San Antonio Spurs claim Isaiah Roby off waivers from Oklahoma City Thunder

The San Antonio Spurs have claimed forward Isaiah Roby off waivers from the Oklahoma City Thunder, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday. Set to enter his fourth NBA season, Roby spent three seasons with the Thunder before the team opted to waive him Sunday.

Roby played 106 games in Oklahoma City over the past two seasons, 62 of which he started. He averaged a career-high 10.1 points per game in 2021-22 in addition to 4.8 rebounds across 21.1 minutes. He remains two-way eligible for the Spurs next season.

A Nebraska product, Roby spent three years in Lincoln before being selected in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft. He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and the No. 108 player in the 2016 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. He averaged 11.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in his final season with the Cornhuskers in 2018-19.

The Thunder recently added four rookies in the 2022 NBA Draft: Chet Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams. While Roby was the first OKC player to be waived since the draft, he likely won’t be the last. The Thunder currently have 19 players on their offseason roster, which must be trimmed down to 15 by opening night of the regular season.

As for the Spurs, they overhauled their roster this offseason after trading all-star guard Dejounte Murray to Atlanta in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, three future first-round picks and a pick swap. They also traded away Derrick White to the Boston Celtics during the season. With those moves, it appears San Antonio is headed toward a full rebuild. They also added former Baylor forward Jeremy Sochan through the draft.

At just 24, Isaiah Roby still has plenty of room to grow on the Spurs. He’ll have his opportunity to contribute this season on a roster that already looks much different from a year ago.