After winning the 2025 NBA Championship a little over a week ago, the OKC Thunder already find themselves making moves to better their odds of repeating come next season.
It goes without saying that GM Sam Presti has been quite active throughout this span, adding coveted frontcourt depth with the selection of Thomas Sorber in last week's draft and signing the likes of Jaylin Williams and Ajay Mitchell to new long-term, cost-efficient contracts this past Sunday.
However, easily the most notable transaction made by the front office so far this offseason was their decision to extend superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a four-year, $285 million supermax, giving him the richest annual salary in league history at $71.25 million per year.
Now, while this particular move will most likely prove to be the splashiest one made by the Thunder this summer, it by no means will serve as the last one Presti and company will strike on.
In fact, now with SGA's contract officially on the books, Oklahoma City's next offseason objective has become crystal clear -- lock down Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
Thunder must now focus on extending Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren
Along with Gilgeous-Alexander, following the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign both Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren officially became eligible to sign new contract extensions with the franchise.
Per ESPN's cap expert Bobby Marks, the duo will be able to sign somewhere in the range of $246 million through up to a five-year span, with the potential to earn as much as $296 million should they add All-NBA, MVP, or Defensive Player of the Year honors into the mix.
Already, Williams established himself as an All-Star and All-NBA player this past season, averaging career-highs of 21.6 points, 5.1 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game, while Holmgren, even with his injury-induced rust, proved to be an integral part of Oklahoma City's title-run, particularly in the nitty-gritty aspects of the game.
Considering both are still under the age of 25 and, in turn, are years away from their prime, signing them to new, long-term deals should be a no-brainer.
Even with the dreaded luxury tax and tax aprons potentially on the horizon following all three of SGA, J-Dub, and Holmgren's extensions, with their slew of rookie-scale deals already on the roster and a treasure trove of future draft capital in their possession, the Thunder seem to be more than capable of properly navigating through any reciprocal financial restraints that come their way.
The key to this team winning multiple championships over the coming years is keeping its core trio intact.
As of Tuesday, they officially have Gilgeous-Alexander in for the ride. Now, it's time to secure Williams and Holmgren as well.