At an average age of 24.148 years old, the OKC Thunder rank in as the youngest NBA team in 2024-25.
Despite their innate green nature and overall lacking experience in the association, however, they find themselves fresh off a number-one-seeded finish in last year's campaign and, through 21 games into their follow-up, are right back atop the Western Conference standings at 16-5.
On top of everything, they are viewed as a legitimate threat to take home the Larry O'Brien Trophy come June, boasting a second-best +500 odds of doing so
With these factors in mind, it should be expected that GM Sam Presti is looking to keep this core together for the long haul and, in a way, make up for his past mistakes by building the league's next great dynasty.
Excitingly enough, it seems that the storied executive is already looking to lock down several specific players for the foreseeable future, with two, in particular, being name-dropped within the rumor mill.
Thunder could soon sign Alex Caruso, Ajay Mitchell to long-term deals
According to Hoops Hype's Michael Scotto, Sam Presti is eyeing contract extension discussions with veteran wing Alex Caruso, with talks "expected" to begin sometime in December.
Acquired this past offseason in the deal that sent Josh Giddey to the Chicago Bulls, Caruso is in the final year of a $36.9 million contract and has been an overall positive contributor within Oklahoma City's game plan thanks to his elite defense, high-end level of energy, and veteran leadership.
While his shooting expertise has yet to arrive in the Sooner State (sporting splits of just 35.6/20.5/41.4), being he's a career 37.3 percent long-range sniper who cashed home 40.8 percent of his three-pointers just last season, the expectation is that he'll eventually start cashing them in.
As things currently stand, Caruso is eligible to sign a four-year, $80 million extension, though it'll be interesting to see how willing the Thunder are to cough up such coin what with his recent hip injury.
The NBA Insider also suggested in his piece that Ajay Mitchell might also be in line for a new payday himself, saying that the rookie guard is "considered a strong conversion candidate" to be converted to a standard contract should Oklahoma City keep a roster spot open "as expected."
Selected 38 overall in June's NBA Draft, the UC Santa Barbara product has played well beyond his two-way pay grade, as he's been playing as productive as some of the top-picks from his own class.
Through 21 contests, Mitchell is averaging 5.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 46.3 percent shooting from the floor and 41.4 percent shooting from deep, while also ranking 12 in offensive rating (105.1), first in defensive rating (96.8), and first in overall net rating (8.3) among rookies who have played in 15 or more games.
While it's not yet clear what the details of a hypothetical converted deal could look like for the rookie or when negotiations could take place, fortunately, the Thunder have recent experience with handling situations such as this.