Derek Fisher has officially inked a deal to come back to the Oklahoma City Thunder after a knee injury prompted him to leave the Dallas Mavericks.

Fisher helped the Thunder move towards the NBA Finals last season, but only played in nine games with the Mavs before the injury took him out. He asked to be released afterward, leaving him free for the Thunder to snatch up.

The 38-year old veteran spent a good deal of his career with the Lakers before being signed to the Houston Rockets, where he eventually bought out his contract and made the move to Oklahoma. The news that he’s returning to the Thunder is big, considering no one knew what the future would hold after his knee injury. Fisher released a statement when he was released from the Mavericks and spoke about the uncertainty that came with his decision to be released:

“The recovery time [from the knee injury] will be approximately two weeks. With this news and the difficulty I have been having being away from my family, I have asked the organization to waive me so I can return home. (Mavericks owner) Mark Cuban has been extremely supportive and has granted me this request. I cannot say enough good things about this organization. From Mark, to Coach [Rick] Carlisle, to the players on the Mavericks’ team, I sincerely thank them for the opportunity. I have made decisions in the past, leaving money and opportunity on the table, and I will need to do that again. My family is my priority and that is where I choose to be. I won’t close the possibility that I will play again; however, for now my family and being close to them remains the priority.”

The news of Fisher’s deal comes just after the Thunder’s trade of Eric Maynor to Portland.