Cason Wallace may be the obvious name in the wake of Lu Dort’s departure, but he’s not the only Thunder guard positioned to benefit. Ajay Mitchell is also in line for a bigger future with Oklahoma City, and the latest reporting suggests the front office already has him on the extension track.
Marc Stein recently reported that Sam Presti and the Thunder will now look to “seal contract extensions this offseason and next offseason” with both Wallace and Mitchell. That lines up with Presti’s own explanation for moving Dort to Atlanta, when he said the deal was mainly “a financial decision,” one that would give Oklahoma City “to make more basketball-related decisions over the next several years.”
Mitchell has more than earned that kind of attention. Since arriving as a second-round pick in 2023, he’s turned into one of the league’s best value plays. In the 2025-26 season, he averaged 13.6 points, 3.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 48.5 percent from the field, doing most of that work as a reserve.
He took it up another notch in the postseason, too. Over OKC’s three-round run, Mitchell put up 15.1 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, and he posted the team’s best plus-minus at 13.7.
All of that production came on a $2.8 million salary, which was less than 2.0 percent of the cap. The Thunder still have him on an $8.7 million deal for one more full season, but next summer should bring a much bigger payday and a new multi-year contract.
With Dort now gone, Oklahoma City’s backcourt future looks centered on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace and Mitchell. And based on the way Mitchell has played, the Thunder look ready to pay to keep that group together.
In Other News...
Thunder Fans Have Even More Reason To Regret The Lu Dort Trade
The decision to move Luguentz Dort was always going to land hard with Thunder fans, but the reasons behind it make the sting a little sharper. Oklahoma City dealt a player who had become part of the teams identity primarily to create financial relief under the NBAs second apron rules, with Sam Presti confirming the move was tied to future flexibility rather than basketball fit alone.
What makes the whole thing linger is that Dort was not short on outside interest before the deal went through. A HoopsHype report said the Lakers, Nets, Raptors and Heat were among the teams that had expressed interest, which only underscores how valued he was around the league. For Thunder fans, that turns the trade into more than a cap-management move - it is also a reminder that a player they knew had a broader market, and that Oklahoma City chose the path it did anyway. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Are Asking Chet Holmgren To Prove He Belongs In Their Future
The Thunder have already started trimming around the edges of their roster to keep the books pointed toward their young core, and that puts Chet Holmgren in a very specific kind of spotlight. Oklahoma City is clearly treating Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the franchises long-term spine, which means the cost of keeping that group together will only rise as the years go on. Holmgren has done his part on one end, anchoring the defense and finishing near the top of the leagues individual honors on that side of the floor.
What still hangs over him is whether the offense catches up fast enough to make the financial bet feel as clean as the basketball one. The Thunder can live with growing pains from a young big, but they also need more than rim protection and promise if they are going to keep paying premium money for a title core. Holmgrens playoff struggles only sharpen that question, and with Oklahoma City already making hard choices elsewhere, his next offensive leap may say as much about the teams future as anyone elses. [Read more 🡒]