Robert Vaden Called Up To Thunder From NBA D-League Affiliate Tulsa 66ers

The Oklahoma City Thunder first acquired Robert Vaden on on the night of the 2009 NBA Draft when they sent "cash considerations" to the Charlotte Bobcats in return for Vaden, the 54th overall pick earlier that evening.

Two seasons later and Vaden will sign his first contract with the Thunder as a source with knowledge of the situation has informed Ridiculous Upside that the the Thunder will call up Vaden from their D-League affiliate Tulsa 66ers for the remainder of the season. 

Vaden's signing is similar to the Thunder's decision to call-up Mustafa Shakur, who never appeared in a game for Oklahoma City, toward the end of last season as Vaden is expected to be re-assigned to the 66ers for the remainder of the team's playoff run. He'll then be eligible to appear with the Thunder in the NBA playoffs.

The 66ers, who finished a first round sweep of the Dallas Mavericks-run Texas Legends on Friday night, relied heavily on Vaden in game one of the series as I recapped in the, uh, recap:

Robert Vaden, the 54th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, is best known for his shooting so it was a bit surprising that he was given a few open looks early in the game. Of course, after he made four of his first five attempts from beyond the arc and the defense tightened up, the damage was already done as he'd led the 66ers to a 42-32 lead midway through the second quarter. He didn't score again until the fourth quarter, but a nice six-point spurt helped Tulsa get off to a good start in the final stanza on the way to a victory.

It's a bit surprising that the Thunder would sign Vaden instead of teammate Elijah Millsap, who has been more impressive this season for the 66ers, but it is a nice little reward for Vaden's decision to sign in the D-League this season where the Thunder could get a better look at him instead of playing overseas.

The sharp-shooter started 17 of 45 games for the 66ers this season, averaging 10.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 41 percent from the field and 39 percent from beyond the arc.