Thunder extend Chet Holmgren: Star center agrees to fully guaranteed rookie deal with massive payout potential
Oklahoma City's center is here to stay after an NBA Finals victory over the Indiana Pacers
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Following their NBA title, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been hard at work in retaining their core. OKC struck a four-year, $285 million agreement with reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earlier this month, and now it has locked in its star center for the future.
The Thunder are signing Chet Holmgren to a fully guaranteed five-year maximum rookie extension that could reach $250 million, according to ESPN. Holmgren has averaged 16.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in two seasons with Oklahoma City, and blocked a record five shots in the Thunder's Game 7 NBA Finals victory over the Indiana Pacers.
The former No. 2 overall pick out of Gonzaga missed nearly three months this past season due to a pelvic fracture. In 32 games played, Holmgren averaged 15 points, 2.0 assists, 8.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per contest. Injuries have been an unfortunate headline of Holmgren's young career: he missed his entire first NBA season due to a foot injury and played just 46% of regular-season games in his career. At 23 years old, however, there's no doubt the future is bright.
Holmgren's 2.2 blocks per game last season were tied with Anthony Davis for third-most in the NBA, and he was a great interior defender for Oklahoma City. The Thunder defense ranked first in the NBA in defensive rating (106.6), opponent field goal percentage (43.6%) and opponent turnovers per game (17) last season, making them the only team since the 1977 merger to lead the league in all three categories. It's a good reason to keep the youngest team to win an NBA title since 1977 together.
Oklahoma City extensions this offseason
| Player | Transaction |
|---|---|
C Chet Holmgren | five-year extension worth up to $250 million |
G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | four-year extension worth $285 million |
three-year extension worth $24 million | |
three-year contract worth nearly $9 million |
Oklahoma City's 84 wins through the regular season and playoffs were the most by an NBA champion since the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls, and tied for the third-most wins in a season ever. Oklahoma City also registered the best regular-season points per game differential (+12.9) in NBA history.
Every player to appear in the playoffs for the Thunder is under contract next season, as Oklahoma City sets its sights on a repeat.
