The Thunder have agreed to bring Talib Zanna to camp for a second consecutive autumn, as Shams Charania of RealGM cites sources who say they’re reached a one-year, non-guaranteed deal (Twitter link). The power forward, who went undrafted out of Pittsburgh in 2014, spent this past season with Oklahoma City’s D-League affiliate, furthering the team’s familiarity with the Relativity Sports client. RealGM’s player page for Zanna lists him as under contract with OpenJobMetis Varese of Italy, so it would appear as though that deal has an NBA out.
Zanna, who turns 25 in October, split summer league between the Thunder and Cavs, putting up 6.0 points and an efficient 4.7 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game. Indeed, at 6’9″, he showed a touch on the boards in the D-League this past year, pulling down 11.0 RPG to go with 13.3 PPG in 27.7 MPG. It’s a skill he didn’t show as much of in college, where he topped out at 8.6 RPG in 30.3 MPG as a senior.
Oklahoma City has 15 fully guaranteed contracts, and they reportedly have camp deals with shooting guards Dez Wells and Michael Qualls. That would make it tough to envision Zanna breaking through and sticking on the roster for the regular season. Still, it’s an opportunity for the Thunder to continue their relationship and get a closer look at him, perhaps with a late-season 10-day contract in mind.