While Cason Wallace is the easy choice when it comes to the conversation of which OKC Thunder players should benefit most from the recent Lu Dort trade, Ajay Mitchell is also someone who's bound to be impacted in a positive manner.
Though his role within the rotation shouldn't change all that much following Dort's departure, as he's already established himself as Oklahoma City's go-to sixth man, his long-term outlook very well should, with Marc Stein recently revealing that Sam Presti and company will now aim to "seal contract extensions this offseason and next offseason" with both Wallace and Mitchell.
This report should come as no surprise, given that Presti literally went on record the other day, saying that sending the veteran guard out to Atlanta was primarily "a financial decision," and that it will now allow the Thunder "to make more basketball-related decisions over the next several years."
All things considered, locking down guys like Wallace and Mitchell for the long-haul seems to be two of the "basketball-related decisions" the storied executive was reffering to.
Ajay Mitchell has been an absolutel steal for Thunder since his arrival
Ajay Mitchell has risen from being a mere second-round pick back in 2023 to, now, one of the best bargains the game currently has to offer.
The combo guard is coming off a tremendous 2025-26 campaign where he dropped 13.6 points, 3.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game on 48.5 percent shooting from the floor while predominantly coming off the pine.
He only managed to raise his level of play when needed most under the bright lights of the postseason, wrapping up OKC's three-round run with averages of 15.1 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals and registering the club's highest plus-minus rating of 13.7 along the way.
Perhaps most astonishing of all is that this kind of production came while Mitchell was earning just $2.8 million, equating to less than 2.0 percent of the cap.
While the Thunder are fortunate to have him under his current $8.7 million pact for another full season, come this time next summer, it should be expected that the youngster will be looking to cash in on a new multi-year deal, and for good reason.
With Dort now in Atlanta, the future of this OKC backcourt seems to be Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, and Mitchell. Expect the Thunder to pay up big to keep this elite trio intact for the many years to come.
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