Derek Fisher Talked with Pat Riley About Joining the Heat

Arielle Moyal
2 Min Read

Derek Fisher may very soon know what six championships feels like, as the Oklahoma City Thunder begin the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat this week.

According to Dave Hyde of Bleacher Report, Derek Fisher could have been in the NBA Finals in a Heat jersey. Fisher spoke with Pat Riley, the president of the Heat, back when the Lakers released him in March. Derek was quoted as saying:

“Pat’s a straight-shooter. He let me know they were looking more for a big guy. They were happy with Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole. It made sense to me. We worked through the available options and that’s why I’m in Oklahoma City right now.”

Experience was not enough for the Heat to take the bait; even though Fisher had played in seven NBA Finals, the 37-year-old did not fit into the team dynamic including Chalmers and Cole.

“I’m happy where it ended up.”

As he should be. Having picked up the former Lakers point guard when Eric Maynor got injured, the Thunder have used Fisher on their road to this NBA Finals. In the playoffs, Fisher averaged 21 minutes and 6.5 points. He had 41 percent shooting, 38 percent on 3-pointers, and 1.4 assists per game.

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Lakersnation.com writer. Bruin Undergrad. CSULB GPSM Masters. Sports Fanatic. Lover of everything food & LA. Oscar Wilde said the greatest sin is to be boring. Follow Arielle on @ajmoyal and on her blog.
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