Jaylin Williams, Thunder Reportedly Agree to 3-Year, $24M Contract After NBA Title Win
The Oklahoma City Thunder are extending Jaylin Williams' stay for three more seasons, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Charania reported the contract is worth $24 million and that the third year is a club option.
Williams played in 47 games for Oklahoma City this past season, averaging 5.9 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 39.9 percent from beyond the arc. He logged another 17 appearances in the playoffs as the Thunder won their first title.
The 23-year-old had a reasonable $2.2 team option for 2025-26 that OKC declined. The team is choosing to have a little more long-term security by giving him a raise now.
Cost control is also something important for general manager Sam Presti as he tries to maintain the success the team enjoyed. MVP winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, center Isaiah Hartenstein and wing Lu Dort are all eligible to become unrestricted free agents in 2027. Chet Holmgren, meanwhile, can become a restricted free agent in 2026.
Presti may have to make difficult decisions in order to stay out of the second apron in the luxury tax. Gilgeous-Alexander is all but guaranteed to get a supermax extension when he becomes eligible for one, and that will be worth almost $400 million.
Williams hasn't had a breakout in the same way fellow 2022 draft pick Jalen Williams did over the past couple of seasons. Still, he's a solid role player in the Thunder frontcourt and he likely would've had a healthy market if he had hit unrestricted free agency in 2026.
Oklahoma City may have saved some money in the bigger picture by extending him now, and that cost savings will ease the pressure on Presti a bit.
