The OKC Thunder were recently slammed for making what Fox Sports' Craig Carton believes will wind up being the "dumbest contract ever signed in the history of the NBA" in Chet Holmgren's extension.
Already, the polarizing sports personality was facing an uphill battle in adding coherent credence to his stunning claims, as the big man played a pivotal role in the club's NBA Championship run this past postseason.
However, when looking at the breakdown of the deal, it seems that Carton's argument falls even flatter than previously thought.
Chet Holmgren's extension breakdown is a huge win for Thunder
Last week, the Thunder locked Chet Holmgren down to a max rookie extension worth $250 million over a five-year span.
While this fully guaranteed salary is certainly on the lofty side, the way in which it's structured is actually a major win for Oklahoma City.
While the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams have Designated Player language attached to their specific new pacts (pay bumps if they earn MVP, DPOY, and All-NBA honors), Holmgren does not.
What this means is that while his recently extended teammates are eligible to see as much as 30 percent of the cap max should they claim any of the aforementioned qualifiers, the 23-year-old has been dead set at the standard 25 percent regardless of what accolades he ends up collecting.
Considering the high-end financial commitments already made this summer, any approach that could lead to the team cutting corners in regard to overall payroll moving forward should be seen as a major boon.
Make no mistake about it, the framework of Holmgren's deal could wind up looking like an absolute steal over the coming years.
Let's not forget that prior to going down with a right iliac wing fracture in late November, the sophomore looked to be heading toward his first All-Star bid and possibly an All-NBA nod by year's end, as he was dropping averages of 18.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks on 51.9 percent shooting from the floor and 40.0 percent shooting from deep over nine fully-healthy games.
On top of this, even after his four-month, injury induced absence, while his offense seemed to have succumbed to rust from dormancy, his defensive chops were seemingly as sharp as ever, as he went on to rank third in defensive rating among all playoff performers who saw over 20.0 minutes per night and held the steady-handed shooter Myles Turner to a mere 37.7 percent shooting in the NBA Finals.
Obviously, nothing in this league is a guarantee. However, when looking at the trajectory the soon-to-be third-year pro is on, it seems safe to say All-Star Games, All-NBA selections, and even Defensive Player of the Year bids are on the horizon for Chet Holmgren.
Should any and/ or all of these accomplishments wind up coming to fruition, the Thunder will find out firsthand just how much of a steal his new deal really is.