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Why would OKC do this, he's in the same ballpark as other centers on the team.
Well, if he's healthy, he can at least play, but his health is an issue for sure.

Nenad Krstic is close to signing a 3-year contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, multiple sources in the US and Europe told DraftExpress.com.

Krstic easily becomes the thunder's best offensive center easily. As a nets fan it saddens me to lose him, I expected him to come back in a year or 2. At least he gets a chance to prove himself on a team desperate for talent..

" But $4.78 mil, $5.2 mil, and $5.6 mil?

For a guy who plays 20 minutes one night, and gets DNP'd the next? For a guy who is averaging 12 points in a lower-level division in Russia? "

http://www.nj.com/nets/index.ssf/2008/1 ... um_co.html

I still believe in him tho.

Great signing...also improves possibilities that OKC buys out J. Smith...We would love him here in Boston.

Take it from someone who actually knows Joe. IF he does get bought out, highly doubt he signs up to play with KG again.

As for Krstic that is a fairly solid move for the Thunder. This is a good price for a young big man. I didn't follow him in Russia but if healthy he automatically becomes your #1 center. Offensively he was quietly one of the more skilled big men before his injury.

oh watch out! kristic baby! can you all say championship?

There's no doubt that we automatically become a contender with Nenad

I think it's a solid pickup if healthy (as said above). However, it is a little confusing... they would now have 5 centers (Nenad, Swift, Sene, Petro, Hill). I would presume that they would cut Hill to make room for this? It also isn't necessarily inline with what I would see for the rebuilding plan... can you imagine how horrible the interior D would be with Nenad, Durant, and Green in the frontcourt? I thought decent low post scorers were tearing us up with Swift/Petro in the lineup.

It also doesn't make sense with Green playing about 25 mpg at the 4. That leaves Petro, Collison, Swift, Smith, Nenad, Wilcox all to fight for about 70 minutes of PT. That doesn't include DJ White, who they wanted to bring energy off of the bench or HIll/Sene who aren't allowed off of the bench

Here comes the NAD!

Nice!

The only way this move makes any sense is if the Blunder have given up on Swift and Sene. And honestly why shouldn't they give up on them. Swift is a walking disater and Sene has a crazy wingspan and not much else.

I doubt you'll see Wilcox back next season. Who would have ever thought the grass would be greener on the Clippers. Joe Smith and Robert Swift will be gone. Is Petro even going to get a qualifing offer? I doubt the Blunder exercise their option on Sene.

So really next season you'll be looking at, the NAD, Collison (who wants to be traded), Green, Durant, and the lotto pick probably Griffin or Thabeet. Maybe Petro?

So that's only 6 bigs. If the Blunder do draft Griffin adios Jeff Green. Durant and Griffin create just as many mismatches as Durant and Green. Both being able to play the 3 or the 4.

I don't see any other reason to bring in the NAD unless they simply are tired of waiting for one of the three stiffs to heal or develop. But of course the NAD needs to heal as well. But has shown more when he is healthy than any of the other three combined.

Just been checking other teams forums(bulls and nets).they seem pretty high on him for the deal thats being offered.Nets fans want their front office to match but looks unlikely.Bulls fans want their front office to swing a deal also but problem is luxury tax and trading players first.Overall what have OKC got to lose its low risk high reward just hope hes healthy.This means of course goodbye to at least one of our project bigs Swift,Sene and Petro maybe all.I must admit I was pushing for OKC getting Kaman well maybe they still could a Kaman/Krstic rotation wouldnt be bad.

Griffin cant play the 3.

who is being traded.....

I would guess in the extremely short-term they would just release Hill... he doesn't play and the team has almost no investment in him. Unless they can find some kind of diamond in the rough deal to give up 2 for 1

It's an interested signing... One that really pays off if Krstic can come back from that injury... He played pretty poorly overseas and wasn't that good last year with the Nets but the flashes are still there.

When you factor in the fact that Krstic is better than any other FA center out there right now this seems like a pretty good move by the Thunder.

I like the signing for you guys. MLE type money, 3 years, not bad. He sounded miserable in Russia - so I bet he plays hard for you in appreciation for rescuing him.

We have another broken down big... to be honest with you, I don't have much hope for the NAD coming back at the same level as in the past, but why not gamble? The Swift era is pretty much over. I don't see anything happening with Petro anymore. And with Sene, we may never know. Is he out of street clothes?

So basically the NAD is coming in to be the veteran anchor along side Collison of the Sonics' umpteenth attempt to get some quality size. We will lose Wilcox and the others, but gain DJ White (who was one of the clean kids at IU, according to Eric Gordon), the Congolese Kemp, Hardin, and Griffin/Thabeet. Why not, I say, why not? It's all the same to me.

At least the Sonics won last night.

It was the right signing at the right time. By bringing in Kristic now Presti gets to see what difference he can make by having a long evaluation. If it works out then Presti knows he can concentrate on going after Blake Griffin or James Harden at the draft. If he doesn't then Thabeet and Mullens gets thrown into the mix, depending on where you guys end up in the draft position. And Kristic gets some time at power forward as well.

Either way it's good move and another example of how Sam Presti thinks ahead and a little outside the box. But a team of Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Green, and Kristic is a pretty good group. My only concern would be that Kristic hasn't been known for his defence.

Like I said... I see some serious issues of inside defense and rebounding out of the frontcourt if Durant/Green/Kristic is where we're at for any appreciable amount of time.

I really don't see Kristic as a guy who would even slightly alter who we draft, even if the signing works out wonderfully. At his best he's a decent center with a solid jump shot... that's not the kind of guy that keeps you from drafting a potential stud center.

Well, sounds like it's official...

Yeah... It wouldn't really make sense for the Nets to match either. Crazy how fast this went from rumor, to possibility, to reality. If nothing else, this should give us a couple more wins this year. After the win last night, and how crazy the crowd was, I'd love to see some more of those

Yeah, he is a great guy and his russian team just didn't use him well. He will be fine in NBA