The Thunder have trimmed their preseason roster by one, releasing Daniel Orton from the team, according to a press release. Orton wasn’t technically a camp invitee, since he was playing on a contract that began last season. However, his minimum salary was fully non-guaranteed, so the Thunder won’t be on the hook for his cap hit.
Orton, 23, was selected by the Magic in the first round in 2010, but only lasted two seasons with the team before he became a free agent and signed a minimum deal with the Thunder. In 2012/13, the big man bounced back and forth between OKC and the club’s D-League affiliate at Tulsa. In 29 games for the 66ers, Orton averaged 12.5 PPG and 7.8 RPG.
The Thunder now have 16 players under contract, including two (Diante Garrett and Rodney McGruder) on non-guaranteed deals, and two more (Hasheem Thabeet and Ryan Gomes) with partial guarantees. The club will have to release at least one more player before opening night to reduce its roster count to the regular season maximum.