The Thunder opened a roster spot by waiving second-year forward Eugene Omoruyi, the team announced in a press release.
Omoruyi, 26, signed a two-way contract with Oklahoma City last summer and was converted to a standard deal earlier this month. His new contract ran through 2023/24, but the second season was non-guaranteed.
The Thunder wanted roster flexibility and the decision came down to Omoruyi or Dario Saric, tweets Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. The team opted to hold onto Saric, who was acquired from the Suns at the trade deadline.
Omoruyi appeared in 23 games for the Thunder, averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per night. He also spent part of the season with the team’s G League affiliate.
After going undrafted out of Oregon in 2021, Omoruyi broke into the NBA on a two-way contract with the Mavericks. He played four games for Dallas before being waived in December of that year.
Why did OKC sign him to an extension if they weren’t sure to keep him?
I don’t see any reason and wonder how much this has cost them.
We have a reputation of doing right by our players, so maybe that’s part of it idk
Not everyone is great at their job. *shrugs*
His salary wasn’t guaranteed beyond this season, so the cost was relatively minimal (about $555K).
At least he got to play some minutes