The Thunder are signing forward Alex Reese to a standard, non-guaranteed contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). This move comes in the wake of Isaiah Hartenstein suffering a hand fracture.
Reese was previously on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Thunder, logging limited minutes in three preseason games. He was waived by Oklahoma City on Wednesday, but he impressed enough in training camp to earn consideration as a backup while Hartenstein recovers from his injury across what will likely be a multi-week absence.
The 6’9″ Reese played his college ball at Alabama from 2017-21, averaging 5.4 points per game in his final season. He spent a year away from basketball, primarily working as a bartender, then signed in Luxembourg in 2022/23 before playing with the Trail Blazers’ G League affiliate last season. He averaged 11.5 PPG in ’23/24 behind decent shooting and impressed enough to earn a spot on the Thunder’s training camp roster.
When the Thunder signed and waived Reese, the plan was likely that he would join OKC’s G League affiliate. However, with Hartenstein out and an open spot on the 15-man roster, that opened up an opportunity for Reese to provide depth. Outside of Hartenstein and Reese, the only players 6’9″ or taller on the Thunder’s roster are Jaylin Williams, Ousmane Dieng and Exhibit 10 signing Malevy Leons.
By signing Reese, the Thunder’s roster will stand at 19 players. They’ll have 15 players on standard deals and three players on two-way contracts. Leons is also occupying an Exhibit 10 slot and the Thunder will have to decide by Monday if they’d like to convert him to a two-way contract or cut him.
Reese signing a non-guaranteed deal indicates the Thunder may cycle through players on the back half of their roster or open up that slot later in the season for flexibility. If he impresses, the Thunder can keep him through the year. It’s also possible that Oklahoma City plans to develop him on a multi-year non-guaranteed contract. As The Athletic’s John Hollinger notes (Twitter link), if Reese is in Oklahoma City’s long-term plans, they could sign him to a two-year deal with a team option on the second year, then decline that in favor of signing him to an affordable multi-year deal next offseason.
Jamarion Sharpe is available