The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Vaden from the Bobcats on Draft Night. The 24-year old Vaden played in 60 games in two seasons at UAB and he averaged 11.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Vaden has a decent upside so he could help the Thunder down the road.

The Thunder acquired B.J. Mullens in a trade with the Mavericks. The 20-year old Mullens is a 7′0″, 275 pound center who the Thunder will develop slowly. Mullens played in 33 games in his one year with Ohio State and he averaged 8.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game. Mullens could eventually start in the pivot down the road for the Thunder but they will likely take it slow with him.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have selected 19-year old shooting guard James Harden with the third pick in the NBA Draft. The Thunder will probably team Harden with Russell Westbrook in the backcourt for the 2009-2010 season. Harden played in 69 games (68 starts) at Arizona State and he averaged 19.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game. Harden hit 50.6% from the floor and 37.6% from three point range so he’s a solid offensive player.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are happy with rookie point guard Russell Westbrook. He has played in 15 games for the Thunder this season and he is averaging 25.5 minutes, 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Westbrook will likely get big time minutes for the Thunder this season as it is almost a lost cause already. Fellow rookie guard Kyle Weaver hasn’t gotten much of a chance to show what he can do yet. Weaver has played in 6 games (0 starts) for the Thunder this season and he is averaging 4.3 minutes, 1.8 points, 0.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Look for Weaver to get more playing time as the season goes on. F/C Steven Hill has only played in 1 game for the Thunder this season and he has played 2 minutes scoring 2 points and grabbing 3 rebounds.

Oklahoma City has released 35-year old forward Donyell Marshall. Marshall played in 26 games (1 start) with the Sonics and Cavaliers last season and he averaged 13.1 minutes, 3.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. This could be the end of the line for Donyell Marshall as he’s getting old and didn’t play well last season. Marshall has now played in 932 games (422 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 26.7 minutes, 11.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.