New Orleans Pelicans to waive recently acquired Omri Casspi

Small forward Omri Casspi can’t catch a break. After breaking his thumb in his New Orleans Pelicans debut, the team now had to waive him.

To say that small forward Omri Casspi is having a miserable 2016-17 NBA season would be an understatement. Not only did he have to play for the most dysfunctional team in the NBA in the Sacramento Kings, but he quickly fell out of head coach Dave Joerger’s rotation.

Due to a lack of playing time, Casspi was a prime target to be traded. He was shipped with disgruntled teammate in All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans on All-Star Sunday.

Fate would have it that during Casspi’s Pelicans debut on Thursday, Feb. 23, he would break his thumb. This injury will keep him sidelined for the next month plus. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, New Orleans is essentially forced to waive Casspi to fill its roster spot.

The Pelicans have been one of the more injury-riddled franchises in the NBA these last few seasons. Waiving Casspi while he’s injured isn’t very classy, but this isn’t the first player New Orleans has waived on an injury. The Pelicans cut enigmatic wing Lance Stephenson earlier in the year.

In short, Casspi may end up having the worst season of any player in the NBA this season. He went from getting benched by the Sacramento Kings to getting trade with Cousins to the Pelicans to breaking his thumb in his Pelicans debut to getting outright cut. It’s borderline unbelievable, but that is Casspi’s reality.

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When healthy, Casspi has proven to be a viable rotation player, capable of player either forward position quite well. Hopefully he can get his thumb right and sign somewhere good of his choosing next season. 2016-17 was a complete was for the guy.

Update: In the wake of the move, the team is reportedly signing Reggie Williams.