Vertical Sources: Oklahoma City plans to waive Mitch McGary and Ronnie Price ($5M guaranteed), keep rookie Semaj Christon on final roster.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 24, 2016
With only two days remaining until the start of the regular season for Oklahoma City, the Thunder made expected cuts to get the roster down to the league-required fifteen players. Mitch McGary and Thunder newcomer Ronnie Price have been waived, which means that rookie Semaj Christon has earned a spot on the roster.
After spending two somewhat trouble-filled years in the Thunder organization, Mitch McGary finds himself riding a fifteen-game suspension with no more preseason games to show what he’s worth and no team looking to take a risk on him. McGary could very well find himself back with the Thunder organization, looking to find a place on the Oklahoma City Blue roster, the Thunder’s D-league affiliate.
Ronnie Price arrived in Oklahoma City just a few weeks ago, signing a guaranteed $5 million contract, so him being waived comes a big surprise. Price had limited pre-season action, mostly due to a concussion that found him in the recovery process and searching for minutes behind fellow Thunder point guard Semaj Christon.
We wrote about Semaj Christon in our Countdown to Tip-Off | 6 Days post here. With Cameron Payne currently out indefinitely with a foot injury, and Ronnie Price’s concussion, Christon took advantage of a surge in playtime in the preseason, and apparently his efforts were enough to earn him a spot on the final 15-man roster for the Thunder.
While his expected playtime is still a mystery, one thing is for sure: Semaj Christon is as ready as he has ever been to show that he belongs in the NBA. Cameron Payne will likely not be returning to the Thunder until at least after Thanksgiving, which gives Christon plenty of opportunity to show his worth as a backup to Russell Westbrook.
Article written by Zack Low. Follow @TheThunderGuys on Twitter.