Cason Wallace may have a financial decision sitting right in front of him, and it could reshape the Thunder’s extension plans.
The Oklahoma City guard is still in line for a new deal, but if a contract doesn’t get done before the October 19 deadline, the wait might pay off in a major way. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported that there’s growing league speculation Wallace could draw offers as high as $30 million from a couple of teams if he reaches restricted free agency next summer.
That number stands out because the current expectation is that Oklahoma City would try to keep him in the neighborhood of a $100 million extension, which would work out to about $25 million per year. Even that figure already pushes the Thunder into some uncomfortable cap math. Their payroll is projected to sit at $237 million for the 2027-28 season, and the team is already angling toward the second apron.
Add another $5 million annually, and the squeeze gets even tighter.
For that reason, the next few days matter. The Thunder would clearly prefer to lock Wallace up before the regular season starts, while Wallace could have real incentive to hold off and test the market next offseason if Siegel’s read is accurate.
Still, the broader expectation is that a deal gets done soon. NBA insider Marc Stein called Wallace one of the “strongest candidates” among his 2023 draft class to land a new contract “in coming days.”
So far, only four extension-eligible players from that class have signed new deals, with Utah’s Keyonte George the latest to do so.
Wallace has given Oklahoma City plenty of reasons to invest. He’s been a high-level two-way piece throughout his three seasons, coming off a career-best year that earned him his first All-Defensive Team honor. Now he’s in position to take on a full-time starting role in the backcourt next to two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
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