The Thunder have converted rookie guard Ajay Mitchell from his two-way contract to a standard deal, promoting him to the 15-man roster, the team announced today in a press release.
Agents Todd Ramasar and Mike Simonetta tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link) that their client has signed a two-year contract worth $6MM. That deal will far exceed the prorated minimum salary for 2024/25, so Oklahoma City used a portion of its room exception to complete the signing.
The 38th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Mitchell was one of the more impressive performers in this season’s rookie class before going down last month with a turf toe injury that required surgery.
The former UC Santa Barbara standout was a regular part of the rotation for the West-leading Thunder, appearing in the team’s first 34 games of the season and averaging 16.5 minutes per night. Michell has recorded 6.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per contest, with an excellent shooting line of .506/.431/.848.
When the Thunder announced Mitchell’s surgery, they said he would be reevaluated in 10-to-12 weeks, suggesting he would be out for most – if not all – of the rest of the regular season.
That reduced the urgency to promote the 22-year-old shooting guard to the standard roster, but Oklahoma City will do so anyway, ensuring that if he gets healthy down the stretch, he will no longer face a 50-game NBA limit and will be eligible to play int he postseason.
The Thunder opened up a roster spot on Thursday when they waived Daniel Theis, who was acquired from New Orleans in a salary-dump trade on Wednesday, so no additional move will be necessary to make room on the roster for Mitchell.
Why the Thunder keep signing all their young 2nd round/undrafted guys to larger contracts than needed I will never know. Won’t be long before they are running up against the 2nd apron with all of the extensions coming up…
Because they are able to sign them earlier to reasonable deals. See Joe and Wiggins both are locked in for 4 &5 years at 10-12million that is small for what they can get from some stupid teams. Signing Ajay early allows them to decline team option and do same thing. That money is basically MLE levels they keep their talent so hitting an apron at some point won’t matter. Trading for some overrated vet stars that likely kills assets and wants out in a year is dumb so the apron isn’t an issue with keeping own guys.
Also, he’s been really good for them, and gives them depth for certain other similar guys they also have in front of him