{"id":160542,"date":"2025-09-26T15:10:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T19:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=160542"},"modified":"2025-09-26T15:10:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T19:10:02","slug":"branden-carlson-two-way-deal-okc-2025-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/26\/branden-carlson-two-way-deal-okc-2025-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Thunder Center Lands Two-Way Contract After Big Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coming off a promising 2024-25 campaign, the Oklahoma City Thunder are once again doubling down on two-way deals. As they prepare for a championship run, it seems that working on their reserves is still a thing<\/a>. Branden Carlson<\/a> has earned a two-way contract<\/a> as OKC looks forward to seeing more performances from the center.<\/p>\n

While he doesn’t always get minutes, Carlson being on the Thunder roster next year is a big thing. It opens up a lot of opportunities for the center as he seeks to prove his worth. With Thomas Sorber<\/a> also sitting out the season with a torn ACL, it seems to be the right move now more than ever.<\/p>\n

Thunder Center Lands Two-Way Contract After Big Season<\/h2>\n

Getting another chance to play for the champions is no small feat. All NBA players have to work for their deals, and Branden Carlson<\/a> is no exception. After all, he is yet to sign a standard contract. That means he’s got to earn his way into OKC’s rotation as they defend their NBA title.<\/p>\n

Signing Carlson is the Right Move for OKC<\/h3>\n

So what makes Carlson’s contract a good move? For starters, it doesn’t really cramp the OKC rotation so far. It also doesn’t cost them a lot of money, and they are certainly getting more action from him. Carlson played a total of 32 games with the Thunder last season. Most of it came as he was the only center in OKC’s rotation when Isaiah Hartenstein<\/a>, Chet Holmgren<\/a>, and Jaylin Williams<\/a> were out with injuries.<\/p>\n

In that span, the center averaged 3.8 points and 1.7 rebounds in 7.7 minutes of action per game. As an undrafted rookie, there’s definitely a lot of hope for him<\/a>. He had some sparks of potential in key games for Oklahoma City. Perhaps the most notable was when he scored 11 points and 4 rebounds in a dominant win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. At the time, it was a hyped game with the two top seeds going head-to-head. Carlson drilled three three-pointers in that win during a run that led to the blowout.<\/p>\n

\n

Branden Carlson tonight<\/p>\n

11 PTS
4-8 FG
3-5 3PT
4 REB
1 BLK
17 minutes<\/p>\n

Carlson is on a 10 day contract. pic.twitter.com\/3pO4hfxrPQ<\/a><\/p>\n

— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) January 17, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n