ASSOCIATED PRESS — The Oklahoma City Thunder have waived guard Alex Abrines.
The team announced the move Saturday.
Abrines missed much of his third NBA season because of personal reasons. He played only twice since Dec. 23, and neither of those appearances lasted more than 10 minutes. The Thunder offered few clues why Abrines had not been playing. He played 31 games this season, with two starts, and averaged 5.3 points and 1.5 rebounds.
Billy Donovan said Alex Abrines was “very, very open, honest, transparent” with the Thunder as he dealt with his personal issues. Donovan said “I would hope that everybody would respect” that it’s a private matter.
— Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) February 10, 2019
Billy Donovan on Alex Abrines: "Even though he’s not gonna be a part of our team anymore, we’re all still here. He’s still part of the family, and we’ll do anything we can to try to help him going forward.”
— Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) February 10, 2019
Abrines’ primary tool was his 3-point shooting, but he was shooting just 32 percent from long range this season after shooting 38 percent in each of the past two seasons. With guard Terrance Ferguson emerging as a legitimate 3-point shooter, Abrines became expendable.
Oklahoma City didn’t make much noise in the days leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline. The team announced on Feb. 1 that it sent reserve guard/forward Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and cash considerations to the Chicago Bulls for a protected 2020 second-round draft pick.
The Thunder won nine of 10 heading into Saturday night’s game at Houston.
