Assuming they sign first-round pick Thomas Sorber to a multi-year pact, the OKC Thunder will have no room on their roster to add any new standard contracts this summer.
That said, the ball club still has its two-way luxuries readily available, which are specific contracts that allow a player to split their time between the development and varsity teams (up to 50 games) without having it count as exceeding the league maximum of 15 players on a roster.
What should be to the delight of many, Oklahoma City already seems hell-bent on using these particular deals to retain the services of rookie big, Branden Carlson.
Thunder extend qualifying offer to restricted free agent Branden Carlson
According to Spotrac's Keith Smith, the Thunder have officially tendered a two-way qualifying offer to Carlson.
This means Oklahoma City has the right to match any offer the big man may receive from another team on the open market, effectively making him a restricted free agent.
Though perhaps not one of the most buzzed-about players from the 2024 rookie class, the 26-year-old proved himself to be one of the more promising young prospects the Thunder had within their title-winning arsenal.
In limited action over a 32 game stretch, Carlson showed promise as a floor spacer and defensive enforcer, as he wrapped with a solid long-range shooting clip of 33.3 percent and an elite blocks percentage of 8.6 to go along with 3.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.
With him on the court, OKC saw incredible advanced metrics including 129.9 points per 100 possessions, an effective field goal percentage of 59.9, and a point differential of +18.8 (all of which ranked in the 98 percentile or higher) as well as an elite defensive rating of 105.8.
When given extended run on the hardwood, the Utah standout only further showcased his abilities, dropping averages of 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in games where he logged double-digit minutes.
Carlson even posted 26 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks while shooting 52.6 percent from the field during the Thunder's regular season finale against the Pelicans, a performance that should have all but solidified his status as having the potential to be a legitimate rotation player in the association.
Coupled with his statistics, measuring in at 7-feet, 220 pounds with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, the big man is clearly a player who deserves to be in the association, and could easily be argued as a worthy, full-time contract recipient.
However, by extending the qualifying offer, there's a real chance the Thunder could bring back Branden Carlson on a two-way for the second straight season, which, in many ways, would be a steal of a pick-up for the reigning champs.