Hason Ward, who spent the summer with the Oklahoma City Thunder at Summer League, has joined the Maine Celtics, the Boston Celtics’ G League affiliate. Noa Dalzell of CelticsBlog reported the news, revealing Ward among a list of nine players who are expected to play in Maine next season.
This offseason, Ward appeared in six games for the Thunder’s Summer League squad across two competitions: Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. He played 13.1 minutes per game. Across all six competitions, Ward averaged 5.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists while shooting 65.2% from the floor.
Evidently, that wasn’t good enough for the Thunder to want to keep him around.
Why did Thunder let Hason Ward walk?
OKC already has plenty of big men options on its roster. Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein obviously hold it down as the two main options, and Jaylin Williams is a great backup.
Thomas Sorber just got hurt, but he has plenty of potential, and even Brendan Carlson has shown some impressive flashes.
Ward just didn’t have a place on the team, but the Celtics saw enough to want him back. He spent last season with Maine, appearing in 50 games and playing 21.9 minutes per contest. The big man averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.2 blocks while shooting 66.5% from the floor.
Should Thunder dip into Summer League roster?
The Thunder have one two-way spot still open heading into next year, with Carlson and rookie Brooks Barnhizer taking up the first two slots. Just because Ward didn’t work out doesn’t mean the Thunder should ignore their Summer League squad.
There were some talented players on the roster who could be potential candidates to fill the final two-way spot. And if not, they could be options to play for the OKC Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate, next year.
Chris Youngblood was one of the breakout stars of Summer League. He was a knockdown three-point shooter and one of the leading scorers for the Thunder. Erik Reynolds II also shot well from deep and could be an intriguing option for the Thunder to keep tabs on.
Meanwhile, even though Jazian Gortman didn’t shoot particularly well during Summer League, his G League track record could warrant the Thunder wanting to keep an eye on him.
Though Ward is not going to be donning a Thunder jersey next season, instead heading to Maine, OKC’s Summer League roster should still be an option as they look to fill out their regular-season team (and G League squad).