Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Upgraded to two-year deal

The Thunder converted Mitchell (toe) from a two-way contract to a standard two-year contract Thursday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Mitchell has been sidelined since early January after suffering a turf toe sprain of his right big toe and undergoing surgery. Though he's not expected to return until late in the regular season if not the playoffs, Mitchell displayed enough promise while he was healthy and playing on a two-way deal for the Thunder to upgrade him to a spot on the 15-man roster. The transaction will make Mitchell eligible to play in the playoffs once healthy, but he's unlikely to be in store for major minutes while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is healthy. The 22-year-old rookie had averaged 6.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 16.5 minutes per game over 34 games prior to going down with the injury.