Thunder claim Mamadi Diakite, waive Charlie Brown Jr.

On Media Day Eve, the Oklahoma City Thunder announced a set of transactions. The first being was claiming Mamadi Diakite off waivers, and the second being waiving Charlie Brown Jr.

Diakite was waived from the Milwaukee Bucks this past Friday. Our sister site, Brew Hoop, wrote about this and did a great job creating a player profile on the 24-year-old guard.

Essentially, Diakite is a bottom of roster NBA player who shows flashes of decency but, for the most part, struggles to play against pro competition.

Diakite spent four years playing at the University of Virginia and went undrafted in 2020. He would sign a multi-year NBA contract with the Bucks in late April last season after being on a two-way deal to start the season.

Diakite would have never gotten a real chance to prove himself on a championship contender like the Bucks. If he were ever going to break out, it would be in a rebuilding situation like the Thunder.

The corresponding move is releasing Brown Jr. This brings an end to his two-season tenure with the team, In 19 games, he did not show much, and his struggling in Summer League could’ve been the nail in the coffin for the 24-year-old.

Either way, all the Thunder did was rotate the bottom of their depth chart for guys who will most likely spend most of next season riding the NBA bench and playing heavy G League minutes.