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Should the OKC Thunder Give SGA a Max Contract or Wait One More Year?
Oklahoma City Star Is Eligible for a Supermax Contract, but Should OKC Give It to Him?
Money Talks 💰
This NBA season has been a whirlwind for Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He won the scoring title, won his first NBA MVP award, and now he’s preparing for the biggest game of his life with Game 7 on Sunday night, a chance as good as any to win his first championship, when you see the NBA game odds have the Thunder as an 8-point favorite.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled in Game 6. pic.twitter.com/NIvS7UOpPM
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 20, 2025
For SGA, it’s a chance to become the first player since LeBron James in 2013 to win the MVP and Finals MVP in the same season. Even the NBA championship betting lines for next season already like his Thunder to win the 2026 championship as well, so expectations are sky high for this Oklahoma City team he leads.
The MVP’s Pending Contract
Any NBA news about SGA’s contract is probably the furthest thing from his mind this weekend, but the financial future is something to think about for the Thunder, who have amassed great, young talent and still have the potential to add more in the coming years with their supply of draft picks.
For instance, Jalen Williams will soon want a bigger contract after his impressive performance this season, including 40 points in Game 5. However, since Williams is only in his third season, he’s not eligible for several more years to receive a supermax contract, where a player can make 35% of his team’s salary cap. Instead, he can get a rookie maximum deal worth up to 25% of the cap.
There are other requirements, like you have to win a major award (MVP or Defensive Player of the Year) or be named to an All-NBA team the season before you sign your contract. Had Williams (or Chet Holmgren) done that, he’d be eligible for a rookie max up to 30% this summer.
The model for handling this has been shown by the Boston Celtics, who signed Jaylen Brown to a record $304 million supermax contract in 2023, then raised the bar to $314 million for Jayson Tatum in 2024.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander met the super max criteria (All-NBA in 2 out of 3 years) last offseason but was ineligible to sign because he was short of the years of service criteria.
He is eligible this offseason to sign a four-year $293M extension with OKC.
Because he won MVP (and…
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) May 21, 2025
But in the Thunder’s case, SGA is the top priority, and it’s going to be very interesting to see if he chooses to get paid this summer when he’s eligible for a supermax worth just over $355 million, or if he waits until 2026 when he can guarantee a fifth year on his deal and potentially push it to over $410 million.
A Star of the Game
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s stats only continue to get better each year in Oklahoma City, so there’s little denying he’s worth a supermax extension at a record rate. However, it’s impossible to determine what impact, if any, winning or losing this Game 7 could have on his decision when to sign the big deal.
- If the Thunder win the Finals, does that make him take less money now as a token of good faith in the organization, or does that make him hold out for more as his legacy with a ring is already secured?
- If the Thunder lose this series, does that make him take the supermax now just to make sure he doesn’t end up injured and ring-less for his career?
SGA smiling through it all this series 😀🔥 pic.twitter.com/2iHkJZxhnA
— House of Highlights (@HoHighlights) May 18, 2025
Frankly, it’s an enviable position to be in from both sides. The Thunder will gladly pay their MVP, and he’s going to make generational wealth either way.
