Center Jaylin Williams Signs $24 Million Extension With Thunder

Forbes

12 hours ago

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 12: Jaylin Williams #6 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates a ... More 3-point shot during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on April 12, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by)
The Oklahoma City Thunder just extended Jaylin Williams, their 6'8 backup center, to a three-year deal worth $24 million.
To some, it seem like a lot for a player who is on the fringe of the rotation in the playoffs, but Williams - who turns 23 today - is both young, skilled, and quite underrated.
Let's get into it.
Effective player, who's buried on the bench
Williams has a lot going for him. Not only is he a 39% shooter from three-point territory for his career, he's also a formidable passer at his size, and position.
Williams gathered 120 assists in just 784 minutes this season, a frankly ridiculous number for a player who spent 74% of his minutes at center, and the rest at power forward.
While triple-doubles have never been a reliable indicator of, well, anything, it is noteworthy that Williams gathered three of them this season, thus also showcasing his ability as a rebounder, of which he grabbed 5.6 per game in just 16.7 minutes.
On a deal that will average $8 million per year, Williams becomes the perfect backup insurance for the Thunder, should Isaiah Hartenstein and/or Chet Holmgren miss time.
The team drafted fellow big man Thomas Sorber out of Georgetown in the draft, at #15, but Williams should very much be able to play alongside him, due to his positional fluidity, and playmaking capabilities.
Williams becomes very tradable down the line
Should the Thunder eventually bump up against the second apron, and thus become too expensive to keep everyone around, Williams becomes an immediate trade candidate where the Thunder can expect a market for him.
As the cap will continue to climb 10% every offseason, Williams' deal - which is already modest in value - is enormously easy to trade for, and the fact that the third season is a team option, no team would relinquish control of the deal.
This contract is almost unrealistically team-friendly in both scale and structure. It's only sweetened by the fact that it's attached to a player who might even become a starting caliber player for some team within long.
After winning the title, the Thunder are quietly doing very well in the early stages of the NBA offseason.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.