The Clippers’ long road back to relevance may start with a very familiar kind of swing: betting on an undervalued guard and letting him grow into something bigger.
That’s the idea CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn laid out on a recent episode of the Third Apron podcast, where he said Los Angeles should be focused on free agency and, more specifically, on finding a “Jalen Brunson type of situation,” the kind where an overlooked player lands in the right place and suddenly gets the runway to become a star.
The name Quinn pointed to was Ajay Mitchell.
It’s a fitting twist that the Thunder, who played such a central role in putting the Clippers in their current mess, could also be the team supplying the blueprint for how they get out of it. Oklahoma City’s fingerprints are all over the Clippers’ present predicament, from the 2019 Paul George trade that brought back Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the years of draft-pick damage that followed. That history helped shape the Kawhi Leonard era in Los Angeles, and now the aftermath has left the franchise short on future picks after being found guilty of illegal cap circumvention.
Quinn said the path forward is “tricky,” but he still believes the Clippers “more than any [team]” should be chasing the chance to land that kind of free-agent breakout.
Mitchell has already been mentioned in that Brunson conversation before. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons has said Mitchell’s game reminds him a lot of the Knicks star from his early days as a backup with the Mavericks.
And the comparison isn’t just about style. Mitchell’s postseason production last year was loud enough to keep the conversation alive. In the Thunder’s 2026 playoff run, he averaged 18.4 points, 4.7 assists and 3.9 rebounds on 46.7 percent shooting from deep, while posting a league-high plus-14.6 plus-minus through seven starts.
At 24 and still trending up, Mitchell looks like the kind of player Oklahoma City would be highly unlikely to let walk for nothing. If he ever does become available, Sam Presti and company would probably only move him for a substantial haul.
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Thunder Could Face A Strange Problem With Their Star Trio
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren have given Oklahoma City something every contender wants and almost no team can truly plan for: a young star trio that already looks established on the leagues biggest stages. Each has picked up All-NBA and All-Star recognition in recent years, and for a Thunder team that expects to stay near the top of the West, that kind of star power should be a strength instead of a headache.
Still, the way the honors have lined up has often been shaped by availability as much as performance. When one of Williams or Holmgren has been sidelined, the other has had more room to stand out, and that bigger role has helped push each into All-NBA third-team territory. The odd twist for Oklahoma City is that a healthier season for both could make the Thunder even better while making it harder for either one to gather enough individual support to keep that recognition rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Just Got A Tougher Cason Wallace Contract Problem
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The complication is the Thunders own cap picture, which leaves little room for mistakes or surprises when it comes time to reward Wallace. Oklahoma City is already working near the harshest parts of the leagues financial rules, so the team has to balance what Wallace might become with what it can actually afford to keep on the books. If he takes another step next season, the Thunder may have a real number to solve, and this latest extension around the league only sharpens the question of how far they can go. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Williams Has One Big Step Left In OKCs Title Quest
Jalen Williams was one of the engines of Oklahoma Citys championship run in 2024-25, giving the Thunder another high-level scorer alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and finishing the season with All-NBA Third Team honors. He averaged 21.6 points and kept growing into the kind of versatile wing every title team needs, which is why his continued development matters so much for a franchise trying to turn one banner into a long stretch of contention.
The next step is fairly clear: Williams has to become more reliable from beyond the arc. His outside shot dipped over the course of last season, then looked much better in the postseason even with fewer attempts, and that kind of swing is the difference between being very good and being complete. For the Thunder, that growth would not just raise Williams ceiling, it would make an already dangerous offense even harder to scheme against as they chase another championship. [Read more 🡒]