Derek Fisher was unceremoniously traded from the Lakers to the Rockets last season, before ultimately signing with the Thunder in mid-March. He played meaningful minutes while in OKC, and averaged over 22 minutes per game in the team’s Finals loss at the hands of the Miami Heat.
Fisher’s services were not retained by the Thunder, however, and he has been looking for work ever since the season began. Fisher had maintained that he would wait for an offer from a contender before signing, but with a month gone by and no offers on the table, he’s apparently chosen playing over not playing as a way to spend his immediate future.
The Dallas Mavericks will sign Fisher on Thursday, according to the team’s head coach Rick Carlisle, via multiple reports. Carlisle broke the news to reporters after the Mavericks’ 23-point loss at the hands of the Bulls, one that came after Darren Collison was placed on the inactive list -- possibly due to a finger injury, and possibly due to falling out of favor with Carlisle due to his sub-par performance this season.
Fisher can provide a stabilizing force to bring the ball up and initiate the offense, which is something the Mavs could certainly use at this stage of the team’s development. He can also provide semi-consistent long-range shooting, but what he can’t provide is legitimate on-ball defense, which is another area the team desperately needs to see improve.
There’s the whole veteran leadership factor, which of course is a nice intangible to add to any team, and is obviously a plus. But just how much Fisher will be able to physically help in Dallas with his on-court production remains to be seen.