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Ajay Mitchell may be making his All-NBA teammate expendable
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell. Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Ajay Mitchell may be making his All-NBA teammate expendable

By Sean Keane  |  Last updated May 12, 2026 9:41 PM ET
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The Oklahoma City Thunder are undefeated in the playoffs after a 115-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. They're doing it despite missing All-NBA forward Jalen Williams for most of the NBA playoffs, thanks to a second-year guard filling in as the second scorer.

Ajay Mitchell, a 23-year-old guard from Belgium, scored 28 points in OKC's Game 4 win, with 10 points coming in the final quarter. He's become invaluable to the team — as is his dirt-cheap contract.

Ajay Mitchell has one of the NBA's most team-friendly contracts

Mitchell signed a three-year extension last summer for $8.7M, a deal that actually declines in value next season by $150K. That's incredible value for a player who averaged 13.6 PPG in the regular season and upped it to 18.8 PPG through two rounds of the playoffs.

The regular-season performance and his sterling defense was good enough for Mitchell to finish fifth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting. In the playoffs, he's been the Thunder's No. 2 scorer while increasing his assists to 4.9 per game. While the Thunder have a deep group of wings who play tough defense and shoot well, Mitchell is one of the few who are also able to cook defenders one-on-one.

He's covering for Williams so well that he could be the answer to some of the difficult payroll questions facing the Thunder this summer. The young team is about to get significantly more expensive with extensions for Williams and Chet Holmgren kicking in next season. Both will earn $41.5M in 2026-27, which is $62M more than the duo made this season.

Jalen Williams could be a salary apron casualty for Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder are projected to have the highest payroll in the NBA next season, at just over $250M, which is more than $28M over the punitive "second apron" of the luxury-tax system. Even if they're going for a three-peat, the Thunder are likely to cut some salaries, with center Isaiah Hartenstein and his $28.5M team option making him a likely casualty.

Other options include defensive stopper Lu Dort, who has an $18.2M team option or Kenrich Williams and his $7.2M team option. But with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander due a $20M raise to $61M in 2027-28, the Thunder could make an even more dramatic move and trade their All-NBA forward.

Williams was a critical part of last year's title team, averaging 23.6 points in the Finals and scoring 40 points in Game 5. He's a great defender who made the All-Defensive team in 2024-25. That impressive resume also means the Thunder could potentially get a haul for Williams if they decide to move him.

Especially if they think Mitchell can replace his scoring. Jalen Williams is a great player, but his team is also 8-0 without him in the playoffs. The Thunder may conclude that they could repeat — and even three-peat — without him.

Sean Keane
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Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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