Entering Friday, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a full 15-man roster, and all three of their two-way contracts were utilized. That is no longer the case, as there is now an open spot on their roster after their transaction made last night. The Thunder defeated the Phoenix Suns 99-83 on Friday, improving their stellar record to 11-2. They have won their last three outings.
It was announced by the team after the game that forward Malevy Leons has been waived after playing in Friday’s contest.
Thunder Waive Little-Used Player, Opening Up Spot For Center?
Leons Waived By Thunder After Friday’s Outing
The Thunder are now 1-0 in the NBA Cup standings after their win on Friday over Phoenix. In that game, the 25-year-old Leons received four minutes of garbage time for the Thunder. He didn’t attempt a shot and grabbed one rebound in his brief action.
After the victory, Oklahoma City announced that Leons has been waived by the team. He was on a one-year deal with the Thunder that was non-guaranteed. The Thunder originally signed Leons to an Exhibit 10 deal in the offseason. He was waived prior to the regular season, but he re-signed with the club two weeks later on October 30 after the Thunder waived Alex Reese.
Friday was Leons’ sixth appearance with Oklahoma City this season. In those six games, he totaled just 21 minutes. Leons wasn’t utilized in high-leverage situations by the team, instead playing just during mop-up duty. He has two points, three rebounds, and an assist on the season.
Leons went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft after spending three seasons playing collegiately at Bradley. In his last two years with the school, he was named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Leons was also named First Team All-MVC last season.
Will Oklahoma City Look To Add A Center?
The Thunder have been winning at an excellent clip to begin the season and currently own a half-game lead over the Golden State Warriors for top record in the Western Conference. They have been playing superb ball despite not recently having a true center on their roster.
Free agent signing Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams have yet to play this season with injuries. Young phenom Chet Holmgren suffered a right iliac wing fracture on November 10. The injury is expected to keep him out of action for 8-10 weeks, a tough break for the 22-year-old. Since Holmgren’s injury, the Thunder have employed an unorthodox starting lineup. Their starting center has been 6-foot-6 Jalen Williams which certainly has left them smaller than their opponents. They are 3-0 since Holmgren went down, so thus far they have weathered the storm.
Still, one has to wonder if Oklahoma City waived Leons to get a traditional center on the roster. Speaking with Kevin Garnett on KG Certified, Dwight Howard let it be known that the Thunder should bring him in, although he hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2021-22 season.
The Thunder play the second of a back-to-back on Saturday when they host the Dallas Mavericks.
