PHOTO/Getty Images-Zach Beeker
The questions about what the heck was going on came just shortly after it appeared the Thunder and backup center Nerlens Noel had come to terms on a new contract. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, who's wrong about as often as the sun doesn't set, had tweeted that Noel "has agreed to a deal to return to the Thunder."
A few minutes later came the questions. Question marks actually...two of them in fact...posted on Noel's Instagram account, calling into question the report that he had agreed to a deal. Later last night Woj tweeted the Noel “asked for more time to re-evaluate their earlier commitment on a new deal.”
Around that same time Wojnarowski reported the Thunder and free agent forward/center Mike Muscala had come to terms on a contract. No questions on that deal. But no terms on that contract were announced either, just like with Noel earlier.
It's believed the Thunder and Noel will continue talking and the signing of Muscala might be more about the future of Patrick Patterson than Noel. Muscala is a career 36.5% 3-point shooter...a guy who can stretch the floor when he's in the game. Something neither Noel, Steven Adams, nor Patterson (with his shooting woes the past two seasons) can do.