Thunder's Ajay Mitchell: Facing long-term absence

The Thunder announced Friday that Mitchell underwent a successful procedure to address a turf toe sprain in his right big toe. Mitchell will be re-evaluated in 10-to-12 weeks.

The injury comes at a tough time for Mitchell, who was expected to be upgraded from a two-way contract to a standard NBA deal after the Thunder waived center Branden Carlson earlier this week. However, in the wake of Mitchell's injury, the Thunder have since re-signed Carlson to a 10-day deal to fill the open spot on the 15-man roster. A rookie second-round draft pick, Mitchell has been a mainstay in the Thunder rotation this season, averaging 6.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 16.4 minutes while shooting 50.6 percent from the field over 34 appearances (one start). Given the timeline provided by the team, Mitchell will likely be sidelined until late March or early April, and it wouldn't be surprising if he remained out through the end of the regular season.