Oklahoma City Thunder gain roster versatility by signing veteran Ronnie Price
Following Cameron Payne's recent Jones fracture, Oklahoma City has added veteran depth to its point guard rotation. According to NewsOK's Anthony Slater, the Thunder have signed 33-year-old combo guard Ronnie Price to an undisclosed two-year contract.
"OKC has agreed to a two-year deal with Ronnie Price. Beyond the length, the terms of the reported deal are still unknown, including how much of the money, if any, is guaranteed."
Price posted career highs of 62 games played and 5.3 ppg last season for the 23-59 Phoenix Suns. Undrafted coming out of Utah Valley State College, the 6'2 combo guard has carved a serviceable niche in the NBA. Since his 2005 debut with Sacramento, Price has competed for six different NBA franchises.
In 530 career games, Price holds averages of 3.8 points, 1.8 assists, 1.2 rebounds, and nearly a steal per contest -- while posting a shooting line of 37/30/73. Though those numbers are pedestrian, Price dramatically improved his three-point marksmanship last season. In total, the defensive-minded guard connected on a career-best 68 triples, while shooting nearly 35 percent from deep.
Due to his experience, defensive guile and enhanced perimeter shooting, Price figures to be a decent emergency/backup point guard on the 16'-17' Oklahoma City roster. Price can also function as primary ball handler in smaller OKC lineups, allowing the Thunder to feature a potent open-court duo of Russell Westbrook and Victor Oladipo.