The Oklahoma City Thunder have made the first move to keep their championship-winning roster together for the future.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Thunder have decided to extend center Jaylin Williams. The deal is reportedly for three years and $24 million, coming after Williams declined his $2.1 million player option for next season.
“Williams showed his value as a depth piece for the Thunder, even in the postseason,” Charania wrote. “As Oklahoma City deployed the big man most notably against the Denver Nuggets‘ vaunted frontcourt in their second-round series.”
Williams averaged 5.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 47 regular season games for the Thunder during the regular season.
Thunder Lock Down Big Man
Oklahoma City selected Williams in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft after picking Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren in the first round. Despite both being picked higher in the draft and having larger roles on the team, Williams is now their first player from the 2022 Draft to land an extension.
Williams missed a large stretch of the regular season with a hamstring injury but came in as an immediate contributor alongside center Isaiah Hartenstein while Holmgren was out with a pelvic fracture.
During their championship parade, Williams gave a speech expressing his happiness in being a key piece of the first title in modern franchise history.
“Hey man we champs!” Williams said at the podium. “They said we was too young. They said Oklahoma shouldn’t have a team. But guess what? We the **** champs!”
While his scoring and rebounding numbers in the regular season were career-highs, Williams played a diminished role for the Thunder during their playoff run. His statistics dropped by more than double, and he played in just 17 total minutes in their seven NBA Finals games.
However, he made an impact defending against Nikola Jokic during their second-round matchup against the Denver Nuggets, yet still averaged just 10.7 minutes per game in that series.
Williams ranked third in rebounding for the Thunder during their historic regular season. Despite starting in just nine games, he was also just one of only four Oklahoma City players to average at least five points, five rebounds, and 2.5 assists per night.
He also became the fifth player in Thunder history to record multiple triple-doubles in a single season.
Oklahoma City Has More Decisions To Make
With Williams signing his latest deal, every single player on the current Thunder roster is under contract for next season.
While players like Aaron Wiggins and Alex Caruso are on long-term deals, Oklahoma City will have to make some other major decisions over the next 12 months. Namely, the extensions of both Jalen Williams and Holgrem, who are entering the last year of their rookie contracts.
The Thunder will also have to decide on the future of Hartenstein, Lu Dort, Kenrich Williams, and Cason Wallace, all of whom have two more years left on their current deals. They also expect to sign reigning regular season and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a historic supermax contract shortly, as his current deal also expires at the end of the 2026-27 season.
With their extremely young roster, Oklahoma City took advantage of their team-friendly teams in their run to the championship. But problems could arise soon as they expect to give paydays to all of their rising stars.
Williams’s new contract could become part of a future trade package as the Thunder look to stay under the NBA’s second apron. For now, though, he is set to return for their title defense next season.
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