With Jalen Williams prolonged, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder have locked up their championship core at a hefty reward.
It’s been costly, however the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder has struck a couple of instances this offseason.
The defending NBA champions have locked up the core that introduced the primary title to The Large Pleasant, as ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Jalen Williams signed a rookie contract extension price as much as $287 million on Thursday. Williams joins Chet Holmgren and newly-minted MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as newly-extended Oklahomans who search to show the title run right into a dynasty.
Williams got here to Oklahoma Metropolis because the twelfth total decide of the 2022 draft out of Santa Clara. He has established himself as one of many prime two-way gamers within the Affiliation, placing up a career-best 21.6 factors together with over 5 assists and rebounds every.
On the finish of the yr, Williams earned each All-Defensive and All-NBA crew accolades, his first such honors along with his first NBA All-Star Recreation.
Williams’ postseason en path to a Larry O’Brien Trophy hoist will little question eternally be commemorated in Thunder lore: regardless of enduring wrist accidents late within the common season, Williams averaged 21.4 factors and 5.5 rebounds, notably breaking unfastened for twenty-four tallies in within the very important Recreation 7, convention semifinal win over the Denver Nuggets.
Within the Finals in opposition to the Indiana Pacers, Williams made historical past with a 40-point efficiency in a tiebreaking Recreation 5, changing into the third-youngest participant in championship sequence’ historical past to succeed in such a statistical plateau behind solely Magic Johnson and Russell Westbrook. Williams additionally had 20 factors within the Recreation 7 clincher. Since then, he has undergone a number of injections and painkillers to rehab the injured wrist in query.
Based mostly on the way in which it has operated to this point, the Thunder might be on strong monetary floor in its first championship protection earlier than the large extensions kick in for the 2027-28 marketing campaign.
The three extensions of the Thunder’s core, every of whom is underneath 27 years previous, places the franchise in place to retain its core and be in title competition for no less than the remainder of the last decade. In 2026-27, the crew’s projected $246 million payroll will take it over the primary and second apron after the 2025-26 payroll initiatives to be underneath the posh tax.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMagss
