Olivier Sarr

Three G League Players Sign With Thunder Under Hardship Exemption

Center Olivier Sarr and guards Scotty Hopson and Rob Edwards have signed 10-day contracts with the Thunder under the hardship exemption, according to the official NBA transactions log. All three have been playing for the Thunder’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.

Sarr, who went undrafted this year after playing at Kentucky last season, has averaged 7.1 PPG and 4.9 RPG while mostly coming off the bench in 14 games for the Blue.

Hopson, 32, has three games of NBA experience. He’s appeared in 11 G League games this season, averaging 6.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 1.4 APG.

Edwards, undrafted last year out of Arizona State, has averaged 12.3 PPG and 1.9 APG in 15 NBAGL games this season.

Oklahoma City, with four players currently in the league’s health and safety protocols, also reportedly intends to sign Zavier Simpson.

Thunder Waive Mamadi Diakite, Two Others

The Thunder have waived forward Mamadi Diakite, guard Justin Jaworski and center Olivier Sarr, the team announced in a press release today.

Diakite was claimed off waivers by Oklahoma City last month, while Jaworski and Sarr both signed Exhibit 10 deals with the club earlier today. Diakite was only guaranteed $100K this season and held a non-guaranteed salary for the 2022/23 campaign.

Jaworski and Sarr are strong contenders to join the Thunder’s G League team this season.

Diakite is coming off a G League season where he averaged 18.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. He was recently diagnosed with a left hip fracture.

Oklahoma City now has 17 players under contract, including Paul Watson and Aaron Wiggins on two-way deals. It appears that Gabriel Deck, whose deal is non-guaranteed, has earned a spot on the Thunder’s 15-man opening night roster.

Thunder Sign Olivier Sarr, Justin Jaworski

The Thunder have signed center Olivier Sarr and guard Justin Jaworski, the team announced today. Both players are likely to be waived and play for the club’s G League affiliate this season.

Sarr, a 7’0 Wake Forest and Kentucky product, went unselected in July’s NBA draft. The 22-year-old averaged 8.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in college, playing 22 minutes per contest.

Jaworski, also 22, went undrafted in July after spending four seasons at Lafayette College. He appeared in 98 games, averaging 15.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in 31.3 minutes per contest.

Hawks Notes: Prunty, J. McMillan, Workouts, Collins

Joe Prunty and Jamelle McMillan are expected to become part of Nate McMillan‘s revamped coaching staff with the Hawks, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

Prunty, who began working as an NBA assistant in 1996, has spent time with a total of seven different teams and briefly served as the interim head coach of the Bucks during the 2017/18 season. Prunty, who last coached in the NBA in 2018/19 as a Suns assistant, was the head coach of the Team USA squad that played in the AmeriCup qualifiers earlier this year. He and Nate McMillan worked together in Portland from 2008-10.

Jamelle McMillan, who is Nate’s son, has spent most of his career with the Pelicans, including several years as an assistant under Alvin Gentry. He joined the Suns for a season in 2018/19 before rejoining the Pelicans, but was let go in 2020 when Stan Van Gundy was hired by New Orleans.

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