Derek Fisher Says He Talked With Heat’s Pat Riley Before Choosing Thunder

When the Houston Rockets released Derek Fisher partway through the season after acquiring him in a trade with the Lakers, plenty of teams were willing to give the veteran guard a look to see if he could help them in their stretch run toward the playoffs.

Two of those teams are now in the NBA Finals.

Fisher ended up with the Thunder, of course, and was part of Oklahoma City's dismantling of his former team in the Western Conference playoffs.

But Fisher, 37, also had conversations with the Miami Heat and Pat Riley before joining the Thunder, Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com reports.

"It just wasn't a fit at that time for the team," Fisher said of the talks, which he termed as "serious." "As I went through the process, I learned that [the Thunder] would be a better fit for me from a number of different perspectives."

The Heat already had Mario Chalmers at point guard and rookie Norris Cole, and Riley was more interested in a "big guy," Fisher said. The Heat ended up picking up Ronny Turiaf after he was released by the Nuggets, and Fisher settled with the Thunder.

It's not unusual for veterans to be in consideration among contenders as the season winds down, but it is unique that Fisher seemed to have his options narrowed to the last two teams standing. He said he likes his choice.

"The type of people the coaches are, management, it was just the right decision for me," he told CBSSports.com.

Fisher, who has five championships to his name already, could make it an even better choice by the series' end.