After winning the 2025 NBA Championship, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s top brass seems keen on keeping the team’s core together.
First, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander agreed to a massive four-year, $285 million contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Following SGA’s deal, the Thunder also locked down No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Chet Holmgren, to a five-year deal that could help him earn up to $250 million.
While Holmgren was a key member of the Thunder’s 2025 NBA Championship run, analyst Nick Wright believes the team made a mistake.
Photo by Justin Ford/Getty ImagesNick Wright says OKC Thunder should have waited before handing Chet Holmgren a $250m contract extension
When he’s healthy, Holmgren is undoubtedly one of the most incredible young players in the NBA right now.
However, at just 23, Holmgren has already suffered two major injuries in his career. Keeping that in mind, Wright pointed out that OKC should have waited a year before signing Chet to a massive five-year deal.
“I haven’t seen him on the court as much. Which is why I would have waited. Chet, we have seen twice fall and miss months because of it. It’s happened, in a limited stretch,” Wright said on First Things First.
He added: “The point I am making is, a player who people vehemently believed should have been the number one pick, has played half the time, and I think has not yet popped like, ‘Oh this guy is going to be a future multi-team All-Star, guaranteed.’”
Additionally, Wright thinks Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero is a more proven star than Holmgren at this point in his career.
“I just don’t see the harm in waiting. I don’t see the harm in waiting a year. Paolo to me is proven way more than Chet,” Wright concluded.
Chet Holmgren’s stats in the NBA
As the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, ideally, Holmgren should have three years of experience in the league by now.
However, Holmgren missed his entire rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury to his right foot. Additionally, Holmgren missed 50 games in the 2024-25 NBA season.
As a result, he has played in just 114 of a possible 246 games over the last three seasons. The Thunder have ignored this red flag by handing him a humongous maximum extension.
Speaking of the games in which he has played, according to data provided by Sofascore, Holmgren has averaged 16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game in the 2023-24 regular season + playoffs.
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On the other hand, he contributed 15.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game in the 2024-25 regular season + playoffs.
While Holmgren’s defensive numbers are more or less the same, the Thunder star’s shooting efficiency has gone down.