The OKC Thunder find themselves boasting a roster consisting of three players who were selected in last June's NBA Draft, two of whom were snatched up in the first round of the festivities.
Yet, it seems the rookie that this ball club arguably should be looking to give the most playing time to during these final two weeks of regular season action is the one who entered the league as an undrafted free agent.
Branden Carlson initially signed on with Oklahoma City back on November 16 to help bolster their frontcourt depth amid their widespread injury woes and has gone on to sign several 10-day deals with the club since.
On February 6, the Thunder opted to sign the big man to a two-way deal, and, though he's seen most of his playing time come at the development level, when given the opportunity to contribute on the varsity team he's only managed to impress.
Through 26 games played with the organization, Carlson has undeniably proven himself capable of effectively serving as a serviceable backup big in the association.
From his defensive skills that have him register in with an 8.6 blocks percentage to his floor-spacing abilities that see him cashing home on 38.0 percent of his three-point attempts, the 25-year-old has established himself as a useful center on both ends of the ball within coach Mark Daigneault's rotation.
Add this to the fact that he's seen solid averages of 7.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks on 35.7 percent shooting from deep when logging double-digit minutes, and it only adds more incentive for the Thunder to shell out extended run to the youngster during their final seven games of play, especially if they are interested in holding onto him beyond 2024-25.
However, if they are, crafty maneuvers must be made this summer.
Thunder need to be creative if they wish to re-sign Branden Carlson
With the way Carlson's been playing throughout the season, it's almost certain that the Thunder won't be able to retain his services with another two-way deal, as other frontcourt-needy clubs will likely be interested in snatching up the big man in free agency for themselves.
Because of this, should Sam Presti and company wish to hold onto the rookie, they'll need to extend him a full-scale offer. However, considering the current state of their roster, this could be a bit hard to do.
The Thunder currently have 15 players on their full-time payroll for the 2025-26 season. Since the league only allows this number of active players on a roster at once, even with months to go before the new league year begins, OKC is already maxed out in this regard.
For quite some time, this has been an oft-discussed subject among fans and pundits alike, for not only does this create a hurdle in their potential free agency and trade plans, but also during the upcoming draft, when they could have as many as four first-round picks in their possession.
In all likelihood, the Thunder front office will look to part ways with some of this capital for future assets -- a "kick the can" strategy that Presti has implemented a number of times already. By doing so, they'll automatically be limiting the number of new players they could potentially be bringing aboard this summer.
Still, they'll almost certainly be interested in cashing in on at least one of their picks during June's draft (especially if the Sixers pick stays in their hands), which would mean that the organization will have to part with a player or two simply just to make room on the depth chart.
This could be a similar strategy to how Oklahoma City could go about re-upping with Branden Carlson on a longer-term basis as well.
Of course, key questions that will need answering before such a decision is made, with the two most important being "What would a fair offer be?" and "Who would be on the chopping block?"
In just four months, Carlson has proven worthy of being held onto on a team-friendly, multi-year deal -- with floor spacing abilities, innate rim-protecting skills, and a 7-foot, 220-pound frame, it's hard to argue against such a notion.
In order for the Thunder to keep him around, however, they'll need to get a bit creative in their approach.