Thunder waive Justin Jackson

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Justin Jackson have parted ways.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news.

This news should not be all that surprising. Since the trade deadline, there have been discussions around the Thunder on whether they would release veteran players who have no future team. Jackson fitted that category.

Jackson is 26 years old and would have become a restricted free agent this summer. The Thunder would have most likely not have signed him to a rookie extension as he is a bit too old to be part of this core’s timeline, and Jackson does not bring enough value to the team to warrant a second contract.

The Thunder acquired Jackson from Dallas this past offseason in a three-team trade along with Trevor Ariza.

Since the All-Star Break, Jackson has played sparingly; he has only appeared in 8 of the 13 games and has averaged just 17.4 minutes a night. For comparison, Jackson played in 25 of the first 36 games this season.

During the trade deadline, Woj reported that teams were calling the Thunder to express their interest in acquiring the fourth-year wing. However, nothing materialized, and Jackson stayed with the Thunder.

Due to him being waived before the April 9 deadline, Jackson now has four days to sign with a playoff team and be eligible for playoff minutes.

In 33 games this season, Jackson is averaging 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 30.6% from three on 3.4 attempts.