Report: Former First-Round Pick Waived by OKC Thunder

Usman Garuba was reportedly waived by Oklahoma City on Monday morning.

With how many players are currently on the Oklahoma City Thunder roster, it's been long known that cuts would have to be made. After waiving TyTy Washington late last week, the Thunder have now parted ways with another former first-round pick in Usman Garuba.

The defensive-minded forward has tremendous talent, but will now look to establish himself elsewhere across the league. It's worth noting that he will also have suitors overseas, where he originally played before being drafted by the Houston Rockets and making the leap to the NBA. 

In his first two NBA seasons, Garuba averaged 2.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in just over 12 minutes per contest. He may not have been the most productive, but his upside as an undersized big fits the modern style the league currently plays. 

For Oklahoma City specifically, three more roster cuts will have to be made before the end of training camp. It's unclear exactly who those three players will be, but expect Thunder GM Sam Presti to attempt making a trade in effort to extract value before waiving players outright. 

There are just over two months between now and the start of the regular season, so there's still plenty of time for these decisions to be made. Furthermore, training camp will allow the OKC staff to get a better look at the roster as a whole to make the right moves.

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