hope they can get something out of a 2nd round pick 5% of the time. They bought Semaj with a little cash. If he improves and comes back over and is a useful bench player down the line then great. If he disappears into a 2nd tier league it isn't an issue. You might get one quality player from the 2nd round in a given draft and most 2nd round picks never get an NBA contract. If the Thunder didn't happen to be the lucky team for that draft, oh well.

The same goes for Dakari Johnson. As for Abrines, he will most likely come over next season after Waiters and Novak are gone through FA. Abrines was another draft day cash gamble. If he never comes over and it cost them a little cash no big deal. Giving away Pleiss is going end up hurting more than getting nothing out of Semaj, Abrines and Johnson would.

The idea that every Presti pick has to pan out is just such an insane standard. No team expects their 2nd round pick to be anything more than a guy on the end of the bench for a few years. It's when the mid first round picks like McGary, Reggie Jackson and Payne give you nothing that you have issues. If you want to scream about trading up for Aldrich I get it. Taking Jeff Green over Noah, fine. However, to think that Semaj being your average 2nd round pick by not adding anything to the team is an issue is just a whole new level of expectation that no GM or team can ever measure up to.

When was the last time the Spurs got something out of a 2nd round pick?

I remember several years ago being excited for Latavious Williams' development when he moved overseas. http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2012/02/13/gibson-update-on-latavious-williams-property-of-okc-thunder/

Williams never come back (save one mostly unremarkable Summer League). So long Semaj. We hardly knew ya.

He was the 55th pick in a bad draft, I wasn't expecting him to ever be more than 3rd string PG. No biggie.

Really like Criston but I don't know how much he can play with our PG depth


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ThunderFan123 wrote:Really like Criston but I don't know how much he can play with our PG depth

This year he wouldn't play. He would have been stuck in the D-League again. They might have a spot for him next year if they do not resign Augustin. Novak and Waiters also come off the books after this season. They could bring over Abrines. They won't have a first round draft pick, unless they trade for one. I could see them resigning Agustin and letting Semaj play overseas for 2 years before bringing him back.

Semaj was a 2nd round draft pick who, while similar to Reggie Jackson, has a lot of developing to do. If he can develop overseas and come over ready to contribute in 2017-2018 then that would be great for a 2nd pick that was acquired for a little walking around money. If he never comes to the NBA it isn't like he was a bust or disappointment. You get 1-2 surprise players in each draft that end up being able to stick around out of the 2nd round. To not hit on a very long shot should never be considered a disappointment. It is when you miss in the top 10 that you have problems, not when you bought the draft rights to a player that had about a 3% chance to make it to begin with not being a contributing player on a team that is contending for championships.

There's a lot to like with Semaj, he's a superb athlete and playmaker, slasher, solid defender, game manager, etc. that just struggles to shoot. It's not like Dion, he doesn't take inadvisable shots, he just doesn't convert nearly enough at the rim or from 3. What's amazing to me is how important that is for a pg. If Reggie is getting the max, Semaj would be a starting caliber nba pg IF he could shoot >35% from 3 and >65% at the rim. Where can he best develop his shot, OKC or overseas?