The Oklahoma City Thunder have crossed their I’s and dotted their T’s. They have signed Jalen Williams to a five-year, $287 million contract extension that’ll keep him in OKC through the 2030-31 season. There are some incentives involved, but it’s the most money the 24-year-old could’ve gotten.

After an NBA championship, the Thunder had the chance to sign Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Chet Holmgren to long-term deals. It took them less than two weeks into the offseason to do that. They aren’t messing around as they built up a title winner.

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Williams was the second-best player on an NBA champion. He had a career season with an All-Star and All-NBA honors. He also received an All-Defensive spot. He’s one of the league’s best players and has plenty of runway to grow.

Let’s examine Williams’ extension and what it means for the Thunder:

Williams’ background

The Thunder drafted Williams with the No. 12 pick of the 2022 NBA draft. He spent three college seasons at Santa Clara. Because of the small school, he was a late bloomer in the draft scene, but quickly rose into the lottery range. He’s had an unconventional path into stardom, as he’s blossomed into one of the league’s best players.

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Williams has been a big part of the Thunder in his three seasons. He’s been either their second-best or third-best player, depending on who you ask. The 24-year-old has been an efficient second option who similarly plays to Gilgeous-Alexander. And then there’s the defense. He’s one of the best defensive forwards who guards all five positions and can defend the perimeter or protect the paint.

Williams has averaged 18.1 points on 51.3% shooting, 4.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 215 career games in OKC. He broke out this season with his first-time All-Star and All-NBA nods. He was also named an All-Defensive Team member. He was the second-best player on an NBA champion.

Williams’ fit

We’ve already seen the fit at the apex. To become an NBA champion, you need to get lucky along the way. The Thunder did that with Williams. Most No. 12 picks are taken with hopes they become good starters. Williams smashed through those expectations and turned into one of the best players in the league.

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Williams is the Thunder’s second-best scorer. He can give you an efficient 20-plus points in every possible way. He can drive to the basket, draw contact, score off the dribble and be a lethal catch-and-shoot threat. To the point that OKC has begged him to be a more selfish volume shooter.

The defense speaks for itself. The Thunder had one of the best defenses ever, largely because of Williams. Conventional wisdom hasn’t caught up to that side of the ball yet, but the 24-year-old’s insane wingspan and large size make him the perfect defensive wing that can upsize and downsize all over the floor. The steals and blocks numbers also back up his defensive talents.

What’s scary is Williams is fresh off his third season. There’s still room for him to take leaps. The 24-year-old might be on the older side, but he’s turned that talking point irrelevant. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t continue to get better and be a top-20 player the rest of the way.

Williams’ long-term future

The Thunder have won one championship already and could add more throughout the 2020s. They’re set up to be a title contender for the rest of the decade and then some. While some might be concerned that the depth will suffer with three players taking up most of the payroll, those are rich people’s problems that any NBA franchise will gladly figure out.

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As said earlier, Williams still has plenty of room to grow. There are pathways to becoming a better scorer. Getting to the free-throw line is one. He showed that in the second half of last season. Becoming a high-volume outside shooter is another. His efficiency numbers show he could handle more.

There’s zero reason why Williams shouldn’t be a perennial All-Star. He’s the perfect second option behind Gilgeous-Alexander. Any playoff concerns that the moment might be too big for him were silenced when he played the entire playoffs with a hurt wrist and still dropped 40 points in an NBA Finals game.

The Thunder skyrocketed past several teams because of Williams. To add one of the NBA’s best players at his draft slot is the type of luck that smiles upon a title contender. You make this deal every time and hope you get the best years out of Gen Z Scottie Pippen.

Final thoughts

This was a pretty open-and-shut negotiation process. The Thunder are fresh off an NBA championship. They had the chance this offseason to lock down Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren to long-term deals. Boom, boom, boom. You do that.

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While Shams reported Williams could make up to $287 million, that would likely require hitting on incentives. His five-year extension is at $240 million, just like Holmgren’s. There are no options either, which gives OKC some more security.

And even if Williams hits those incentives to get the full contract, you’ll gladly do it. That’d mean he’d be one of the best 15 players with several All-Star and All-NBA honors. That would likely come with several more deep playoff runs and maybe some more rings. If you’re not interested in that type of success, you’re in the wrong business.

The Thunder had their best offseason ever. They signed their three best players in the aftermath of an NBA Finals appearance. For various reasons, they weren’t able to do that last time, a decade ago, with James Harden’s departure. That’s haunted OKC since then and refused to make the same mistake twice.

Now, the Thunder get to enjoy high-level basketball. They have one of the best trios that complement each other very well. No awkward fights over high-usage or who gets the ball more. With one championship already banked, what happens from here on out could cement this OKC era as one of the NBA’s best.

Final Grade: A-plus

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Deal grade: Jalen Williams’ contract extension with OKC Thunder