OKC Thunder Ink Backup Point Guard to Long-Term Pact

It has been a busy week for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They won a championship exactly seven days ago, the first in franchise history. The Parade was on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday represented the 2025 NBA Draft.

On Saturday, the Thunder not only introduced rookies Thomas Sorber and Brooks Barnhizer to the media but also made a trade with the Washington Wizards to free up a roster spot.

On the seventh day, there was no rest for Oklahoma City. Sam Presti signed back up big man Jaylin Williams and bench guard Ajay Mitchell to long-term pacts to tip off the NBA offseason.

Each player entered the summer with a club option; the Thunder declined each option to be able to re-sign both reserves to a long-term deal.

For Mitchell, it is a three-year contract worth nearly $9 million to keep the 23-year-old in Bricktown for the long haul on an extremely team-friendly contract.

This contract keeps the Thunder from being a tax-paying team at this moment while also securing the future of its secondary unit.

Mitchell played a key role for the 2024-25 Bricktown ballers in his rookie season. The No. 38 pick logged 36 games with nightly averages of 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and nearly a stock (stelas + blocks) per game on 49/38/83 shooting splits.

The backup guard played a massive part in the early goings of the season before suffering a toe injury that sidelined him from January to April.

Mitchell provided an instant impact, being part of Mark Daigneault's rotation from Day 1 until his injury. His defense was off the charts, fitting the Thunder's unique style perfectly.

Offensively, the young guard gives OKC a look they can't duplicate. His on-ball prowess helped smooth over the half-court offense with the bench unit and his play-finishing off the ball kept the scoreboard moving in the right direction.

Mitchell was an excellent pick-and-roll ball handler, producing 1.012 points per possession in that setting, dominated on cuts to the tune of 1.632 points per possession, knocked down catch-and-shoot jumpers at a 38% clip.

It is easy to see the UC Santa Barbara product having his fingerprints all over next year's Thunder squad in its quest to repeat as champions.