Thunder Roster Outlook After TyTy Washington’s Departure

Oklahoma City has trimmed the roster down over the last few weeks, but the team still has a ways to go.

Friday afternoon, Oklahoma City announced it was waiving TyTy Washington Jr., marking another step towards finalizing the regular season roster. For a bit, the Thunder maxed out its roster capabilities, sitting on the NBA limit of roster spots, but now the team has some wiggle room.

Washington Jr. marks the second roster casualty of the summer for the Thunder, joining veteran Rudy Gay on the free agent market. With both players looking for new homes, Oklahoma City now has four players to go.

Washington Jr. has been on the move this summer, after he was traded from Houston to Atlanta and then to Oklahoma City. The Thunder likely cut Washington Jr. early to give the young point guard a chance to go through training camp with another NBA squad. The former first round pick is a talented prospect, but unfortunately fell victim to Oklahoma City's influx of guard depth.

In the same trade as Washington Jr., the Thunder also acquired Usman Garuba. Garuba is playing for Team Spain internationally, but survived the first few roster cuts. The fact that Oklahoma City opted not to waive Garuba today, or earlier this week, could mean the team wants to see him in training camp or envisions the big man occupying a roster spot. With the Thunder's lack of depth in the front court, it makes sense.

The Thunder has to make a few more decisions before the regular season roles around, with four more roster to clear. In addition to Garuba, it would appear Davis Bertans, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Victor Oladipo and Jack White will all be battling for Oklahoma City's last few roster spots.

Tre Mann appeared to be on the bubble heading into the summer, but after Washington's departure and a strong summer league session in both Vegas and Salt Lake City, Mann seems safe. Aleksej Pokusevski and Aaron Wiggins have been discussed heavily by fans, too, but both players seem like a lock for the upcoming season. Pokusevski has too much potential, while Wiggins is simply a solid all-around player. 

Oladipo's status remains up in the air as he recovers from an injury, and the Thunder haven't provided any updates on his path back to the court. Bertans could provide elite floor spacing on a drive-heavy roster, even though his contract is a hefty one.

With White and Robinson-Earl specializing in a lot of the same stuff on the floor, that could be the training camp battle to watch. With four more cuts to come, the last few months before the regular season are about to heat up.

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