Rumor: Cason Wallace's contract extension with OKC to start at $25M per year

Reading the tea leaves, it feels like it's only a matter of time before the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cason Wallace figure something out. About a week remains any contract negotiation talks are tabled until next summer. But it sounds like they're at a first-and-goal situation.

According to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Thunder and Wallace are narrowing down what his yearly salary would ideally be when his new contract starts in the 2027-28 regular season. We've seen a wide price range from $20 million to $33 million per year. Like most negotiations, both sides could meet in the middle.

"Sources say talks between Wallace's camp and the Thunder, meanwhile, have begun in the $25 million range in annual average value," The Stein Lein

wrote. "Inspired by recent signees such as Atlanta's Dyson Daniels (an All-NBA defender like Wallace) and Denver's Christian Braun."

The Thunder have had the entire NBA offseason to get something done with Wallace. With only eight days left until the Monday, Oct. 19 deadline, both sides are hoping to expedite the months-long talks. This has been an old-school contract negotiation where both sides have likely made solid points. But both will be pretty big losers in the situation if they let this seep over to next summer in restricted free agency.

For the Thunder, they want Wallace on the low end of that spectrum. Sure, he had a breakout Year 3 as a first-time All-Defensive player and helped you win the 2025 NBA championship, but the scoring and shooting numbers have dipped over his three years. That's caused some concern over his offensive trajectory heading in the wrong direction.

Meanwhile, all Wallace has to point to are his accolades. He's been one of the winningest players in league history. He's started half of his career games as OKC's pseudo-sixth starter. And the 22-year-old could argue that a larger role on offense could help him see his traditional stats jump. I mean, we've seen flashes of that when given the opportunities over the years.

As Opening Night nears, we're seeing more and more of Wallace's 2023 first-round classmates ink new deals. The latest was Brandin Podziemski with the Golden State Warriors on Saturday morning. If he's getting something done, then Wallace certainly has a case to get rewarded, too. According to the Stein Line, he's looking at one particular comp.

"Can Wallace ultimately secure a new contract that pays more than $25 million annually? How far shy will the pact ultimately land compared to George's new five-year, $158 million deal in Utah?," The Stein Line wrote. "Sources say those are key questions to be resolved in these final negotiation stages."

Usually, these post-third-year contract situations either get done as soon as the summer starts or at the buzzer. No real in-between time. The Thunder have to reach an agreement in the latter timeframe. Entering the 2026-27 season as a co-title favorite, you can't have this avoidable drama hang over you like a dark cloud. Everybody needs to be on the same page. Securing Wallace for the long-term future is the final piece of the puzzle.

Who else is getting a rookie scale contract extension in the next week after Brandin Podziemski's new Golden State deal?

The latest Late Night NBA Intel from @JakeLFischer and me breaks the whole landscape down ... plus goes around the league for more: https://t.co/bpQqIpa9uT pic.twitter.com/VxJQBRbxMV

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 12, 2026

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Rumor: Cason Wallace's contract extension with OKC to start at $25M per year