Cason Wallace has been absolutely aces for the OKC Thunder since coming into the league as the 10 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
From his impressive secondary ball-handling skills to his elite abilities on the less glamorous side of the ball, which netted him All-Defensive Second Team honors this past season, the point guard has certainly earned his keep within coach Mark Daigneault's rotation throughout his tenure.
Unfortunately for him, during a contract year in 2025-26, Wallace saw his shooting splits drop to career-worst averages, splashing home on just 43.2 percent from the floor and 35.1 percent from deep, while sporting an effective field goal percentage of just 51.8 percent.
Because of this, Spotrac's Keith Smith believes prospective buyers could be a bit coy about their interest in the youngster, as his offensive inefficiency might lead some to believe he "isn’t quite ready to carry a team."
This could prove to be a major boon for the Thunder in their presumed efforts to re-sign him for the long-term.
Thunder may have less Cason Wallace competition due to shooting woes
Though this may lessen the demand for Wallace and, in turn, negatively impact his desired asking price for his next deal, to Smith, the third-year pro's lackluster shooting success could actually prove a positive for the Thunder, as they don't need him to be a go-to option on their already stacked roster anyway.
As a result, Smith is under the impression that the potential that the 22-year-old clearly has should be enough for GM Sam Presti to "take care of Wallace now and figure out the rest later.”
As a result, the current prediction is that OKC will re-up with Wallace on a four-year, $108 million extension, which, compared to fellow classmate and talent of a similar ilk, Ausar Thompson, who Smith predicts will sign a five-year, $135 million extension this offseason, has the makings of becoming an absolute steal should he tap back into his rookie-season shooting splits of .491/ .419.
Honestly, perhaps the only downside of this projection becoming a reality is the fact that it would almost certainly prove to be the nail in the coffin for Lu Dort's future with the Thunder, as Wallace, who is five years his younger, has similar defensive skills, and projects to have far greater upside as an offensive weapon, should inherently be seen as a replacement rather than a running mate.
Of course, even though moving on from the beloved veteran may sting emotionally, from a purely business and on-court perspective, such a transition should really be seen as a no-brainer.
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