The Oklahoma City Thunder just added another expensive piece to the ledger, and that’s where the Golden State Warriors come into the picture.
Cason Wallace has agreed to a five-year, $139 million rookie extension, a deal that arrived right at the deadline and pushes Oklahoma City even deeper into payroll territory. With that contract on the books, the Thunder are now projected to sail past the second apron next season, a place where the financial strain starts to matter in a big way.
That pressure only grows when you look ahead to 2027-28. Oklahoma City is projected to have six players earning more than $20 million that season, beginning with back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose first year on an extension would come in at $61.6 million. The other major numbers sit with Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, both of whom are set to make more than $44 million in that 2027-28 year.
Holmgren’s stock is still high, but the playoff run that just ended did him no favors. His Conference Finals showed got even rougher after a disappointing postseason overall. Williams, meanwhile, has been dealing with multiple hamstring problems, and those issues limited him to 33 games last season.
The Thunder could decide to live with all of it. If they keep winning, especially if they end up with the championship this season, ownership and the front office may choose to absorb a massive luxury tax bill and stay above the second apron next year. That would put them on a different path from a number of teams around the league, including the reigning NBA champion New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets, both of whom have taken care to avoid going that far this offseason.
Golden State is watching that landscape closely. The Warriors are also hovering just under the second apron, but unlike some teams, they’ve created real flexibility for themselves, whether that comes at the trade deadline this season or by having cap space in free agency next year.
If the Thunder ever have to make a move, the Warriors should be ready. Holmgren stands out as the obvious name to watch, given his upside as an All-Star level big man and potential anchor for both the present and future.
There is nothing to indicate he’s on the market, but after that rough Conference Finals and with Wallace’s extension now added to the books, Oklahoma City may eventually have to balance talent against money. Golden State has made itself a potential landing spot if that moment comes.
In Other News...
Stephen Curry Injury Suddenly Puts Warriors Opener In Doubt
Stephen Currys late-summer ramp-up hit a minor snag this week when he tweaked an ankle during Warriors practice, a reminder that even the most routine preseason work can change the conversation around Golden State in a hurry. Steve Kerr said the injury is not serious, but any issue involving Curry immediately gets attention because of how central he is to everything the Warriors want to do entering the season.
For now, Currys availability for the opener is still up in the air, and the team is expected to keep updating his status as the season approaches. It is not the kind of development Golden State wanted this early, though the larger takeaway is that the Warriors appear to be treating it cautiously rather than pushing anything, which is exactly the kind of approach they can ill afford to get wrong with the opener looming. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Opening Night Suddenly Feels Different As Bay Area Star Shows Up
A Bay Area basketball crossover gave the Warriors opening week a little extra buzz, with Gabby Williams coming off a big night for the Valkyries and then showing up at Golden States open practice as the NBA team gets ready for its own season. Williams had just led the Valkyries to a 68-64 win over the Atlanta Dream in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, extending their playoff run to five straight victories and adding another bright moment to what has quickly become a serious Bay Area basketball stretch.
The timing matters because the Warriors own opening night picture suddenly looks less settled after Stephen Curry tweaked his knee in practice. Any concern around Curry changes the tone around the start of the season, even with the attention around the building and the energy from the Valkyries success hanging over the same market. For Golden State, the next few days now carry a little more uncertainty than they did a week ago. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Fans Have Seen This James Wiseman Gamble Before
James Wiseman is back in the league conversation again, this time with the Knicks claiming his final roster spot and hoping the former No. 2 overall pick can finally turn his physical gifts into real rotation value. For Golden State fans, the name still carries the weight of a franchise bet made six years ago, one that never quite matched the promise attached to his size, athleticism and draft slot.
Mike Brown has pointed to those same tools as reasons to believe there is still something to unlock, which is familiar territory for anyone who followed Wisemans time with the Warriors. Now entering his seventh NBA season, he remains the kind of player teams keep circling back to because the upside is obvious, even if the consistency has never been there. [Read more 🡒]