Jalen Williams Secures His Future with the Thunder: Maximum Extension
Oklahoma City Thunder star and champion Jalen Williams has agreed to a five-year rookie max contract extension, which could reach $287 million, according to his agents.
This agreement solidifies the Thunder’s long-term project, who now have long-term commitments from their “Big 3”: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and Chet Holmgren, to compete for championships for the rest of the decade.
Gilgeous-Alexander signed a four-year supermax extension worth $285 million on Tuesday, while Holmgren agreed to a five-year deal for $250 million on Wednesday. These three extensions total up to $822 million.
Williams, who was the 12th overall pick in the 2022 draft, earned All-NBA and All-Defensive team honors after a standout third season in Oklahoma City. He had an exceptional year, averaging 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists with 48.4% field goal efficiency.
With a height of 6 feet 6 inches, Williams is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, using his wingspan of over 7 feet to attack passing lanes, deter drives, and protect the rim. He led the NBA in points allowed per direct isolation among players who defended at least 125 isolations, according to GeniusIQ.
Williams played a crucial role in the key moments of OKC’s run to the NBA title, standing out with a 40-point performance in the crucial Game 5 of the Finals. He was the third youngest player to score that many points in a Finals game in the last 50 years.
In the Finals, Williams increased his scoring total in each of the first five games, going from 17 to 19 to 26 to 27 to 40 points, becoming the first player to increase his scoring production in each of his first five Finals games in history when recording at least 15+ points in each game.
Williams was one of four players with 1,400 points and 100 steals last season, along with Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and James Harden.
The Thunder will enter their third season of title contention in 2025-26, staying below the luxury tax, which is a result of having a unique roster built around three young stars and key rotation players with long-term contracts to provide depth.
In 2026-27, the Thunder project to have a payroll of $246 million, which will take them above the first and second spending limits. However, unlike big-spending teams, Oklahoma City has flexibility with $77 million in non-guaranteed contracts. Oklahoma City has dozens of draft picks and has structured its contracts in the coming years to be in a position to keep the core of the team together for the foreseeable future.
