Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needs as much help as possible in the coming years, and Ajay Mitchell is poised to give him that. That said, SGA better hope the Oklahoma City Thunder avoid the mistake the Dallas Mavericks made with Jalen Brunson. OKC needs to position itself correctly so that it can extend Mitchell effectively.
Mitchell is under contract next year and has a team option for the 2027-28 campaign. So, in the next couple of years, the Thunder will have to give Mitchell an extension. And based on the way he’s played so far, it’s clear that he has the talent to be a top-scoring option on a great team. Especially on this great team.
SGA just needs the Thunder to pay him.
SGA needs Thunder to pay Ajay Mitchell
Not too long ago, the Mavericks had it all. They had Luka Doncic and Brunson, both of whom they selected in the same draft. Now, both players are gone.
Famously, the Mavericks gave up Doncic of their own free will. Or at least, of Nico Harrison’s free will. They gave him up willingly, shipping him to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Brunson, on the other hand, was a loss that came because of the Mavericks’ lack of desire to pay him. The two sides couldn’t agree on a contract, so Brunson left.
He inked a free-agency contract with the New York Knicks, and the rest is history. He just won Finals MVP this year, leading the Knicks to a 2026 NBA Championship.
Brunson went from being a second-round pick to an NBA Finals MVP, all because the Mavericks didn’t want to pay him. So, the Thunder need to avoid that mistake with Mitchell.
Obviously, it seems highly unlikely that Mitchell will turn into a Finals MVP-caliber player in OKC, playing behind guys like SGA, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. However, the Thunder still need him.
The Thunder need to pay Mitchell, invest in him, and develop him into being the type of guy who provides SGA with elite offensive support in the playoffs.
The worst-case scenario is what happened with Brunson. If the Thunder don’t extend Mitchell, he could join a different team, blossom, and become an absolutely elite player.
So, SGA better hope that the Thunder take things seriously when it comes to Mitchell’s next contract. If they don’t, they could run into similar issues to the ones Dallas faced with Brunson.
Gilgeous-Alexander needs Mitchell to stick around in OKC.
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