The Oklahoma City Thunder announced a couple of corresponding moves on Friday before its important tank game against the Detroit Pistons, which it trails by 1.5 games in the reverse standings.
The Thunder will be without Aleksej Pokusevski as he deals with flu-like symptoms and has signed Jaylen Hoard to a 10-day hardship exception deal in order to roster the minimum eight active players.
Since February 1, Pokusevski has played phenomenally and has looked like a legit NBA rotation player. In 24 games, Pokusevski has averaged 11.8 points on 44.2 percent shooting, 6.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
Hoard played in 20 games with the Thunder last season and averaged 5.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists. In 39 games with the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue this season, Hoard has averaged 10.1 points and 6.1 rebounds.
The 10-day deal will allow Hoard to stay on the Thunder roster for the remainder of the regular season.