The Oklahoma City Thunder have elected to not extend forward Aleksej Pokusevski, which means the 21-year-old will enter restricted free agency in the offseason.
The Thunder had until 5 p.m. CT on Monday, Oct. 23 to sign Pokusevski to a contract extension. This was the deadline for extensions prior to the start of the 2023-24 regular season.
Pokusevski is entering the final year of his rookie deal. He is set to make $5 million this season. He was selected 17th in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft.
In 34 games last season, he averaged 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 blocks last season and shot 36.5% from 3.
This news isn’t too surprising. Even though last season was his best yet, Pokusevski was limited to 34 games and missed three months with a broken leg.
Since then, Pokusevski has struggled to stay healthy. He suffered a small right humerus fracture at the beginning of the offseason that cost him nearly two months. He also suffered an ankle sprain that will cost him the start of the season.
This is a make-or-break year for Pokusevski. If he wants to get extended by the Thunder, he’ll need to stay healthy and play similarly to what he did last season.
