When you win an NBA championship with mostly homegrown talent, the rest of the league swarms you like vultures looking for talent. The Oklahoma City Thunder have experienced this firsthand over the years. The latest example occurs with their G-League affiliate.
The Golden State Warriors signed Malevi Lyons to a two-way contract. He spent the past two years with the Thunder after going undrafted in 2024. Before that, he spent time overseas with Bradley.
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During his two years at Leon, Lyons spent most of his time with the Thunder blue team. He also played in several summer league and preseason games. Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault is excited to see the 26-year-old return to the NBA. Last year, he had a cup of coffee with the defending NBA champions and appeared in six games.
“It couldn’t have happened to a better person. He’s a great guy. Easy to support,” Dainio said. “He’s been a great program guy for us.”
Daigneault said he reminisced about Lyons with Blues head coach Daniel Dixon. He recalled his first summer league trip, when he didn’t touch the floor until the final few games of the multi-week event. By then, most had left Las Vegas as the top draft picks were eliminated.
“If you’ve been to Vegas from beginning to end, it’s like the lights are on in a bar. It’s not a great environment,” Daigneault said. “He’s leaving. And then he played a couple of blue seasons with us. He’s on our roster and in and out of training camp. He’s a guy that’s getting better here.”
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Not all bidirectional points are equal. Some teams need young depth more than others. Count the brave men on that boat. Maybe Lyons can bring some energy to the bench. He has the right physical tools to help this small lineup.
“We’re happy for him,” Dainio said. “He’s a great show guy.”
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: OKC Thunder excited to see Malevy Leons earn Warriors’ two-way spot
