Only a month remains for the Oklahoma City Thunder to figure something out. Right now, they're at a standstill with Cason Wallace in terms of his contract extension. After a breakout third year, he's been eligible for a new deal all summer long. So far, nothing has happened.
Considering both sides' stances, that shouldn't be a shocker. If we're reading the tea leaves correctly, the Thunder are hoping to get something done closer to the $25-million-per-year range. Meanwhile, Wallace is aiming high for a $33-million-per-year salary. There's a Mara-sized gap between the two ends.
If a contract extension is agreed upon, it'll likely happen near the Oct. 19 deadline. As a reminder, that's the last day when 2023 NBA draft first-round selections could
get a new deal. If not, then they'll enter restricted free agency in the 2027 offseason.
Remains to be seen what happens. I think this comes down to the buzzer. But we received a clearer picture of Wallace's hypothetical contract extension following Friday's events. A couple of other NBA players had their contract extensions agreed upon with their respective teams.
Here's what that means for the Thunder and Wallace:
Keyonte George, Jazz: 5-year, $157.5M contract
Another big domino fell on Friday. For the longest time, Victor Wembanyama and Amen Thompson were the only members of the 2023 NBA draft class who had signed contract extensions this summer. Now, there are a few more additions to that club. George was another big fish whose long-term future was secured.
After a couple of developmental years, George enjoyed a third-year breakout. He averaged 23.6 points on 45.6% shooting, 6.1 assists and 4.6 rebounds last season. He shot 37.1% from 3 on 6.7 attempts. The Jazz were one of the worst teams and tanked throughout the year, but none of that fazed him.
George put up big-time offensive numbers. He's a score-first point guard who also improved his playmaking. The high-volume outside jumper always existed. Now, he coupled that with a drive-heavy game and mastered the dark arts of getting to the free-throw line. He went from 3.6 free-throw attempts in his first two years to over doubling that at seven free-throw attempts per game last year.
The Jazz are confident in George as a long-term piece. He's been their best developmental story since their rebuild started. What does this mean for Wallace? I think it means he could legitimately argue to get somewhere near $30 million per year. Similar to George's $31.5 million per year average.
In their three years in the NBA, Wallace has universally been viewed as a better player than George. He's a winning player with a championship ring in hand. We know he can help you in the NBA playoffs. Remains to be seen if George can do the same in a winning environment. Much less the actual high-stakes basketball that happened in the postseason. Especially considering how bad a defender he is. If Utah reaches that point, opposing teams will target him on switches.
Wallace is also one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He's an All-Defense member and flirted with a steals title. He might not have the headline-grabbing scoring and assist box-score numbers that George has per se, but he also hasn't had the same opportunities to get them. Remember, Wallace walked into a title contender. Meanwhile, Utah has been flat-out bad since George arrived.
I think you could make a sound argument that most NBA front offices would want Wallace over George. Especially considering the role and tangible proof of helping win basketball. He's an easier fit for most title contenders and doesn't require the same usage to be effective. He's also somebody you don't have to worry about on the other side of the floor.
Ausar Thompson, Pistons: 5-year, $155 million contract
If you're trying to compare players, Thompson is a more adequate comparison to Wallace. Both are defense-first savants with offensive shortcomings. Except that the former is a more dramatic version of the latter — on both ends of the floor. He's better on defense but worse on offense.
Thompson helped the Pistons blossom into a title contender. Now, Detroit is banking on him being a franchise cornerstone. He was promoted to a full-time starter this past season. In return, he had his best year as an All-Defense member and steals champion. He was their top go-to defender against the best perimeter scorers and showed he can physically punk others.
There's no questioning just how talented Thompson is on defense. There's a reason why he had some Defensive Player of the Year whispers. Now, offense, on the other hand, has a lot of work. Let's start with the obvious. He can't shoot. Straight-up. His jumper was nonexistent when he entered the NBA. And that remains the case still.
He's averaged just one 3-point attempt per game at 20.4% in his career. He's a career 60% free-throw shooter. Three years into his NBA career, I just don't think that fault is ever going to leave his game. That said, he's worked his way around it. Sorta. He averaged 9.9 points on 52.5% shooting. Mostly on shots inside the paint. His superhero-esque athleticism has carried him in that regard. Expect that to stay the case.
Now, how does Thompson's contract affect Wallace? I think it shows what type of ballpark range we're dealing with. For all intents and purposes, they're kinda carbon copies of each other. Except I think Wallace has more runway to grow as a scorer and playmaker. And his outside jumper is eons better than Thompson's.
But with Thompson banking $31 million per year on his new contract, that backs up Wallace's belief that he should get something in that range. Maybe a hair below. After these two deals were signed on Friday, I think we can safely guesstimate that he'll get over $25 million per year. Today was a big win for his leverage points over OKC.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: What do these 2 recent NBA contract extensions mean for Cason Wallace, OKC?
