Will Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Contract Limit OKC’s Chances for a Repeat?

It’s no surprise Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed a supermax deal with OKC. Now the Thunder face big decisions as other rising stars wait to get paid.

Big Money

Fresh off their second NBA title in franchise history (first in Oklahoma City) after a league-best 68-14 record during the regular season, it wasn’t surprising to see the Thunder take care of a rather important bit of business.

He’s now Supermax, as in the record-setting, four-year, $285 million contract extension (through 2030-31) given to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA was the league scoring champ as well as being feted with regular-season and Finals MVP honors, OKC needing seven games to dispose of the pesky Indiana Pacers.    

As of this early-July writing, OKC was the 11-4 (+275) favorite to successfully defend its title in 2025-26, according to NBA championship futures odds. SGA’s ‘lockdown’ is the main reason why, but there are other key cogs, namely SGA’s running-mate Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, awaiting their turns at the cashier. Holmgren’s injury history might be a concern, but his size and defensive prowess figure to offset that.

The sort of luxury tax bill the Thunder are going to incur is going to be noteworthy, considering they were under the $170 million threshold last season.

Dollars and cents aside, it’s the Thunder with targets on their backs come next season’s NBA playoffs. That’s nothing new to a team that delivered (despite some bumps in the postseason road) as the prohibitive favorites last season. 

Here’s an offseason primer on SGA and the newly crowned champ, the Oklahoma City Thunder…

What Draft Pick Was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?

In the 2018 NBA draft (held in Brooklyn), the Charlotte Hornets made the 6-foot-6 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the 11th overall selection after a one-and-done ‘career’ at the University of Kentucky. He was involved in a draft-night trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, playing his first season in SoCal. SGA was then dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a trade that sent Paul George to the Clippers (there were multiple selections switching sides as well). He has played seasons two through seven in OKC. 
Looking at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's stats finds three successive seasons' average of more than 30 points. That’s quite a difference after a rookie season (2018-19 with the Los Angeles Clippers) which saw him average less than 11 points per game.

It’s no wonder that ‘Kick Me’ signs are prevalent in front offices of both the Hornets and Clippers. 

How Much Money Did Shai Get for MVP?

SGA’s stats during the 2024-25 season (league-leading 32.7 points per game in addition to a career-best 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds) earned him his first MVP award. That, along with making the all-NBA first team in three of the past four seasons, led to the aforementioned ‘bonus’ of a supermax contract extension. So, no clipping coupons here, 

Does BetUS Offer Constant Updates on NBA Game Betting Lines?

Indeed. There is wagering on individual games, as well as additional props involving teams and players. If you’re a ‘long-term’ investor, there are futures wagers out there in any number of specific categories, including division, conference, and NBA Finals winners. That last wager is as popular as any involving NBA game odds.

As with other wagers, NBA championship futures odds are fluid, thus subject to change.   

Any Final Thoughts?

Anyone who pays even marginal attention to NBA news and NBA rumors is aware of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He has become one of the faces of the league, proving small-market franchises can hit it big.