Even when taking into account the exorbitantly high price tags, the OKC Thunder have been lauded for their offseason dealings this summer.
So far, Sam Presti and company have committed the franchise to a potential total of $877.21 million in new money, the majority of which (upwards of $822 million) is owed to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren.
For their two aforementioned All-Stars, the writing has been on the wall for months that max-extensions were on the horizon.
Holmgren, however, was someone who some believed may fall short of hitting the max due, in large part, to his injury woes throughout his three-year career and recent struggles during Oklahoma City's title run.
In the end, the Big Three were fiscally rewarded to the fullest extent, and, while Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams's deals may be seen as no-brainers, Fox Sports' Craig Carton argues that the organization was "robbed" with Chet's extension.
Thunder blasted for extending Chet Holmgren to max deal
During a recent edition of Breakfast Ball, the Thunder's summer signings were discussed in depth, with the primary discussion being whether they now set the team up to become the league's next great dynasty.
While it was unanimous among the show's pundits that the answer to the overarching question was "Yes," Carton couldn't help but vocalize his displeasures with the framework of Holmgren's new payday, going as far as to predict that it will wind up going down as "the dumbest contract ever signed in the history of the NBA."
"While I get [the signing], right place right time, Chet Holmgren at no point in the history and the annals of the NBA is a $50 million a year player. That is a joke," Carton said.
Frankly, there's a ton to unpack from this stern assertion.
Carton's claims make it seem like Holmgren simply rode the coattails of the rest of his Thunder teammates to the 2025 NBA Championship. In reality, however, he played a pivotal role in them achieving ultimate glory.
While his shot may not have been falling during the NBA Finals (averaged just 12.3 points on 39.5 percent shooting from the field and 15.8 percent shooting from deep), his ascension as a rebounder (led the series with 8.9 boards per game) and emphasis on defense (held primary assignment Myles Turner to just 37.7 percent shooting and a plus-minus of -1.4) was absolutely vital to the team.
Not to mention, Chet was the anchor of Oklahoma City's historic defense, led the entire league in playoff plus-minus (+169), and set the all-time record for most blocks in a Game 7 of the NBA Finals with five.
It's also important not to forget that the big man returned to action just two months before the start of the playoffs following a four-month, injury-induced absence (pre-injury, he was inarguably on an All-Star trajectory) and was forced to shake off the rust along the way during their high-pressure championship push.
There's a case to be made that the rising star's 2025 playoff performance may prove to be the worst of his entire career, and, even still, he ended up serving as a key reason why the Thunder took home the Larry O'Brien Trophy this past year.
With this in mind, even with Carton's wild belief that he brings "zero to the table," there should be no doubt that signing Holmgren to a $250 million extension this summer was the right and only move for OKC to have made.
If one were to look beyond the mere offensive counting stats (something the polarizing sports personality clearly failed to do), this is as clear as day.