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Thunder Cutting Rudy Gay Clears Way For Jack White Signing

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Thunder
By Ross Lovelace | Last updated 7/20/23

On Wednesday, the Thunder waived Rudy Gay, marking the first roster crunch casualty. Oklahoma City’s roster was up to 21 players, which is the offseason maximum for all NBA teams. The Thunder still have a lot of work to do in trimming the depth chart down, but Gay is the first domino to fall. There will certainly be more to follow, but the initial cut gives Oklahoma City to sign Australian forward Jack White.

Per multiple reports, White agreed to a two-year contract with the Thunder on July 1. He was seen with the team in Summer League, but didn’t participate.

After a four-year career at Duke, White appeared in 17 games for NBA Champion Denver Nuggets last season. As a junior for the Blue Devils, White averaged 4.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. The 6-foot-7 wing/forward got the stamp of approval from fellow Thunder rising star Josh Giddey, who’s from his home country.

White wasn’t able to showcase his full arsenal at Duke, but fared well against G League competition a season ago. In 15 regular-season games with the Grand Rapids Gold, Denver’s G League affiliate, White averaged 19.5 points on 54.4% shooting, 8.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

He played 23 games for Melbourne in the NBL during the 2021-22 season, averaging 9.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in 23.4 minutes. White’s efficiency was on display, as he shot 54.4% from the floor.

It’s unclear if White will stick around past training camp, as his deal is non-guaranteed — but the Thunder have nothing to lose giving the 25-year old a tryout. Oklahoma City clearly targets a certain mold of players, and if White builds solid chemistry with the core, he has interchangeable size to play a plethora of different positions.

With White’s signing, Oklahoma City will have to clear out at least five more spots by the end of training camp. It seems like the team wants to see a few position battles before making any final decisions.

This article first appeared on FanNation Inside The Thunder and was syndicated with permission.

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