Best Mike Muscala destinations after Pistons buyout

Muscala has played for seven different franchises. The only two teams he spent more than a season with were the Atlanta Hawks and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Currently sitting at the top of the Western Conference standings and having an open roster spot, the Thunder make a whole lot of sense for Muscala. The veteran embraced his time with the Thunder and should absolutely be wanting a reunion.

“I’m going to get a little emotional probably. It was just, coming to OKC, it was just like — I’m grateful for it, and it helped me a lot as a man and as a player,” Muscala said of Oklahoma City in 2021, via Thunder Wire. “Whatever happens this offseason, like I said, I’d love to be back, but I’ll always be a Thunder fan and always rooting for the Thunder.”

A young team that could benefit from another veteran voice in their locker room, especially a player who wants to be in Oklahoma City, Muscala makes the most sense as a buyout addition for the Thunder. Even though they just signed Bismack Biyombo, Muscala is a stretch big man who gives the Thunder more depth behind Chet Holmgren.

Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns have been searching for answers in their frontcourt for quite some time. Jusuf Nurkic can only do so much, and against smaller teams in the league, the veteran center has struggled to remain productive. At times, this has forced the Suns to go small, with Kevin Durant playing the center position.

After signing Thaddeus Young, the Suns still have an open roster spot that they can utilize in order to add more depth to their championship pursuit. Unlike Nurkic and Drew Eubanks, Muscala would give the Suns a stretch big man who is comfortable knocking down multiple shots from the perimeter in limited minutes. Even in a lesser role, he could still open up the floor a little bit more for Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Durant because of his shooting abilities.

The only question here is if the Suns want to spend even more money than they already have, as signing Muscala to a minimum deal for the rest of the season costs even more in luxury taxes.

Philadelphia 76ers

Although he spent part of the 2018-19 season in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform, Muscala is a Sixers hero for different reasons. When the 76ers traded away Markelle Fultz to the Orlando Magic in 2019, they acquired the Thunder’s 2020 first-round pick with Top-20 protections on it. Everyone knows how the 2019-20 season ended with the league having to play games in the NBA Bubble down in Florida, but what people tend to forget is that those “meaningless” regular-season games that were played impacted the 2020 draft.

In the second-to-last game being played in the bubble before the playoffs, the Miami Heat took on the Thunder. If Oklahoma City beat Miami in this game, they would finish with the 10th-best record in the league, meaning they wouldn’t retain their draft pick with Top-20 protections. Muscala, who was on the Thunder at the time, hit two massive triples with under a minute left to win the game for the Thunder, resulting in Philadelphia claiming the 21st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. That pick became Tyrese Maxey, who is now an All-Star for the 76ers.

It is safe to say the 76ers made out pretty well here, which is why Muscala would be welcomed back to the City of Brotherly Love with open arms. Superstar big man Joel Embiid is also going to be out until closer to the start of the playoffs, and the Sixers could use more frontcourt depth. With the ability to score from the perimeter as a big man, Muscala would be the ideal center to have alongside Maxey for the time being.

Boston Celtics

Muscala was traded to the Celtics during the 2022-23 season and ended up playing in 20 games, averaging 5.9 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 38.5 percent from long-range. Boston currently has Porzingis and Al Horford in their frontcourt, plus they just added Xavier Tillman Sr. at the trade deadline. With Luke Kornet also still receiving minutes, it is hard to imagine that there would be room for Muscala on this roster.

Then again, you can never have too much shooting depth, especially in the frontcourt. The Celtics have an open roster spot and could show interest in signing Muscala, a player who is already familiar with their system and roster.

New York Knicks

Everything that could have gone wrong for the New York Knicks in recent weeks has gone wrong. Julius Randle and OG Anunoby are both injured, Isaiah Hartenstein is dealing with Achilles soreness, Mitchell Robinson still has no timetable for his potential return, and now Jalen Brunson sat out the team’s most recent game due to a neck injury. Although they have proven to be a top-tier team when healthy, the Knicks have been left shorthanded due to all of the injuries on their roster.

In their frontcourt, Hartenstein and Jericho Sims are the team’s only options right now, as veteran big man Taj Gibson recently had his 10-day contract expire. It is unlikely that they will actually pursue Muscala, but he could fit in well as a counter to the type of player Hartenstein is. The Knicks need some scoring production in their frontcourt right now, and Muscala can be a factor in 10-15 minutes per game for them.

Golden State Warriors

It would come as a surprise if the Golden State Warriors looked to pursue Muscala with their open roster spot. Since Draymond Green’s return, the Warriors have gone small with him as their starting center. This leaves Kevon Looney, Dario Saric, and Trayce Jackson-Davis as their big-man options coming off the bench.

The potential addition of Muscala would just create a logjam of talent that the Warriors wouldn’t know what to do with. They already have problems figuring out their nightly rotations, so there really isn’t a reason to create more confusion by adding Muscala despite his three-point shooting abilities.