Amid an offseason where the OKC Thunder dropped upwards of $877 million on several new, standard contracts, there's a case to be made that their most impressive signing came via a mere two-way deal.
Last week, the ball club opted to bring back sophomore big man Branden Carlson on a non-guaranteed, $636,435 pact that's slated to have him split time between the varsity team and its G League affiliate, the OKC Blue, for the second straight year.
Frankly, after the impressive debut season he managed to have with the organization in 2024-25, it came as quite a shock that Oklahoma City was able to re-sign him to such a deal, especially considering he was a restricted free agent and was both eligible for and deserving of inking a standard contract with any club in the association.