Though enthusiasm for this OKC Thunder team may currently be at an all-time high as they find themselves three wins away from an NBA Championship, lost in the Finals hoopla is the problematic future that awaits the franchise this offseason.
It goes without saying that this Oklahoma City squad is enviably deep. Throughout the regular season, coach Mark Daigneault regularly found himself going 10-to-12 men deep within his rotation, and, so far in this 2025 title-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers, such an approach lives on.
The most intriguing aspect of this setup is that, with three picks overall (two of which are in the first round) and, according to NBA Insider Jake Fischer, the Thunder are even thinking about trading into the lottery, there’s a good chance Sam Presti and company will be able to strengthen this rotational depth come this month’s NBA Draft. But right now, OKC has no room to sign two more first-round contracts because all 15 of its players are under the team’s control for the upcoming campaign. This means that if they want to use these picks, they will have to cut some of their current players to make place.
Sadly, in the event that they do try to create space for an intriguing young rookie prospect, there’s a strong case to be made that the most likely roster casualty will be Ajay Mitchell.
Ajay Mitchell has makings of most likely Thunder roster casualty
The rookie was the 15 and final player on this Thunder roster to ink a full-scale deal with the franchise this season, as he signed the dotted line on a two-year contract back in early February.
While undoubtedly worthy of such a pact, as he was shaping up to be not just one of the more impressive young talents in OKC but also one of the best players from his respective 2024 NBA Draft class before missing multiple months due to injury, when comparing his contract figures to the rest of his teammates, Mitchell’s is obviously the easiest for them to part ways with.
After this season wraps, the Thunder will have the ability to either opt in or out of the guard’s $3.0 million option for 2025-26. Should they do the former, his status on the team would be secure, and, in turn, Oklahoma City would have to find another way to utilize their draft capital.
Of course, if they were to go the latter route, then Presti would create a fresh roster spot for a new promising youngster to take over.
Now, even though the organization could look to extend Mitchell another two-way contract if this actually went down, there’s no guarantee that the 22-year-old would be willing to accept such a demotion.
