After two straight All-NBA First Team selections, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is en route to a massive payday soon.
The 25-year-old is now eligible for the supermax extension after he finished second in MVP this season. He was named on the All-NBA First Team in back-to-back years.
This shouldn’t be a shocker as he had a historic season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He averaged 30.1 points on 53.5% shooting, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 75 games this year.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to their first playoff series win since 2016 with a Round 1 sweep over the New Orleans Pelicans. OKC lost in six games to the Dallas Mavericks in Round 2.
This was the first of likely several playoff runs for the Thunder. OKC smashed open a championship window by being the youngest first seed in league history this year.
Gilgeous-Alexander can sign an extension in the 2025 offseason that can turn him into the first player in league history to earn $80 million in a single season. A supermax extension would be a four-year, $294.6 million deal, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now eligible to sign a super max extension in the 2025 offseason.
He would be the first player to earn $80M+ in one season. pic.twitter.com/E5yHzGse3b
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) May 22, 2024
If Gilgeous-Alexander signs a new deal next offseason, he’d be under contract with the Thunder until the 2030-31 season, where he’d be 32 years old. This would be a massive accomplishment for OKC.
Gilgeous-Alexander is under contract for three more seasons with no opt-outs until the 2027 offseason. He’s set to earn $115 million during that span — a bargain of a deal considering the 25-year-old is one of the best players in the league and in the middle of his prime.
Considering that’s a ways away, there’s still so much unknown on how the next contract negotiations go between the Thunder and Gilgeous-Alexander.
At the very least, OKC will roster one of the best players in the league for the next three seasons at a value salary. Considering the rest of the roster is mostly on their rookie deals, this team could get very expensive very soon.
Alas, such is life for a championship contender. It’d be a justified price to pay for an extensive title window.
