Questions are swirling about the futures of a few players on the Oklahoma City Thunder's roster, but Alex Caruso wasn't one of them, especially not after how he looked in the conference finals. He already said that he's "looking forward" to staying in OKC, and on Monday, Anthony Slater and Tim MacMahon of ESPN confirmed that the feeling is mutual:
Caruso, entering the second season of a four-year, $81 million extension, is considered a firm member of the long-term core, league sources said, proving again his extreme playoff value the past month in the locker room and on the court.
Caruso averaged 11 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game in 23.5 minutes per game during the playoffs, shooting 47.8% from the field and an impressive 44.6% from three. He was one of the Thunder's top players against the Spurs, with his best outing coming in Game 1, when he dropped 31 points on 8-of-14 shooting from deep in 32 minutes.
He's an outlier in Oklahoma City because of his age (32), but that hasn't slowed him down. The Thunder committed to him in 2024, signing him to a four-year, $81 million extension (which runs through age 34), and even as their roster will get more expensive, they know keeping Caruso is worth it.
Surprise: the Thunder want to keep Alex Caruso around
All it took for Oklahoma City to get Caruso was giving up Josh Giddey, a move that aged even better than fans thought it would. If the Thunder really wanted to, they could make Caruso available this summer and get valuable draft capital in return, but they already have more assets than they know what to do with, including the No. 12, 17, and 37 picks in this year's draft.
OKC fans know that a couple of tough goodbyes are probably coming this summer. Lu Dort could be on the way out, as he has an $18.2 million team option for next summer. Isaiah Hartenstein has a $28.5 team option, but all signs point toward the Thunder keeping him around, perhaps after declining his option to work out a longer-term, more team-friendly deal.
Oklahoma City is already projected to be a second-apron team next season, which led to speculation about whether the front office would actually make Caruso available, looking to move off the next three guaranteed years of his contract. That outcome felt even less likely after watching him against the Spurs.
Caruso is a winning player, and with the Thunder set to make another championship run next season, they want him to be part of that.
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