Branden Carlson’s NBA career will reportedly continue in Oklahoma City with the defending champion Thunder next season.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Carlson will be re-signed by the Thunder to a new two-way contract.
The 7-foot, 220 center made an appearance in 32 games with the Thunder in 2024-25 — more than a third of the season — with the rest of his time being spent with the team’s G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.
Carlson had something of a standout stint with the Blue, with whom he averaged nearly 19 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and three assists per game in seven games played.
He was at the back end of the Thunder’s rotation for the rest of the year and didn’t make an appearance during the playoffs (NBA rules prohibited that since he was on a two-way contract and not a standard deal), but Carlson nonetheless showed enough promise that the Thunder want him back.
Two-way contracts in the NBA allow players with fewer than four years of experience in the league to shuffle back-and-forth between the NBA franchise and its G League affiliate during the season, though two-way players are not playoff-eligible and are limited to 50 games on a team’s active list.
Players can only sign for up to two years on a two-way contract, meaning Carlson will now enter his final year of eligibility as a two-way player (coming out of college, he initially signed a two-way deal with the Toronto Raptors).
The former Runnin’ Ute star fits how the Thunder want to play especially at the center position with his rim protecting and floor stretching abilities.
In five years at Utah, Carlson shot .354 from behind the arc (135 of 381) and he blocked 241 shots, blocking fewer than 40 shots in only one season.
The Thunder’s big man rotation is pretty full at the moment and includes:
- Carlson.
- Chet Holmgren.
- Isaiah Hartenstein.
- Thomas Sorber (No. 15 pick in the 2025 NBA draft)
- Ousmane Dieng.
