After agreeing to extend Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren since the new league year began, the Thunder will now “fully focus” on getting a contract extension done with star wing Jalen Williams, ESPN’s Shams Charania said during a Wednesday appearance on NBA Today (YouTube link).
“There is momentum in those conversations with the Thunder between both sides,” Charania said. “There’s been positive talks, and both sides are aligned on where those negotiations are going.”
Like Holmgren, Williams is entering the final year of his rookie scale contract in 2025/26, making him eligible for a rookie scale extension. His standard maximum-salary extension would be worth 25% of the ’26/27 cap, but he and the Thunder could agree to Rose Rule language that would make him eligible for a starting salary worth up to 30% of next season’s cap if he meets certain performance criteria, such as making an All-NBA team.
Williams is coming off a career-best season in which he averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.6 steals in 32.4 minutes per game across 69 outings, with a .484/.365/.789 shooting line. He earned a spot on the All-Defensive second team, as well as the All-NBA third team.
Despite that All-NBA nod in 2025, Williams has not yet met the Rose Rule performance criteria — if he and Oklahoma City negotiate an extension that includes the possibility of his salary exceeding 25% of next season’s cap, he’d have to achieve the performance criteria again in 2026 to reach that figure.
Williams averaged 21.4 points per game for the Thunder during their postseason run to a championship despite dealing with a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, which he recently underwent surgery to address.
As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst relays, Williams said in a YouTube video this week that he was battling a right wrist sprain for much of the season and suffered the torn ligament during an April 9 game against Phoenix. Between that time and the Thunder’s Game 7 win over Indiana last month, the 24-year-old said he received constant lidocaine injections and cortisone shots to manage the pain.
“I got 28 or 29 shots in my hand throughout the playoffs,” Williams said. “And I was like, ‘That can’t be for nothing. We have to win.’ So, that was my mentality.”
Williams’ shooting percentages dipped to 44.9% from the field and 30.4% on three-pointers during the playoffs, which he said was a result of changing his motion due to the wrist injury.
“I didn’t want to tell the world that I was hurt, and so the world just ganged up on me about how I wasn’t ready for the moment. Which obviously is wrong now,” Williams said. “But that was the most annoying thing, because human nature is you want to just scream that you’re hurt. But I was able to lock in and not use that as an excuse.”
I get Shai’s extension, I get giving JWill the extension, that Chet extension would worry me as a Thunder fan, reminds me of Kristaps Porziņģis in the way he shows flashes but leaves something to be desired. You won the CHIP though so I guess he earned it.
Not really, KP was suppose to be the #1 option and people forget KP did tear ACL which takes something out of him. They are different people personality wise. You just seeing tall lanky white guy.
I am seeing tall lanky injury concerns
I dont see anything Chet does that makes him a max contract other than draft position and potential because I dont think he has shown it yet
Did you see tall lanky injury concerns with Durant?
Prior to that Toronto series in 2019, from the beginning of his career until 4 months before turning 31, Durant had missed only 2 playoff games. He had played in the other 138 games, averaging about 40 minutes a game.
Durant showed crazy promise , just like JWIll does
Chet hasnt
I hope he becomes a GREAT player but dont think he will ever be All Star caliber
I was speaking about injury concerns due to a lean build.
I’ve seen papers on players being more injury-prone due to being taller and heavier.
I haven’t seen anything suggesting that being lean increases the likelihood of getting hurt.
I really hope he never gets hurt, hope he adds some muscle like KD did
I hope so, too. My post was not about how good Chet is compared to KD. There are fewer fingers on a hand than there were better players than KD when he was 21 in his 3rd year in the league. Chet is 23, and he’s nowhere near that.
But that was not my point. My point is that it’s unfair to look at Chet as an injury waiting to happen just because he’s lean.
I’m pretty sure that OKC and Chet have access to the best doctors and medical science, they will figure out what type of physique is best suited for him.
He was spot on for comparing KP and Chet. Bringing up KD makes zero sense. Some guys love to troll. I would def be worried of his injuries but to counter his defense, stretching the floor and rebounding is why he gets max money.
