The Oklahoma City Thunder have reportedly waived Meyers Leonard shortly following the trade deadline, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Thunder acquired Leonard and a draft pick in a trade where they dealt Trevor Ariza over to the Miami Heat.
This move comes shortly after Leonard was caught on stream using an anti-Semitic term while playing Call of Duty. The Heat announced that he would be away from the team indefinitely in the aftermath of the incident, and the league subsequently fined him $50,000 for it. The Heat released a statement after they traded the forward to the Thunder.
“Meyers was a key part of our team that made a run to the NBA Finals and we will always be grateful for his contributions and leadership last season,” the Heat said in the statement. “His recent comments were very hurtful and disappointing, but, we are encouraged that he has spent this last week meeting with community leaders, rabbis and Holocaust survivors to greater understand the impact of his words and we hope that his education will continue.”
The Thunder, meanwhile, are keeping their word on the transaction. They announced shortly after the move was initially reported in mid-March that Leonard would not be a part of the organization. Leonard’s remarks sparked criticism from those in and around basketball, anti-hate groups, Jewish groups, as well as athletes and celebrities.
Leonard is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. It remains to be seen what type of market, if any, there will be for the former lottery pick.