Though enthusiasm for this OKC Thunder team may currently be at an all-time high as they find themselves three wins away from an NBA Championship, lost in the Finals hoopla is the problematic future that awaits the franchise this offseason.
It goes without saying that this Oklahoma City squad is enviably deep. Throughout the regular season, coach Mark Daigneault regularly found himself going 10-to-12 men deep within his rotation, and, so far in this 2025 title-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers, such an approach lives on.
What's most exciting about this set up is the fact that, come this month's NBA Draft, there's a strong possibility that Sam Presti and company can find a way to make this rotational depth even stronger, as the Thunder are heading into the festivities with three total picks (two of which reside in round one) and, per NBA Insider Jake Fischer, are even [considering trading into the lottery](https://marcstein.substack.com/p/all-the-latest-draft-discussion-trade?utm_campaign=email-post&r=qtt3u&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email).
However, at the moment, OKC has zero space to add two new first-round contracts, as all 15 players on their roster are under tema control for next season, meaning that, if they wish to utilize these picks, they'll need to part ways with some of their current talents simply just to make room.
Sadly, in the event that they do try to create space for an intriguing young rookie prospect, there's a strong case to be made that the most likely roster casualty will be Ajay Mitchell.
**Ajay Mitchell has makings of most likely Thunder roster casualty**
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The rookie was the 15 and final player on this Thunder roster to ink a full-scale deal with the franchise this season, as he signed the dotted line on a two-year contract back in early February.
While undoubtedly worthy of such a pact, as he was shaping up to be not just one of the more impressive young talents in OKC but also [one of the best players](https://thunderousintentions.com/okc-thunder-strike-gold-yet-again-unearthing-ajay-mithcell-best-rookie-talents) from his respective 2024 NBA Draft class before missing multiple months due to injury, when comparing his contract figures to the rest of his teammates, Mitchell's is obviously the easiest for them to part ways with.
After this season wraps, the Thunder will have the ability to either opt in or out of the guard's $3.0 million option for 2025-26. Should they do the former, his status on the team would be secure, and, in turn, Oklahoma City would have to find another way to utilize their draft capital.
Of course, if they were to go the latter route, then Presti would create a fresh roster spot for a new promising youngster to take over.
Now, even though the organization could look to extend Mitchell another two-way contract if this actually went down, there's no guarantee that the 22-year-old would be willing to accept such a demotion.
Frankly, considering how effective he's proven himself to be as a two-way player in just year one with his averages of 6.5 points on 49.5 percent shooting and 38.3 percent shooting from deep while boasting an elite 100.2 defensive rating, it's fair to assume that his services would quickly be snatched up by another interested club with a less stacked depth chart.
Because of all this, though it may be upsetting to think about, unless the Thunder decide to consolidate their two first-round picks into one superior selection this year or, possibly, multiple down the road, they're going to need to find a way to create room on the roster, and opting out of Ajay Mitchell's sophomore season seems like the simpilest way to do just that.