Following their summer spending spree that saw them commit to north of $800 million in new, standard contracts, many may look at this OKC Thunder squad and get fixated on the high price tags that reside on their roster.
From role players like Alex Caruso being owed $81 million over the next four seasons to all three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren agreeing to max, multi-year paydays this offseason, at this point, it's hard not to see dollar signs when examining Oklahoma City's makeup.
The fact that they are currently in line to be nearly $20 million over the second apron by 2027 certainly doesn't help.
However, sprinkled throughout the depth chart are a number of individuals who find themselves attached to highly cost-efficient, if not absolute steals of deals, with beloved reserve wing, Aaron Wiggins, perhaps being the biggest bargain the league has to offer.
OKC Thunder have NBA's biggest bargain player in Aaron Wiggins
In July of 2024, the Thunder re-upped with their former second-round selection on a five-year, $45 million deal. Over one year later, this decision seems to be aging like fine wine.
Wiggins finds himself coming off a career-best campaign in the association, one where he played a crucial role in bringing home the Sooner State's first Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Through 76 games, the two guard posted averages of 12.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on 48.8 percent shooting from the floor and 38.3 percent shooting from deep while finishing with the fifth-best plus-minus rating out of those who saw 50 or more games played on the team.
Whether it be from the eye-test, like when he dropped 41 points in a 144-110 win over the Kings while filling in for J-Dub, or in the advanced metrics, where he ranked third in offensive rating and fifth in net rating when in the game, the Thunder were unquestionably seen playing some of their best brand of basketball in 2024-25 with Wiggins on the court.
This only further proved to be the case under the bright lights of their title-winning postseason, where he ranked first and second on the team in offensive and defensive rating when on the floor.
At just 26 years old, Wiggins has barely entered his prime, which means Oklahoma City should expect to see plenty more highly impactful seasons like the one he just had.
Considering the fact that he's on a descending deal that will be paying him as little as 4.25 percent of the cap in his final year under contract in 2028-29, should he continue to produce at, or rise beyond, his current level of play, sooner or later, it may turn into an inarguable fact that the Thunder wing is the best bang for your buck player in the NBA.