And your third option shouldn’t get the max extension that Chet got when he hasn’t proved that he can stay healthy.
He does need to get stronger, I agree. That’s why they signed IHart. To help him grow and take take the banging. IHart has an expiring contract. And Sorber is a great pick to replace him. Chet has game. Needs to get thicker ….
I rather give it to Chet than JWill… Chet is a much more unique talent… you can’t win without taking risks, right?
Going down the the same path as the Nuggets and Celtics after their championships the past two years. It doesn’t lead anywhere but paralysis and decline. But I’m not sure there is an alternative under the current CBA, which needs to change. The league needs dynasties, even if short ones.
At least the Thunder have all those draft picks still, but they’re gonna have to get lucky again after the 2026 season.
Nuggets were not a young team, Brown was going to leave as he was looking for his only pay day.
Green older guy.
Nuggets with Malone never bothered to develop young talent. OKC already has SGA with another All Star.
Boston besides the 2 stars were also not that young, they logged a lot of minutes.
SGA, JDub, and Chet being paid was inevitable.
Joe will be moved at some point because he lost minutes.
Wiggins is on a cheaper deal.
IHart will have team option declined and likely sign for less or be let go.
Caruso deal is cheap and he seems fine, he should be paid like a Jrue Holiday and isn’t because he knows he would be moved a lot.
They have Topic stepping in for minutes.
I’m with you will all but Caruso did get paid on an extension. I see them letting Dort go unless he takes a discount
aristotle ……. my friend. Do you understand me now. Take the time to search lol…. info is out there .
OKC Thunder team salary — 186,423,643 million.
New contract for Jalen Williams means. IHart and Caruso are gone. And OKC is capped out.
Numbers were presented to him yesterday and he responded with his burner account calling me a hater. He only presents numbers that are nice and good to look at but when presented with the same numbers with facts, im called a hater LOL
Sorry, there is no negative way to spin Holmgren + JDub signings. (I’ve tried hard, OKC is not my team.) There isn’t an NBA team that isn’t jealous today. It’s a GM’s wet dream.
OKC just locked up 2 of the NBA’s top 5 under-25 year olds for the next 6 years… on the best contract value: the rookie extension. Only 25% of the salary cap. Only 23 years old, only 3rd season, so they’re certain to improve. Williams is already an All-NBA, All-Defense, and All-Star. Holmgren has even greater upside.
IMO, it’s the 25% of salary cap number that enables a dynasty. Vets on supermax deals (Butler, George, Anthony Davis, KD, etc) make considerably more — about 35%-39% of the salary cap.
The difference between 25% and 39% enables OKC to keep an elite bench over the next 6 years where Boston could not because of Brown’s and Tatum’s vet supermax deals. Well, that along with the 20+ extra draft picks over the next 6 years that supply cheap talent.
It’s the formula to defeat the CBA: youth.
Yes but it handcuffs you to those players for the duration. The only option is consolidation.
I’m not saying Holmgren’s not worth a max contract but two of top five under 25? I’ll give you Jalen Williams being one of the top 5 but off the top of my head I’d rank Edwards, Banchero, Wembanyama, Mobley and Cunningham over Holmgren. He’s somewhere in the next group with Maxey, Wagner, Sengun and Barnes.
Chucktoad, Holmgren could be top 20 of young players and it would still be a no-brainer.
For me the Thunder are the first real test of the new CBA. The team was created entirely during the span of the new CBA, and they are just now paying their young drafted stars. How many years will they be top contender before the CBA defeats them? 3-5 years?
I am sure the betting world would have loved to know you were hurt.
So what should have the Thunder gave Holmgren? If they don’t give him the max other teams would be more than happy to. Sure they can match his best RFA offer but is it worth perhaps pissing him off over a few million?
I guess the question has to be why would he be offered less than the rookie extension max?
Do you not think that if he were available to other teams there wouldn’t be a large number of them offering him these same terms?