Thunder, Other NBA Teams Eye Rudy Fernandez

The Thunder are one of multiple NBA teams with interest in four-year veteran Rudy Fernandez, reports Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. The 28-year-old shooting guard is under contract with Real Madrid of Spain through 2014/15, and is set to make slightly more than $4MM next season. That means he’d probably be looking for an NBA deal worth around $5MM per year to make it worthwhile for him to terminate his Spanish contract early, according to Sierra.

The Thunder have their full mid-level exception available, but using all of it on Fernandez would put them into the tax. Since most teams are similarly without enough financial flexibility, the possibility of Fernandez returning stateside will likely be stronger in the summer than it is now.

It’s unclear whether Fernandez’s deal includes an NBA escape clause, so any NBA team interested in signing him may have to engineer a buyout. He’s averaging 13.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists for Real Madrid, which has won 37 of its last 38 games.

Fernandez spent time with Real Madrid during the 2011 lockout, and he rejoined the club after the 2011/12 season, his last in the NBA. He’s put up 9.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game over his NBA career, with his best numbers coming as a rookie with the Blazers in 2008/09.

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