When it comes to the OKC Thunder, the 2025 NBA Offseason should be widely regarded as the summer of signings.
From re-upping with beloved big man Jaylin Williams to a new three-year, $24 million deal to locking down their star trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren to max, multi-year extensions, Sam Presti has been unbelievably busy in his efforts to not only keep this championship core together for the long haul, but also set them up to become a new-age dynasty.
Of course, while Oklahoma City may have been rather trigger-happy when it comes to shelling out monstrous paydays, as they committed themselves to upwards of $877.21 million in new, standard deals, this is not to say that they didn't land a few steal signings along the way.
In fact, there's even a strong case to be made that their decision to retain Ajay Mitchell on a new three-year, $8.7 million contract may just be the best bargain signing of the summer.
Thunder got an absolute steal of a deal with the Ajay Mitchell signing
Though arguments have been made for why both Holmgren and, most recently, J-Dub should be considered steals at their current price point, neither seems to hold a candle to Mitchell's new contract.
After entering the league on a two-way pact, the UC Santa Barbara product quickly endeared himself to both his teammates and coaching staff.
By November, he was a regular within the title-favorite's rotation, seeing an average of 16.9 minutes a night from then on out, and, come early February, he saw his pact with the Thunder be converted to a standard deal.
Without question, OKC committing to Mitchell on a more guaranteed basis made the utmost sense.
After all, he proved to be a highly reliable 3&D contributor who knocked down 40.4 percent of his catch-and-shoot triples and shot 37.0 percent on his above-the-break perimeter attempts while ranking fifth in total three-point percentage (38.3) and first in defensive rating (100.0) among his rookie peers who saw 30 or more games played on the season.
Now, following an impressive Summer League showing that saw him display seemingly improved ball handling and distribution skills, it appears that Mitchell's looking to expand his game even further and contribute in more ways during his upcoming sophomore campaign.
Add both his proven production and potential upside to the fact that he's attached to a deal that will be paying him less than 2.0 percent of the salary cap through 2027-28, and it's virtually inarguable that the Thunder got one of the best bargains of the offseason with the re-signing of Mitchell.