The Oklahoma City Thunder made a key addition to their squad Monday when they signed free agent and former five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher to their roster.
This marks the second consecutive year that point guard Fisher joins the Oklahoma City squad, as he was a part of the team that helped upend the veteran San Antonio Spurs in last year's Western Conference Finals for Oklahoma City to reach its first NBA Finals since relocating from Seattle in 2008.
The veteran point guard made his name in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers playing alongside Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Shaquille O'Neal, helping the team win five championship in the last decade.
Fisher started out the season with the Dallas Mavericks, but asked for his release in December after only nine games with the team in order to spend more time with his family. The 38-year-old Fisher also was suffering from knee issues at the time.
Fisher's signing on Monday signals the Thunder (41-15) wanting to kick it up a notch as they prepare to make their push towards top seeding in the West for the NBA Playoffs and a possible rematch with LeBron James and the world champion Miami Heat, who bounced Oklahoma City, four games to one, in the NBA Finals last season.
In 20 games last year for Oklahoma City, Fisher netted 4.9 points on 34 percent shooting-- including 31 percent from three-point territory.
However, Fisher really shined in the playoffs, where he shot 37.5 percent from three-point land and scored 6.8 points for OKC. For his playoff career, Fisher has averaged 8.6 points on 42.6 percent field goal shooting and 40 percent from beyond the arc.