Over the past several years, the OKC Thunder have become quite famous for finding diamond-in-the-rough type players and adding them to their roster.
From Aaron Wiggins to Ajay Mitchell, Sam Presti's track record is truly impressive.
Now, heading into 2025-26, it seems that the storied executive may have found a way to keep this trend going, as the team announced this weekend that they have agreed to terms on a two-way contract with rookie guard, Chris Youngblood.
Thunder add promising prospect Chris Youngblood to two-way
Following a five-year stint at the collegiate level, his last of which was spent with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Youngblood came into the 2025 NBA Draft with a reputation of being a scrappy, high-end hustle player with a smooth long-range shooting stroke (shot 39.3 percent for his career).
He closed out his final year in the NCAA with solid per-game averages of 10.3 points and 2.3 rebounds on 38.8 percent shooting from deep while playing an integral role in helping the Tide advance to the Elite Eight for just the second time in the program's history.
Ultimately, however, this scouting report didn't help his chances in the draft, as he would go unselected and enter the league as an undrafted free agent.
His journey would lead to him earning a spot on the Thunder Summer League roster, where he would become an immediate favorite while averaging 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals on 38.9 percent shooting from deep in Salt Lake City and 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.4 steals on 52.0 percent shooting from deep in Las Vegas.
His surprise play netted him a training camp contract just last month, and, with it, he continued his standout production by continuing to stroke it from deep and serve as a trusty offensive spark plug off the pine in preseason play.
On two separate occasions, the 23-year-old posted 20 or more points, with a 25 points on 54.5 percent shooting from the floor and 44.4 percent shooting from distance performance coming in an NBA Finals rematch against the Indiana Pacers back on October 11.
After all these efforts, Youngblood was rewarded with a cost-efficient two-way deal, one that will likely lead to most of his in-game minutes coming down with their G League affiliate, the OKC Blue, which is now resembling something of an MLB-esque farm team with the presence of exciting young prospects like Branden Carlson and, presumably, fellow rookie Brooks Barnhizer.
In this new era of the CBA, having an overabundance of young, intriguing talents attached to low-cost contracts and having them hone their craft down in the development league could prove to be an invaluable approach to navigating around the luxury tax and dreaded tax aprons.
Because of this, in time, the signing of Youngblood could realistically pay off in similar ways to that of Lu Dort, Mitchell, and Wiggins.