What to know about the OKC Thunder players’ contracts, salary cap
The Thunder’s end felt like a beginning. After 57 wins and a first-round sweep, Oklahoma City’s promising season was cut short by the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals. Still, its players fielded questions about championship possibilities and its fans immediately looked to the future.
So much of the optimism that shrouds this Thunder team stems from how it’s positioned: With several young stars, with one of the league’s youngest rotations, and with a heap of team-friendly contracts. For now, that includes two of its franchise cornerstones in Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, each still on rookie deals for several more seasons.
General manager Sam Presti’s lone deadline trade saw the Thunder take on Gordon Hayward, once a hopeful playoff contributor, in a deal that dealt away Vasilije Micić, Tre Mann and Davis Bertans. With Hayward’s veteran hopes came a sizable expiring contract.
With Hayward’s expiring deal and Kevin Porter Jr. only owed $1 million next season, the Thunder will be relieved of enough cap room to be even more imaginative than usual this summer — an offseason that follows a playoff run and will require some notable decisions.
Let’s take a look at who is under contract, who is a free agent and their financial flexibility:
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Thunder player contracts
Bismack Biyombo
Biyombo will be an unrestricted free agent.
Age at start of season: 32
What to know: The Thunder signed Biyombo just after the trade deadline. Appearing in just 10 games as a theoretically situational big man, Biyombo averaged 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds.
Ousmane Dieng
Signed through 2025-26, which includes a fourth-year team option, Dieng will make just over $5 million next season.
Age at start of season: 21
What to know: Dieng appeared in 33 games for the Thunder this season, averaging 4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists during a season he mostly spent with the organization’s G League affiliate, the OKC Blue. Dieng helped lead the Blue to a G League championship while being named Finals MVP.
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Lu Dort
Signed through 2025-26, which includes a team-option in the deal’s final year, Dort will make $16.5 million next season.
Age at start of season: 25
What to know: A core piece of OKC’s 57-win season, Dort averaged 10.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting a career-high 39.4% from 3 and taking on most primary defensive assignments. Dort played 79 games. He holds the Thunder’s second largest contract behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on deals extending beyond this summer.
Josh Giddey
Giddey is entering the final year of his rookie contract, which will pay him $8.4 million.
Age at start of season: 22
What to know: Giddey played through off-court allegations and an on-court rollercoaster, averaging 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5 assists. He shot a career-high 33.7% from 3, though Giddey’s general inconsistency and the Thunder’s challenging lineups forced teams to abandon him as an outside shooter for much of the season. After starting every game of his career, he was benched during the final two of OKC’s postseason run.
Amid a summer likely filled with league-wide speculation regarding his fit with the Thunder, Giddey will be eligible for a rookie extension. When asked whether he saw himself in OKC longterm on Sunday, Giddey said “I love it here, this is home away from home.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Signed through 2026-27, OKC’s franchise star will make $35.9 next season.
Age at start of season: 26
What to know: Gilgeous-Alexander just finished the second season of his rookie extension. In it, he set franchise records, was among the league leaders in scoring, finished second in the MVP race and is likely to be named First Team All-NBA. Even toward the end of its run, when the Thunder looked unfamiliar at times, Gilgeous-Alexander remained himself. In OKC’s second-round series, SGA averaged 32.2 points, 8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals.
Gordon Hayward
Hayward will be an unrestricted free agent.
Age at start of season: 34
What to know: Hayward made as much as $31.5 million this season, instantly becoming the Thunder’s second-largest contract when acquired at the trade deadline. Once expected to be part of OKC’s playoff rotation, Hayward played just 15 minutes of the West semifinals. He averaged 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 26 regular-season appearances.
Hayward’s expiring deal made sense in order to free cap space for the summer, but after his comments on Sunday — in which he expressed disappointment in his role and a desire to show more — it’s unclear if he’ll return to the Thunder in any capacity.
Chet Holmgren
Signed through 2025-26, which includes a fourth-year team option (OKC exercised his third-year option), Holmgren is set to make $10.9 million next season.
Age at start of season: 22
What to know: Holmgren, who missed all of last season with a Lisfranc injury, played all 82 games in a historical rookie campaign. Finishing as runner-up in the Rookie of the Year race to San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, Holmgren averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocks. He was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie first team with 99 first-place votes.
He’s the only rookie in Thunder history to total 1,000-plus points and 500-plus rebounds.
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Isaiah Joe
Joe is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him $2.2 million. He won’t become fully guaranteed until Jan. 10, 2025.
Age at start of season: 25
What to know: In 78 games, Joe averaged 8.2 points and shot 41.6% from 3, cementing himself as one of the league’s most dependable sharpshooters. When coach Mark Daigneault swapped Giddey from the starting lineup in the final two games of OKC’s season, Joe took his place.
Mike Muscala
Muscala will be an unrestricted free agent.
Age at start of season: 33
What to know: Acquired after being bought out by the Pistons, Muscala appeared in 16 games for the Thunder, averaging 1.1 points and 1.3 rebounds.
Cason Wallace
Signed through 2026-27, Wallace will make $5.6 million next season.
Age at start of season: 20
What to know: One of just two rookies to play 82 games (Holmgren being the other), Wallace averaged 6.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and shot 41.9% from 3 in a significant role off the bench. Wallace immediately became one of OKC’s premier perimeter defenders, eventually getting a chance to play fourth-quarter stints in the postseason.
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Lindy Waters III
Waters is entering the final year of his contract, in which he’ll make $2.2 million. That deal includes a team option, with a deadline set for June 29.
Age at start of season: 27
What to know: Waters, originally on a two-way contract, appeared in 36 games for the Thunder this season. The former Oklahoma State and Norman North High School star averaged 3.6 points and shot 43.5% from deep.
Aaron Wiggins
Wiggins is entering the final year of his contract, in which he’ll make just under $2 million.
Age at start of season: 25
What to know: In 78 games, Wiggins averaged 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds, shooting 49.2% from 3. The 6-foot-6 wing became known as OKC’s Swiss Army knife, a bench spark that filled plenty of gaps. His future with the team is among the organization’s most pressing decisions.
Jalen Williams
Signed through 2025-26, which includes a fourth-year team option (his third-year option was exercised), Williams will make $4.8 million next season.
Age at start of season: 23
What to know: Williams emerged as a two-way star, averaging 19.1 points, 4 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 42.7% from 3. Dazzling with his on-ball play and tough shotmaking, Williams was cemented as OKC’s second scoring option. Defensively, he took on assignments ranging from LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard to CJ McCollum and Kyrie Irving.
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Jaylin Williams
Signed through 2025-26, Jaylin will make just over $2 million next season, though he won’t become fully guaranteed until Jan. 10, 2025.
Age at start of season: 22
What to know: Appearing in 69 games, Williams averaged 4.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 36.8% from 3. At 6-9, Williams was used to help the Thunder with spacing and, at times, add physicality and rebounding when sharing the floor with Holmgren.
Kenrich Williams
Signed through 2026-27, Williams will make $6.7 million next season.
Age at start of season: 29
What to know: Williams’ role looked different than a year ago, averaging just 14.9 minutes while appearing in 69 games. He averaged 4.7 points, 3 rebounds and made 39.7% of his 3s. He played just over 15 minutes in the West semifinals.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What to know about the OKC Thunder players’ contracts, salary cap
