Tony Bradley was seen as a sweetener when he and Austin Rivers were acquired by Oklahoma City during Thursday’s trade deadline. However a Friday report of him not reporting and a then third-sting role created some small murmurs. Now we know — Bradley’s here to stay.
Mark Daigneault announced to the media Saturday evening that Tony Bradley has arrived in Oklahoma City, “That’s [Bradley’s status] progressed.”
Bradley enters the Thunder organization with a major opportunity to prove himself. The 23-year-old has been playing sparingly in his four-seasons in the NBA with the Utah Jazz and Philadelphia 76ers, averaging a career 11.3 minutes across a paltry 90 games .Entering the back-half of the regular-season, Bradley will have a golden opportunity to produce behind Moses Brown, as with Al Horford out for the remainder of the season — he’ll have a major shot at filling those minutes.
The big man will hit restricted free agency over the summer yielding a chance to collect a second contract as a minute filler at the five.
Despite hardly playing, Bradley has willed opponents when given proper playing time. In fact, his final game in a 76ers harbored a career-high 18 points (8-of-8 FG) and 11 rebounds across 33 minutes. In March — he’s posting his best month in the NBA with averages of 7.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on an unprecedented 81.6% clip.
Bradley will not compete in Saturday’s contest against the Boston Celtics, but it is expected his involvement with the team will kindle once out of the league’s health-and-safety protocol.
Austin Rivers has still yet to report to Oklahoma City, and with Bradley in house — it may be fair to suggest Rivers will never suit up in a Thunder jersey.