Kentucky forward Tre Mitchell signs NBA Summer League deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder

Tre Mitchell spent five seasons at four schools in his collegiate career. Now, he has finally turned pro with his signing following the 2024 NB Draft.

Per Jack Pilgrim of Kentucky Sports Radio, the Oklahoma City Thunder have signed Mitchell to a summer league deal as an undrafted free agent.

Over his half decade in college, Mitchell appeared for UMass, Texas, West Virginia, and Kentucky. During the 129 games he played for the four programs, he averaged 13.1 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 48.3% from the field and 33.8% from three.

As a graduate student last season for the Wildcats, Mitchell posted 10.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and a block while shooting 48.4% overall. That made him their leading rebounder while being second in minutes as well as top-five in the remaining key statistics.

Mitchell, a native of Pittsburgh, came out of Woodstock Academy (CT). He was a four-star prospect there as the No. 80 overall recruit in the 2019 cycle. That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He finished as the No. 15 PF in the class and as the No. 2 player out of Connecticut behind only Akok Akok (UConn, Georgetown, West Virginia).

What NBA Draft experts are saying about Tre Mitchell

Mitchell had not been a projected selection for either round in mocks of this draft. Not earning an invite to the G-League Elite Camp could have been evidence of that trend for him.

Still, based on his movement in them during the pre-draft process, he seemed to have put himself in position to be in consideration for teams to sign to a deal afterward, which has since taken place with the Thunder per sources.

“What caught my eye was the 16-spot jump for an oft-forgotten member of the 2023-24 Kentucky squad: versatile 6-foot-9 forward Tre Mitchell. Compared to the May 24 update — exactly two weeks ago — Mitchell has received a significant bump in his ranking. He went from No. 99 to No. 83,” wrote KSR’s Zack Geoghegan on June 7th.

“Does that mean Mitchell will ultimately sneak his way into the draft? Not necessarily. While still unlikely to hear his name called, there aren’t many more plugged into the NBA Draft world than Givony and Woo. If they’re hearing that Mitchell is performing well enough in the pre-draft process that they raised his stock by 16 spots, he must be doing something right,” Geoghegan wrote. “Plenty of undrafted prospects typically get picked up by franchises in the immediate aftermath of the NBA Draft. Don’t be surprised if Mitchell quickly signs a deal if his name doesn’t get called.”