Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder have agreed on a record-setting four-year, $285 million extension that might give him the very best single-season common wage in NBA historical past, an individual with information of the settlement stated Tuesday.
The individual spoke to The Related Press on situation of anonymity as a result of the deal has not been publicly introduced and sure gained’t be till the league’s moratorium on most offseason signings is lifted on Sunday.
ESPN first reported on the settlement.
Information of the deal comes on Canada Day, a becoming coincidence for the 26-year-old from Ontario who’s coming off a season like few others in NBA historical past.
Not solely did Gilgeous-Alexander lead the Thunder to their first NBA championship and the league’s finest document, he swept most main particular person awards — successful regular-season and NBA Finals MVP honors and the scoring title.
The supermax extension was not sudden. It was a query of timing; he might have taken a cope with a good larger complete worth subsequent summer time.
Based mostly on the NBA’s most up-to-date wage cap projections — the precise numbers won’t be finalized till June 2027 — Gilgeous-Alexander would make someplace round $63 million within the first season and almost $79 million in the course of the 2030-31 season. That will put him at a mean payout of about $1 million per common season recreation, and can be the very best single-season wage in NBA historical past.
Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t enter the league with famous person expectations. He was the eleventh general choose within the 2018 draft, and he was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Thunder after his rookie 12 months. He has been on an upward trajectory ever since, and Thunder common supervisor Sam Presti believes that can proceed.
“He’s gotten higher each single 12 months,” Presti stated. “His mindset has allowed him to take these steps and likewise not — I don’t really feel like his progress is, like, risky. I don’t know if that is smart, however I don’t really feel prefer it’s constructed on issues that may’t be repeated and constructed up once more.”
Presti referred to Gilgeous-Alexander as a “basketball artist” as a result of he has the emotional intelligence to know when to name upon his varied presents.
“I simply suppose he’s bought left and proper mind working, and I believe when you consider individuals which can be extraordinarily profitable in what they do, they’ll’t function all on one facet or the opposite,” Presti stated. “Individuals should have — to me, the good individuals in life, enterprise, sports activities, any trade, have to have the ability to entry each side, a inventive facet after which additionally a really goal facet.”
The Thunder are set to be contenders for years. Their finest participant is in place long-term, all their main gamers are underneath contract by way of a minimum of subsequent season and Presti has a slew of draft picks stashed from earlier trades.
“We positively nonetheless have room to develop,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated after the Sport 7 win over the Indiana Pacers. “That’s the enjoyable a part of this. So many people can nonetheless get higher. There’s not very many people on the workforce which can be ‘in our prime’ and even near it.”
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