Thunder To Waive Mo Sene

After making two deadline-day trades that bumped its roster to 16 players, the Thunder is expected to waive seldom-used reserve center Mo Sene, according to a league source with knowledge of the team’s plans.

NBA teams are allowed to carry only 15 players, and the acquisition of Thabo Sefolosha and Malik Rose pushed the Thunder’s roster over the limit.

Sene is in the final year of a deal that pays him $2.2 million this season. The Thunder will be responsible for the remaining portion of Sene’s contract. Sene will be placed on waivers for 48 hours, but it’s unlikely a team will claim him off waivers. After 48 hours, Sene will become an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team. Sene is averaging 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in five games this season.

In other news, the Thunder has announced the deal with New York for Rose but have yet to announce the trade with Chicago for Sefolosha. But I have confirmed the Sefolosha trade and just got off the phone with Sefolosha. He said he is excited to join the Thunder and looks forward to starting a new chapter in his career in Oklahoma. I’ll post more of his reaction here soon.

-DM-

13 Show / Hide Archive Comments

The following comments are archived from the original publication of this post

• wez dogga on Feb 21, 2009 @ 3:50 am
  why didnt they play sene, he looked good when on the court and his per minute numbers are awesome
• Dave on Feb 20, 2009 @ 4:22 pm
  They're probably trying to give themselves more time to negotiate a better buyout from Joe Smith, to save more money. Still, it's a little weird they choose to waive Sene if they were going to waive someone else in a day or three anyway.
• Leapin' Lee on Feb 20, 2009 @ 3:57 pm
  Presti has the payroll heading in the right direction for his cheap owner from $68 to $42+ million next season, a huge "improvement" in Bennett's eyes. Chandler would have seriously messed up that thinking with his $12.75 million player option in 2010/11. So taking on cheap, young, unproven players like the Chicago non-shooting guard (or C.J. Miles) will continue to be the vision in a small market. Other than Earl Watson, OKC will be loaded with value contracts next season, all of whom produce for their money. Which other NBA team can say that?
• Shane on Feb 20, 2009 @ 11:45 am
  They wouldn't waive Joe Smith because of the 48 hour waiver period mentioned above. There would be several teams that would be willing to claim him off waivers, and not necessiarly one he would like to go to, so I would think the team wouldn't do that to him. Plus, his salary is twice the size of Sene's so the team would have to pay him out more. The Rose trade was done for money. It also lets Wilcox have a chance to play himself into a better contract with someone next year.
• Dave on Feb 20, 2009 @ 4:22 am
  Now that's a thought that's going to fester -- why not waive Joe Smith instead of Sene? I hadn't thought about that It does seem odd that the club needing to free up a roster spot wouldn't choose to waive a player they intend to waive over the next few days. Is Sam Presti thinking of keeping Joe Smith?
• hIFFDAS on Feb 20, 2009 @ 3:05 am
  These 2 trades look bad. I'd rather have the 1st round pick than a SG who can't score. Rose is too old and can't get any playing time on an injuy devistated Knicks team, plus we are strong already at the forward position.
• DAK on Feb 20, 2009 @ 2:43 am

  These aren't draft day trades...a draft day trade happens on draft day...it's complicated I know.

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  BY DARNELL MAYBERRY

  OKC THUNDER SENIOR REPORTER

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  Darnell Mayberry grew up in Langston, Okla. and is now in his third stint in the Sooner state. After a year and a half at Bishop McGuinness...

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  Darnell Mayberry grew up in Langston, Okla. and is now in his third stint in the Sooner state. After a year and a half at Bishop McGuinness High, he finished his prep years in Falls Church, Va., before graduating from Norfolk State University in 2004.

  
  

  Mayberry joined The Oklahoman’s sports staff in 2005 after a year at the Akron Beacon Journal, where he covered the University of Akron men’s basketball team, high schools and recruiting. Since arriving at The Oklahoman, Mayberry has become the leading authority on the NBA as the only traveling media member and the only reporter to cover every NBA game ever played in Oklahoma City.

  
  

  He served as the paper’s beat writer on the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets from 2005-07, broke the news of the Seattle SuperSonics’ settlement negotiations with the City of Seattle in the summer of 2008, a development that allowed the team to relocate to Oklahoma, and has covered the Thunder since the franchise’s inception.

  
  

  Mayberry and his wife, Courtney, were married in 2010 and live in Oklahoma City.

  
  

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