The former Toronto Raptors’ Two-Way contract player caught the Oklahoma City Thunder’s eye, making him the Raptors 905’s 25th NBA Call-Up.
It wasn’t long before someone snagged Branden Carlson from the NBA G League while playing for the Raptors 905. Carlson, a 7’ 25-year-old rookie Ute, went undrafted this summer but was quickly snatched up by the Toronto Raptors as a Two-Way contract player.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to a one-year, standard NBA deal with Branden Carlson, Ross Aroyo and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports told @hoopshype. OKC needs frontcourt depth. Carlson, a 7-foot center, is the all-time shot blocking leader for the University of Utah. pic.twitter.com/Go3kxa53GA
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) November 16, 2024
Carlson had a decent showing in the Las Vegas Summer League, putting up 9.6 points — going for 7-for-21 from behind the arc, 5.4 boards, and 2.4 blocks in 20 minutes of action per game. Unfortunately for Carlson, he lost his spot during the training camp battle. Bruno Fernando, DJ Carton, and Jamison Battle took the available standard and Two-Way roster spots, leading to the Raptors waiving him before the training camp ended.
Carlson joined the Raptors 905 for this season, playing three games (all starts), putting up 14.3 points, 8.7 boards, three dimes, and 1.7 blocks. He also shot 42.9% from the perimeter on 4.7 attempts per game.
Congrats to our guy @ballerbranden35 for signing a standard NBA contract with @okcthunder pic.twitter.com/28CZwTGvHq
— Raptors 905 (@Raptors905) November 16, 2024
The OKC Thunder gave Carlson a standard NBA contract, a big upgrade over the Two-Way contract he initially got from the Raptors and what most Call-Ups would get (10-day or Two-Way). The move comes right after Thunder’s Chet Holmgren suffered a hip injury that will sideline him for 8-10 weeks. The Thunder also miss Isaiah Hartenstein (hand injury) and Jaylin Williams (hamstring injury), so their Center core is depleted for the next few weeks. To facilitate the move, the Thunder waived Malevy Leons.
OKC Thunder cut Malevy Leons, add Branden Carlson to 15th roster spot https://t.co/0i3UB5ryCg pic.twitter.com/Y632GKLNCu
— OKC Thunder Wire (@The_ThunderWire) November 16, 2024
Can the Raptors get Carlson back? Possibly. If the Thunder waives him, the Raptors 905 still retain his NBA G League rights. Do we want Carlson back? Hopefully, not anytime soon, as we wish him well and congratulate him on the call-up!
Keep an eye on the next “Dial 905” for a bit of a deep dive on Carlson’s Raptors 905 stint.