MVP, NBA Champion, Best Male Athlete. These are just a few of the titles Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now holds following his magical 2024-25 season. Excitingly enough, the OKC Thunder have locked him down for the long haul on what should only be viewed as a steal of a deal.
Now, on the surface, this may seem a bit confusing to read. After all, Oklahoma City did extend a whopping $285 million in his direction this summer and will pay him a record-breaking $71.25 million per year once his new extension kicks in.
Add all this to the fact that he, along with Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, are now locked into a cumulative total of roughly $822 million over the next several years, and one may find it hard to believe that Sam Presti and company were able to get any semblance of a bargain with their summer signings.
However, when considering what Gilgeous-Alexander could have gotten had he waited just one more year to put pen to paper on a new deal, the Thunder genuinely seem to have lucked out to the fullest extent.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander saved Thunder over $100 million with new deal
While $285 million is by no means chump change, compared to what he may have agreed to during the summer of 2026, signing him with such a figure via a four-year pact could be classified as borderline theft.
According to ESPN's NBA Front Office Insider Bobby Marks, with Gilgeous-Alexander earning All-NBA honors at least twice over three years and winning the 2025 NBA Most Valuable Player award, not only did he make himself eligible for the supermax he signed earlier this month, but also one next offseason that holds a projected worth of $380 million over five years.
Regardless of how steep a price tag that may have been, the 27-year-old would have been worth every penny of it.
Of course, with his decision to get his contract negotiations over with this summer, SGA saved the Thunder north of $100 million, thus helping them in the long run.
On top of all this, even with his historic new salary secured, the superstar's deal won't officially kick in until the 2027-28 season anyway, which means that not only did his decision to sign this summer save the organization money but also time to prepare for navigating past the tax penalties they're currently on track to endure.
Had he waited for next offseason, avoiding the dreaded second apron would have been far more challenging.