Jalen Williams, Thunder Have Momentum On Contract Extension

Jalen Williams and the Oklahoma City Thunder are expected to come to agreement soon on a contract extension following the team's deals for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren. Williams is represented by Bill Duffy, who also is the agent of Holmgren.

"I'm told now the Thunder are going to fully focus on finishing up Jaylen Williams, their All-NBA star guard-forward," said Shams Charania on Wednesday's NBA Today. "Fully focused on finishing up his extension. There is momentum in those conversations with the Thunder between both sides. There's been positive talks, and both sides are aligned on where those negotiations are going."

Holmgren's new contract and the one anticipated for Williams will not begin until the 2026-27 season, which is when the Thunder will suddenly have one of the NBA's most expensive payrolls and begin the clock on the repeater tax and potential penalties from the second apron if they go above it.

"But big picture, the Thunder will be entering the 2025-26 season as a non-luxury tax team for the third straight season," said Charania. "It's very unique in today's NBA to be competing for a championship year in and year out. But it goes to the fact that they have this young core that is just now entering this max extension era for them. They have a bunch of role players locked up on long-term deals. But again, bigger picture: starting that 2026-27 season, this is a team that's projected to begin entering the first and second apron."

Williams was an All-NBA selection last season and making one of those teams again next season could allow him to have the starting salary of his extension worth up to 30 percent of the 2026-27 salary cap.