Canada's Gilgeous-Alexander agrees to massive 4-year extension with NBA champion Thunder: reports

Cliff Brunt · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jul 01, 2025 11:55 AM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes ago

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder person agreed connected a record-setting 4-year, $285 cardinal US hold that would springiness him the highest single-season mean wage successful NBA history, a idiosyncratic with cognition of the statement said Tuesday.

The idiosyncratic spoke to The Associated Press connected information of anonymity due to the fact that the woody has not been publically announced and apt won't beryllium until the league's moratorium connected astir offseason signings is lifted connected Sunday.

ESPN archetypal reported connected the agreement.

News of the woody comes connected Canada Day, a fitting coincidence for the 26-year-old from Hamilton who is coming disconnected a play similar fewer others successful NBA history.

Not lone did Gilgeous-Alexander pb the Thunder to their archetypal NBA title and the league's champion record, helium swept astir large idiosyncratic awards — winning regular-season and NBA Finals MVP honors and the scoring title.

The supermax hold was not unexpected. It was a question of timing; helium could person taken a woody with an adjacent higher full worth adjacent summer.

Based connected the NBA's astir caller wage headdress projections — the nonstop numbers volition not beryllium finalized until June 2027 — Gilgeous-Alexander would marque determination astir $63 cardinal successful the archetypal play and astir $79 cardinal during the 2030-31 season. That would enactment him astatine an mean payout of astir $1 cardinal per regular play game, and would beryllium the highest single-season wage successful NBA history.

Gilgeous-Alexander didn't participate the league with superstar expectations. He was the 11th wide prime successful the 2018 draft, and helium was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Thunder aft his rookie year. He has been connected an upward trajectory ever since, and Thunder wide manager Sam Presti believes that volition continue.

"He's gotten amended each azygous year," Presti said. "His mindset has allowed him to instrumentality these steps and besides not — I don't consciousness similar his advancement is, like, volatile. I don't cognize if that makes sense, but I don't consciousness similar it's built connected things that can't beryllium repeated and built up again."

Presti referred to Gilgeous-Alexander arsenic a "basketball artist" due to the fact that helium has the affectional quality to cognize erstwhile to telephone upon his assorted gifts.

"I conscionable deliberation he's got near and close encephalon working, and I deliberation erstwhile you deliberation astir radical that are highly palmy successful what they do, they can't run each connected 1 broadside oregon the other," Presti said. "People person to person — to me, the large radical successful life, business, sports, immoderate industry, person to beryllium capable to entree some sides, a originative broadside and past besides a precise nonsubjective side."

WATCH l Gilgeous-Alexander wins NBA championship, named playoff MVP:

The Thunder are acceptable to beryllium contenders for years. Their champion subordinate is successful spot long-term, each their large players are nether declaration done astatine slightest adjacent play and Presti has a slew of draught picks stashed from erstwhile trades.

"We decidedly inactive person country to grow," Gilgeous-Alexander said aft the Game 7 triumph implicit the Indiana Pacers. "That's the amusive portion of this. So galore of america tin inactive get better. There's not precise galore of america connected the squad that are `in our prime' oregon adjacent adjacent to it."