After weeks of deliberation and speculation, the OKC Thunder have officially come to a decision on what their future with veteran Alex Caruso will look like.
As per initial reporting by ESPN's Shams Charania, the 3&D savant has agreed to terms on a lucrative $81 million extension that will keep him in Oklahoma City through the 2028-29 campaign.
With this, the seasoned guard becomes the third Thunder player over the past five months that GM Sam Presti has re-upped with on a long-term basis, with Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe inking their new deals back in early July.
Of course, Caruso's new contract figure is easily the more lucrative of the bunch and, come the start of next season, will have him earning the third-highest average salary behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Hartenstein, respectively.
Considering OKC ranks in with the seventh-lowest payroll in the entire association, when anyone on their roster receives some sort of pay bump it's hard to ignore.
Because of this, it should come as no surprise that rookie-scale teammates Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams are already buzzing about his new raise.
Jalen, Jaylin Williams react to Alex Caruso's new deal with OKC Thunder
Soon after news broke on Caruso's lofty new pact with the Thunder, the youngsters headed to social media to share their excitement (and envy) in unsurprisingly comical manners.
Jalen Williams & Jaylin Williams might’ve had the best reactions on the Alex Caruso extension lol pic.twitter.com/DD06lyHvM3
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) December 22, 2024
Of course, within their posts involving dinner requests (J-Dub) and simply holding extra cash (Jay Will), the duo couldn't help but poke fun at Caruso for being tied for the eldest statesman within OKC's rotation at 30 years old, with Jalen reffering to him as "old ass."
The closeness of this Thunder squad has been one oft discussed among fans, media pundits, and even players throughout this year's campaign, with SGA recently talking up the togetherness and strong bond of the team in a post-game interview.
Though Caruso may be one of the newest additions to this organization, it's evident both on the floor and with posts like these from Jalen and Jaylin that he's managed to fit right in during such a short time together.
The veteran was acquired this past offseason via the Josh Giddey trade to the Chicago Bulls. Arriving with a ton of expectations to produce as a much-needed two-way wing with both veteran leadership and championship experience, through two full months of regular season action it's more than evident that he's managed to live up to the hype.
In 19 games played Alex Caruso is averaging 5.7 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.9 rebounds while swiping a career-high 1.9 steals a night, ranking fifth in the league in deflections per game (minimum of 15 games) as well as second in field goal percentage allowed as a contesting defender (minimum 150 shots defended).
Along with his efforts, the Thunder are currently the top-seed in the Western Conference standings at 22-5 and place as the best two-way ball club in the association.
While his shooting stroke still may leave a bit to be desired (splits of just 38.5/27.0/77.8), the impact that Caruso has had on this team is quite apparent. This new extension simply serves as strengthened validation.