Oklahoma City Thunder to Host Free Agent Workouts Tuesday and Wednesday

Via Ridiculous Upside:

The Thunder have invited guards Blake Ahearn, Matt Janning, Jerome Dyson and Marquez Haynes; wings Bobby Simmons, James Singleton,DeMarre Carroll and Joe Alexander; and bigs Ryan Reid, Latavious Williams, Arinze Onuaku, Marquis Gilstrap, Tony Gaffney, Rob Kurzand Stephane Lasme. Those names are fluid, however, meaning a few more could be added to the list by the time workouts are actually underway.

Be sure to check out the full Ridiculous Upside article for Schroeder's take on the players that have been selected for the workout.

If you're unaware, the Thunder are definitely a team that likes to use the D-League. They had several former pre-season callups and draft picks on the Tulsa 66ers this year, and they have sent guys like Cole Aldrich and Byron Mullens down to the D-League in order to work on their game. Heck, they even called up Robert Vaden late this season, and he was never close to seeing time on the floor.

This off-season workout basically serves as a whose who of Thunder prospects, failed draft picks, guys who have seen spot time in the NBA, and relative unknowns. You'd have to be a real NBA buff to know all of the names listed here, but casual fans will recognize a few names, like Joe Alexander, who was almost in the dunk contest, and pobbily a guy like Rob Kurz, who was a decent sharpshooter for a injury-ridden Warriors team in 08-09.

Why is this workout happening? Well, with the Summer League cancelled and the Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire, teams have limited time to look at non-draft prospects before the pre-season begins, assuming the lockout lasts an extended period of time. Thus, this is basically the Thunders opportunity to look at who they might want on their D-League team, and who they'll want to invite to training camp. It might seem a bit irrelevant given that the Thunder's roster will be packed heading into next season, but those who have followed the NBA for a long time know that trades and injuries can hit at any time, and leave us thankful for a guy like Robert Vaden.