Hot off the franchise's first NBA Championship, the OKC Thunder opted to shell out north of $800 million in new, standard contracts.
Among the players who received lucrative paydays were Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who netted new multi-year pacts, meaning the organization has officially locked down two of their three first-round selections from the 2022 NBA Draft for the long haul.
The lone outcast from this aforementioned group is Ousmane Dieng, who has yet to receive so much as an offer for an extension as the club makes its way into training camp.
Though the forward may still have some intriguing qualities attached to his player profile (long and lengthy frame, former lottery pick, still only 22 years old, etc.), there has been much speculation among fans and pundits about whether or not these are enough to entice Sam Presti to commit to another few seasons with the Frenchman following the upcoming 2025-26 campaign.
Recently, the folks at Bleacher Report suggested that they're not.
Ousmane Dieng predicted to receive no extension from Thunder
In a piece predicting the outcome of all the remaining extension-eligible player negotiations across the league, writer Andy Bailey came to the conclusion that the Thunder "will take their foot off the gas a bit" following their summer spending frenzy and have Dieng serve as a lame duck talent this season.
Though Bailey noted that low-cost extensions for unproven players "can come in handy" sometimes, in the case of the soon-to-be fourth-year forward, he hasn't done enough to warrant a "live-up-to-it-later deal."
Sadly, there's no arguing against such a notion.
Since arriving in Oklahoma City, Dieng has appeared in a total of just 109 NBA games and has regressed in virtually every meangingful per-game statistic and advanced metric with every passing year.
The 2024-25 season easily proved to be his worst yet with the organization, as he finished with career lows in points (3.8) and minutes (10.9) per game while shooting just 32.4 percent from three-point range.
At this point, the best-case scenario for both the Thunder and Dieng would be to find a trade partner willing to take on his services, preferably one that's invested in developing young talents so he can receive extended run on the hardwood (something he has not received with this dynasty-pursuing team).
Unfortunately, due to his rock-bottom stock coupled with the fact that he's on an expiring, low-level contract, executing a trade should prove to be much more difficult than one may believe.
As a result, the Thunder now head into their title defense season with the sand rapidly getting lower and lower in Dieng's OKC hourglass. According to Bailey, the organization is bound to let it run out completely.