OKC Thunder sign Olivier Sarr to Two-Way Contract
The Oklahoma City Thunder front office must like the familiarity that Olivier Sarr brings. The franchise announced on Monday that they have signed Sarr to a Two-Way Contract for the second time in less than a year.
This will be Sarr’s third stint with OKC since the 2021-22 season. The 24-year-old big man went unselected in the 2021 NBA Draft before getting picked up by and playing out most of the following season with the Oklahoma City Blue — the Thunder’s G League affiliate. Sarr would suit up in 22 games with the Thunder that season, averaging 7.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 19.1 minutes per game.
Sarr then bounced around with the Phoenix Suns (Summer League) and Portland Trail Blazers (Two-Way) before getting waived by Portland early in the 2022-23 season due to a lingering wrist injury. He would once again sign with the Thunder this past February on his first Two-Way deal with the franchise. Sarr appeared in nine games for OKC in ’22-23, averaging 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per outing.
Now, Sarr is once again back with the Thunder for a third consecutive season. Only this time around, he’ll look to stick. OKC even cleared up a roster spot on Monday morning by waiving Usman Garuba, allowing the Thunder to fill its third and final Two-Way spot. As a slightly unrelated note, OKC also waived former Kentucky guard TyTy Washington on Friday.
Although Sarr played just one season at Kentucky in 2020-21, he made his mark while in Lexington. After spending the first three seasons of his college career at Wake Forest, he transferred to UK for his senior campaign during the COVID-19-impacted season. The Wildcats struggled mightily during that stretch, finishing with an overall record of 9-16 and no NCAA Tournament appearance.
But Sarr was still effective in spite of the team’s struggles. He averaged 10.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 25.1 minutes per game for Kentucky, starting all 25 games he appeared in while shooting 47.0 percent from the field. Sarr’s best performance as a ‘Cat came in a win over Vanderbilt when he went for 24 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. He lived at the line during that contest, shooting 14-17 from the charity stripe.
Since leaving college for the pros, Sarr has yet to find a steady home. But the Thunder clearly like what he brings and he’ll have another shot at making the rotation in 2023-24.
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