Friday, the OKC Thunder signed former lottery pick Ochai Agbaji to their 15 and final roster spot.
With this, not only have they finally maxed out their depth chart, but they've also officially unlocked a not-so-obvious luxury when it comes to the usage of their two-way players.
While providing his overall assessment of the Agbaji signing, The Athletic's Andrew Schlecht revealed that the Thunder now have the right to play all their two-way players for the full 50 games the league allows, something they were not at liberty to do when they had just 14 standard contracts.
Oklahoma City has three players in Brooks Barnhizer, Josh Dix, and Micah Peavy attached to their three two-way slots. Of the three, Barnhizer has seen the most action so far, logging minutes in four of the club's five games this season. Dix, meanwhile, has registered 46 minutes across two games.
Peavy has yet to step foot onto the floor in a Thunder uniform since signing with the team last week.
Now, with Agbaji's arrival, all three will have the potential to come across some previously unexpected playing time throughout the 2026-27 campaign.
Thunder made low-risk, high-upside move with Ochai Agbaji signing
In the wake of the recent Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Chet Holmgren, and Alex Caruso injuries, the Thunder found themselves down bad when it came to their defensive firepower, especially out on the wing and at the point of attack.
Ocahi Agbaji may not be a star talent by any stretch of the imagination, but he's certainly someone who should help in this area of play... and maybe elsewhere if he finds his groove.
The 26-year-old is a long and lengthy, 6-foot-5 wing with a near 7-foot wingspan who can cover multiple positions and has shown signs of long-range shooting competence.
His best season to date came just a few short years ago, when he was dropping averages of 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 49.8 percent shooting from the floor and 39.9 percent shooting from deep with the Raptors while ranking in the 94 percentile in perimeter isolation defense and the 74 percentile in rim deterrence.
Despite his flashes of solid two-way production, Agbaji has yet to prove himself worthy of sticking around on a roster for more than two seasons. The Thunder now serve as his fourth team in a span of just five years.
Hopefully, with their need for perimeter defense and long-standing affinity for players of his ilk, OKC can serve as the place where Agbaji finally puts it all together on a consistent basis and transforms into a competent role player in the association.
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