Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell has become one of the most impactful players in the NBA postseason, especially with Jalen Williams injured.
Mitchell, a former Big West Player of the Year who was selected at No. 38 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, has stepped up massively during the playoffs. Oklahoma City has outscored opponents by 136 points during the postseason, which is the highest of any player in the Western Conference.
The former UC Santa Barbara standout has averaged 21.1 points per game over his last six appearances since Jalen Williams was injured and he moved into the starting lineup.
Ajay Mitchell contract history
When he was selected in the second round, Mitchell signed a two-way deal with the Thunder in 2024.
However, after outperforming his contract, he signed a rest-of-season, two-year contract worth $6 million in February 2025. He then became a restricted free agent in June 2025.
The following month, he signed a 3-year deal worth $8.7 million to stay with Oklahoma City. That means he earned $3 million (1.94 percent of the cap) in 2025-26.
His deal is deescalating, too, which means it will drop to $2.85 million for next season. The third year of his contract is a team option, which means the Thunder front office can choose to pay him $2.85 million for 2027-28 as well.
Ajay Mitchell free agency
If he becomes a free agent in 2028, it is possible Mitchell could receive a huge offer from somewhere else like Jalen Brunson did when he left the Dallas Mavericks for the New York Knicks.
Or the Thunder could try to retain him when he becomes extension eligible. Here is more from Sam Quinn (via CBS):
“If their history is any indication, they will try to use that option to get him to agree to a new, team-friendly, long-term deal. At that point, he’ll have made single-digit millions of dollars and will likely have a nine-figure offer in front of him. Considering the risk of playing things out from there, he has a lot of reason to consider re-upping at that point.”
His next contract is likely going to look far more lucrative than his current one, but when he signed his last one, he hadn’t played nearly as much or as well as he is playing now.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why is Ajay Mitchell on such a cheap contract for the Thunder?