The Oklahoma City Thunder have left themselves with a real rotational decision to make after their trade of Luguentz Dort to the Atlanta Hawks.
As much as Dort meant to this organization—and as good as he was during their championship run in 2024-25—it was frankly time for Oklahoma City to move on. His efficiency on the offensive end of the court had dropped precipitously, and with Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell waiting to take on enhanced roles in the backcourt, keeping Dort at his $17.7 million price point for 2026-27 simply didn't make sense.
But now, with a hole at the starting shooting guard spot, the Thunder need to choose between their two young guards as they re-shape their starting five. Both players have a case to claim the role.
Wallace is one of the league's most disruptive perimeter defenders, and he showed enough offensive upside during his third NBA season to warrant a starting spot. But Mitchell is more dynamic offensively, and the complementary ball-handling and downhill scoring he presents could add an extra wrinkle in Oklahoma City's backcourt next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
What the decision will likely come down to, though, is how each player can best be maximized. And Oklahoma City can rest assured that, no matter where Mitchell falls in the rotation, he'll still be able to maintain his star trajectory.
Ajay Mitchell can be a star for the Thunder even in a sixth-man role
While Wallace's extension will be wrapped up (hopefully) by the start of the regular season, Mitchell doesn't become extension-eligible until next offseason—meaning the Thunder need to do everything they can to determine Mitchell's offensive ceiling in his third NBA campaign.
Mitchell was one of Oklahoma City's most pleasant surprises of last season. After a minimally impactful rookie year, in which he averaged just 6.5 points across 36 games, Mitchell found a more consistent ball-handling role, stepping up especially in the absences of the Thunder's stars over the duration of the regular season. Across 57 games, he averaged 13.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while knocking down 34.7% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Although he still needs to polish aspects of his game—especially his perimeter shooting—there's ample reason to believe that his downhill athleticism and agility in the Thunder's movement-based offense will be enough to help him take another leap in 2026-27.
But the key here is that, while Wallace is likely maximized when he's taking on a top defensive assignment on a night-to-night basis, Mitchell doesn't need to be in the starting lineup to make a major impact. There's still room to pair him with Gilgeous-Alexander on a frequent basis even in a bench role, and the Thunder need to diversify and layer their offensive attack as much as possible over the course of the regular season.
Whether Mitchell is playing a complementary role next to the Thunder's stars or leading the bench unit next to Jared McCain and Jaylin Williams, he'll find a way to produce his own shots and create opportunities for his teammates. He has enough of an on-ball skill set that Oklahoma City, frankly, doesn't need to be primarily concerned with maximizing his time on the court with Gilgeous-Alexander or any of the Thunder's other creators.
No matter where Mitchell falls in the rotation this season, therefore, he'll still likely be able to continue to take strides into star status. That grants the Thunder an enviable amount of flexibility as they hammer out the new look of their rotation over the early portions of the regular season.
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