With the new CBA, virtually every team vying for an NBA Championship has one eye set on the Larry O'Brien Trophy and the other on their payroll. The OKC Thunder, however, seem to be the exception to this trend, and Ajay Mitchell is a prime example of why.
As a result of the league's new fiscal agreement, taxpayer penalties are more crippling than ever.
Not only do teams still have to deal with the luxury tax, but they also must watch out for the first and, even more daunting, second apron penalties, the latter of which is essentially designed to prevent dynasties.
Already, we're seeing the Boston Celtics endure the hardships of dipping into such a threshold.
Now, after committing to north of $800 million in new standard contracts this past offseason, the majority of which was invested in the Big Three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, some are wondering whether the Thunder could be the next former title-winner to reap the horrors of the second apron.
As things currently stand, they are projected to be roughly $20 million over the projected threshold for the 2026-27 campaign.
Yet, despite this trajectory, the majority of fans and pundits don't appear to be all that concerned about OKC actually doing so, and Mitchell's play early on this season only strengthens this sense of optimism.
Ajay Mitchell a prime example why Thunder are in line for long-term glory
Two of the biggest reasons many are confident the Thunder will successfully evade the second apron are their treasure trove of draft capital and bevy of high-end, cost-efficient contracts.
Mitchell is currently the case in point spokesperson for both.
Now in his second season with the club, the 2024 second-round pick finds himself amid a true breakout, boasting all-around career averages of 17.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 35.0 percent from deep.
On a nightly basis, he finds himself serving as one of the key contributors on this league-leading 10-1 Thunder squad, and, at a salary of just $3.0 million, is perhaps the biggest bargain in the entire league.
In a nutshell, the idea here is that once Sam Presti and company have to make the hard decisions of parting ways with some of the higher-priced, non-stars on this roster in an effort to shed salary (possible cap casualties include Isaiah Hartenstein, Kenrich Williams, and, sadly, even Lu Dort), they could theoretically replace them with lower-priced draft prospects.
The most encouraging part about the 23-year-old serving as the premier example of this being a feasible plan is that it shows that they don't necessarily need to heavily rely on first-round selections to accomplish it, as, clearly, the former 38 pick is playing as well as anyone from his respective class.
With 13 first-rounders and 16 seconds heading their way over the coming years, Thunder fans should be more than optimistic that this lightning-in-a-bottle type of add that Ajay Mitchell has proven to be could actually be rather replicable.