Thunder waive Josh Gray, who was acquired in Adams trade with Pelicans

Josh Gray, who was part of the Steven Adams trade, has been waived by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Oklahoma City Thunder started to whittle down its roster on Tuesday.

Guard Josh Gray was waived, the organization announced. Gray was acquired by the Thunder in the Steven Adams trade with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Gray was a salary filler to help the cap situation in the four-team deal work. In the G League last season he averaged 22.5 points and 6.9 assists, but he has only appeared in seven NBA games over his career, debuting in the league in February 2018.

With guards including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Hamidou Diallo, George Hill, Ty Jerome and second-round draft pick Theo Maledon, the Thunder have a sufficient number of players at those two positions.

Tuesday was the first day of training camp. Players went through individual workouts with teams and no group activities were allowed.

[lawrence-related id=439432,439381]

Ranking the 30 best players of the 2019-20 NBA G League season

With the NBA G League season likely to be canceled soon, Rookie Wire took a look at the best players to suit up this year.

As the NBA braces for a lengthy hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the growing belief around the league is that the G League season will soon be canceled.

The G League regular season was set to conclude on March 28 and the decision to end play is likely an easy one to make given the financial burden it places on organizations. While the season will soon be canceled, all G League players will be paid through the end of the year.

The NBA itself is preparing for the possibility of returning to play in mid-to-late June as the best-case scenario after the CDC recommended on Sunday that all events with 50 or more people be canceled for two months to help slow the spread of the virus.

With the G League likely set to be canceled, Rookie Wire decided to take a look at the best players to suit up this season as there have been some spectacular performances from around the league.

Players must have appeared in at least 20 games to be considered. Stats were used from the NBA G League, Basketball-Reference and RealGM.

30. Donta Hall, Grand Rapids Drive

Hall, who finished second in double-doubles among all players with 22, emerged as a strong post player with the Drive this season. He was named to the 2019-20 Midseason All-NBA G League Team and was solid all season long in his first year as a professional.

29. Christ Koumadje, Delaware Blue Coats

The 7-foot-4 center led the G League in blocks with four per game and was seventh in rebounding. He recorded two triple-doubles this season with points, rebounds and blocks and tied the mark for most rebounds in a game by an individual player at 24.

28. Kyle Alexander, Sioux Falls Skyforce

Alexander quickly became one of the best big men in the league this season and his play resulted in a two-way contract from the Miami Heat. He finished fifth in blocks and 14th in rebounding with the Skyforce to cap a productive first year.

27. Eric Mika, Stockton Kings

The former BYU product placed 29th in scoring among all players and second in rebounding. Mika recorded 16 double-doubles and tied the G League season-high of 24 rebounds by an individual player. He eventually earned a 10-day contract from the Kings in February but was not signed to a second one.

26. Paul Watson, Raptors 905

Watson was named to the 2019-20 Midseason All-NBA G League Team and continued his strong play for the rest of the season. Watson scored in double figures in each of his 30 games played in the G League and eventually earned a two-way contract from the Toronto Raptors.

25-21 | 20-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1

Zylan Cheatham, Josh Gray recalled to Pelicans from G League

The New Orleans Pelicans recalled two-way players Zylan Cheatham, Josh Gray ahead of the game against the Sacramento Kings.

The New Orleans Pelicans have recalled a pair of two-way players from their G League affiliate.

Zylan Cheatham and Josh Gray have been called up from the Erie BayHawks to join the Pelicans.

They are on two-way contracts, which dictates a player can spend up to 45 days with the NBA team and the rest of the season in the G League.

In 34 G League games, Cheatham is averaging 16.3 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 32.5 minutes per game.

The rookie out of Arizona State has appeared in three Pelicans games, during which he averages 1.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in about 10 minutes per game.

Gray is averaging 22.5 points, 6.9 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 36 minutes per game with the BayHawks.

He played six games for the Phoenix Suns in 2017-18 and has played two for the Pelicans this season.

New Orleans, with a record of 28-36, is 3.5 games back from the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

The Pelicans hope to get their third win in a row Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings. Tipoff is at 9:30 p.m. at the Kings’ Golden 1 Center.

[lawrence-related id=20947,20940]