2024-25 may be the last season where money won't be an issue for this OKC Thunder team.
Despite currently ranking in with the seventh-lowest payroll in the entire league, over the last five months alone GM Sam Presti and company have shelled out quite a number of fresh new contracts that are only bound to inflate their cap hit over the next several seasons.
The most recent financial commitment made by the front office came Monday afternoon via Alex Caruso's four-year, $81 million extension.
While such a deal has openly excited his teammates from a friendship standpoint, privately it may also have some thrilled from a personal finance perspective.
With several players' deals and rookie-scale pacts nearing the conclusion of their timelines, the Thunder will have their work cut out for them as they try to figure out ways to keep this top-seeded core together for the foreseeable future.
As for who is expected to be next in line to sit at the negotiation table, there are three names, in particular, that should be first on OKC's itinerary.
Thunder next in line for an extension after Alex Caruso signs new deal
Chet Holmgren
This season is year three of a four-year rookie-scale deal for Chet Holmgren, which means he'll be eligible to sign an extension with the Thunder this coming offseason.
Already, the 22-year-old has established himself as one of the best big men the league currently has to offer thanks to his enviable size (7-foot-1), shooting-stroke (37.0 percent three-point shooter), and elite defensive acumen (107 career defensive rating).
After a sensational 2023-24 campaign, Holmgren kicked off his follow-up year with the club by dropping 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks a night while shooting 50.5 percent from the floor and 37.8 percent from distance.
Unfortunately, this fiery start got extinguished rather quickly, as the big man went down with a right iliac wing fracture in his hip 10 games into the year and has missed the past month and a half as a result.
Though this injury, coupled with the fact that he sat the entirety of his technical rookie season with a foot ailment may impact the exact figures of his next contract with the franchise, a long-term extension should still be viewed as a virtual guarantee for the tantalizing center.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
It should come as no surprise that the Thunder are looking to lockdown franchise guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the long haul as soon as they possibly can.
A legitimate superstar and MVP threat, the 26-year-old finds himself playing through yet another magical season as head honcho out in the Sooner State and is posting remarkable per-game averages of 30.6 points, 6.1 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.1 blocks on 51.0 percent shooting from the floor while guiding OKC to a top-seeded 23-5 record.
This summer, SGA will be eligible to ink a whopping $293.4 million supermax extension with the franchise as a result of his accomplishments and accolades.
However, what's interesting to note is that he may be the least likely of the three players mentioned on this list to agree on a new deal this offseason, as there's a realistic possibility he could bet on himself by holding off on negotiations till the summer of 2026 where, should he receive honors such as All-NBA First Team yet again, he could be eligible for as much as $379.9 million.
Jalen Williams
Like Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams is playing through his third season under contract with the Thunder, meaning he'll be eligible to sign a long-term extension this coming summer.
Unlike Chet, however, Dub could be in line for a heightened pay scale should he earn All-Star or, even more lucrative, All-NBA honors.
Based on how he's played so far, the odds of him accomplishing such goals are rather high.
Through 28 games played, Williams is posting sensational averages of 21.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.8 steals, and just shy of a block on 49.0 percent shooting from the floor and 38.2 percent shooting from distance.
However, what's most impressive about the 23-year-old's play is the fact that he's managed to produce at such an elite level while regularly playing out of position, as he's found himself slotting in anywhere from a one to a five amid Oklahoma City's injury woes during these early stages of the season.
Arguably the most important player thus far into 2024-25, expect Jalen Williams to be rewarded handsomely as soon as the league's negotiation window opens up.