Once the offseason arrives, the Oklahoma City Thunder will be on the clock to make a difficult decision. Josh Giddey will be eligible for a contract extension, but the third-year guard has had an inconsistent season.
Adjusting to a new role, this season wasn’t pretty for Giddey at the start. As Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams surpassed him on the totem pole, the 21-year-old shifted from a primary ball-handler to an off-ball fourth option.
Averaging career lows across the board and seeing his playing time dwindle, questions arose about Giddey’s long-term fit with the Thunder. He flipped a switch, however, and turned in his best month of the season in March.
In 15 games in March, Giddey averaged 16.3 points on 57% shooting, seven rebounds and 5.5 assists. He’s shot 41% from 3 and had a plus-13.5 plus-minus.
“Probably the first 50 or so games, I used to overthink everything,” Giddey said on his recent play. “A lot of the time when I touched the ball, I would think too much about what I’m doing. And it’s hard to play that way. It’s hard to play freely and comfortably when that’s what’s happening.”
Giddey opened up about his struggles, stating he hated going into a game knowing opposing defenses would sag off of him. Recently though, he’s changed his mindset toward that and tries to take advantage of mismatches.
It has worked wonders: The 21-year-old has been one of OKC’s best players these last few weeks. He finally looks like himself from the previous two seasons when he was thought of highly.
If Giddey can continue at this level in the playoffs, the odds of him working out an extension with the Thunder likely increase. If not, then he can get a deal elsewhere.
Before the Thunder’s loss to the Boston Celtics, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst shared his thought process about Giddey. The national media figure discussed what Giddey’s offseason plans could look like as he hopes to get a second contract locked up.
“This (recent stretch) is big for him,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s pregame show. “He’s due a contract extension at the end of the season. If it’s not in Oklahoma City, if he continues to play well at the end of this year, he can be a prime piece of trade bait as the Thunder look to upgrade their roster — especially with a big man this summer.”
Brian Windhorst on Giddey:
“He’s due a contract extension at the end of the season. If it’s not in Oklahoma City, if he continues to play well at the end of this year, he can be a prime piece of trade bait as the Thunder look to upgrade their roster.”
pic.twitter.com/2BJ5U8tTHU— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) April 4, 2024
How the Thunder handle Giddey’s extension talks will be the biggest story of the offseason for them. OKC is a couple of years away from having an expensive roster: Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams will also soon be eligible for extensions.
