OKC Blue Center Olivier Sarr Gets Two-Way Contract

Former Thunder and current OKC Blue center Olivier Sarr joined Lindy Waters III on a two-way deal Saturday night, officially filling all 17 spots on the Thunder's big league roster. Sarr played 22 NBA games with Oklahoma City last season, cracking the starting lineup twice before being waived. 

The Blue added Sarr again in mid-January and quickly elevated him to a two-way deal after moving former two-way player Eugene Omoruyi to a full NBA contract following the team dishing out Darius Bazley and Mike Muscala at the trade deadline. Omoruyi and Dario Saric, who OKC got back in return for Bazley, fill the void left by the two former Thunder big men as Sarr replaces Omoruyi as the team's two-way big man option. 

Hours before being awarded his new deal, Sarr went 5-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc en route to 14 points and two blocks in the Blue's Saturday contest against the Motor City Cruise. In four G League games this season, the French big man is averaging 11.8 points, six rebounds, and 2.5 blocks while shooting over 60% from the field in just over 20 minutes per game. 

Last season, Sarr averaged 8.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game in nine appearances with the Blue. In his 22 games with the Thunder last season, the 23-year-old big man put up seven points and just over four rebounds per game in 19 minutes per contest. 

Sarr's career night came on April 3, 2022, against the Phoenix Suns, when the 6-foot-11 center scored 24 points, grabbed six rebounds and swatted two shots while shooting 9-for-12 from the field and 5-for-6 from 3-point range. This was part of an impressive stretch that saw the Thunder big man reach double figures in five consecutive games. 

Sarr played at the prestigious INSEP Paris in high school, who has produced notable NBA alumni like Tony Parker, Evan Fournier, Clint Capela and Boris Diaw. The Niort, France, native was a three-star recruit who commited to Wake Forest before finishing his collegiate career with the Kentucky Wildcats. 

Sarr was signed by OKC as an undrafted free agent following the 2021 NBA draft. After signing a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2022 offseason, the former Wildcat and Demon Deacon was waived by Portland in November without playing a game for the team.

The Blue's roster moves haven't stopped with Sarr being promoted to a two-way contract, as the team made a trade to acquire 6-foot-2 guard Chasson Randle from the Grand Rapids Gold in return for a 2023 first round pick in the G League draft around the same time Sarr's deal was reworked.