OKLAHOMA CITY — The Thunder brass has no interest in talking dynasty. But talk is cheap. Action over words.
And what action! Shai Gilgeous-Alexander last week. Chet Holmgren, Wednesday. Jalen Williams, Thursday. All have signed or agreed to contract extensions that tie them to the Thunder through at least summer 2031.
The numbers aren’t fake. They’re not Monopoly money. The numbers are oh so real for Clay Bennett’s ownership group. Someone is writing big checks.
But that flag that soon will fly over Paycom Center could be kept company by more championship banners, and none of them are artificial, either.
The Thunder has its core, and it’s a core that will send shivers through every NBA port, from Boston to San Francisco, from Los Angeles to New York.
People are also reading…
SGA is one of the world’s best players, and he’s still 26 for one more day. Williams, at age 24, announced his superstar status with 40 points in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, to go along with a third-team all-NBA selection. Holmgren, at age 23, is a defensive superstar with a chance to be something special on offense, too.
Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all have signed or agreed to contract extensions that tie them to the Thunder through at least summer 2031.
Nate Billings, AP file
The Friday ScissorTales check in on Scott Frost getting in hot water with his old friends in Nebraska, explain how Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark took sides in gender basketball and list some Oklahomans who could win the National Football League rushing title. But we start with the amazing string of Thunder contract extensions.
The Thunder is the runaway favorite to win the 2026 NBA title, and while nothing is for certain, the Thunder figures to start most or all of the next few years as the class of the NBA. Finishing as the champ is more difficult, because injuries, another roster’s ascension, a bad break here or there, can derail the best of teams.
But man, the future looks bright.
Gilgeous-Alexander, is great and might be getting better. Williams was more versatile than an iPhone and played the postseason with a torn wrist tendon, which affected his shooting but not his impact. Holmgren looked like the Elongated Man in becoming a defensive force that would be even more exalted if not for Victor Wembanyama, the French Resistance down in San Antonio.
Over the next six years, SGA is down to make a minimum of $361 million, Williams anywhere from $246 million to $285 million and Holmgren anywhere from $253 million to $263 million.
I know this will offend Oklahoman sensibilities, but those guys deserve the money. They are at the top of their craft, and they have produced. Think about the 38 hours from 9:30 p.m. June 22 until 11:30 a.m. June 24. The Game 7 victory through the championship parade. The excitement and the pride and SGA, Williams and Holmgren walking through the streets, mingling with the crowd, sharing the O’Brien Trophy.
You can’t put a price tag on how that made the city and the state feel.
Williams is a superstar no one saw coming. A 12th overall pick, he immediately showed his NBA chops, then showed star potential, then showed the grit of guarding at a high level most anyone on the court while becoming a prolific scorer.
Analysts have compared him to Scottie Pippen; I see him more as Jaylen Brown, the 2024 NBA Finals most valuable player and the Celtics’ partner to Jayson Tatum.
Over the next six years, SGA is down to make a minimum of $361 million, Jalen Williams anywhere from $246 million to $285 million and Chet Holmgren anywhere from $253 million to $263 million.
Darren Abate, AP file
Holmgren is the phenom we’ve seen coming for years. When the Thunder drafted Holmgren second overall in 2022, he clearly was a two-chance superstar. Had a chance to be dominant defensively and a chance to be dominant offensively.
Holmgren is there defensively. He’s an absolute difference-maker. Completely changes the game with his rim protection, and you can’t play him off the floor in the playoffs. Holmgren’s ability to stay in front of guards after switching was on display in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Indianapolis.
The Thunder’s historically-stingy defense had all kinds of heroes during the fun run to the NBA championship, but Holmgren is the most irreplaceable piece. Luguentz Dort is a marvel, but Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace offer similarly great on-ball defense. But Holmgren’s unique combination of shot-blocking instincts and lateral quickness is almost never found in a 7-footer.
Holmgren is not yet a star offensively. His shooting is good, not yet great, at 37.2% from 3-point range over two seasons. His rebounding is good but only occasionally ferocious. Holmgren’s offensive rebounding rate can get a lot better. His shots around the rim need to rise.
Still, Holmgren has played just 147 NBA games, counting the playoffs. He turned 23 in May. Holmgren is going to get a lot better. Can he become an offensive superstar? Yes. Will he? Probably not, but he doesn’t have to, to deserve a maximum contract.
Williams, too, will get better.
Sam Presti will have to perform sorcery to keep the rest of the roster humming without going deep into the prohibitive luxury tax, but the heavy lifting is done.
The Thunder has its championship and now has nailed down its core, making Oklahoma the NBA’s basketball capital for the foreseeable future.
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said he couldn’t speak for his schools in terms of how they will slice up their revenue-sharing money for women’s basketball, “but I can tell you in conversations, women’s basketball matters, and it matters to our conference.”
LM Otero, AP
Yormark fan of women’s basketball
A Big 12 reporter sat next to Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark during the men’s basketball Final Four last April and says Yormark was living and dying with every Houston possession. Which he should have. A lot of us were.
The Cougars beat Duke with a fabulous comeback, then lost to Florida in a down-to-the-wire championship game. Yormark has made no secret of his desire to market Big 12 basketball like a madman.
But Yormark let out a secret during Big 12 Football Media Days this week.
“Candidly, last year I went to more women’s basketball than I did men’s basketball,” Yormark said.
The Big 12 men had become the nation’s best hoops conference, until the Southeastern Conference uprising last season.
Yormark said he couldn’t speak for his schools in terms of how they will slice up their revenue-sharing money for women’s basketball, “but I can tell you in conversations, women’s basketball matters, and it matters to our conference. We want more linear (cable and network television) exposure for our games, which we’re working on.
“And you know, from a conference perspective, we’re looking to elevate and amplify women’s basketball in all the right ways. I’ve become a big fan.”
UCF head coach Scott Frost has a two-year record of 19-7.
LM Otero, AP
Frost rankles Nebraska fans
Scott Frost was a Nebraska hero. He grew up in suburban Omaha, then went to Stanford but transferred back to Nebraska and quarterbacked the Cornhuskers to a 24-2 record in 1996 and 1997, winning the national title the latter year.
But Frost was a bust as the Nebraska coach. After coaching Central Florida to a 13-0 season in 2017, Frost returned to Lincoln, then went 16-31 in 4½ seasons as the Husker coach.
Now Frost is back in coaching, back as the UCF head coach, and Tuesday at Big 12 Media Days told The Athletic that what he learned in Lincoln was to “not take the wrong job.”
Oh, boy. Frost was mostly a disaster at Nebraska, on everything from the scoreboard to public relations.
In his defense, Nebraska might indeed be the wrong job. The Cornhuskers have fired five straight coaches since Tom Osborne retired after that 1997 national championship. And the winning percentages seem to be going in the wrong direction — Frank Solich was 58-19, Bill Callahan 27-22, Bo Pelini 67-27, Mike Riley 19-19 and Frost 16-31. Even the highly-acclaimed current coach, Matt Rhule, is just 12-13.
Frost might not be wrong. Still, he shouldn’t have said it that way.
But Frost is big on UCF, where his two-year record was 19-7.
“A place that I love,” Frost said of Orlando. Wife “Ashley and I were both really excited to get back to Orlando because of the way the fans and the UCF family treated us the first time, and it’s been the same since we’ve been back. So, I’m excited to do the best I can to help put a good product on the field for the fans and UCF family.
“It’s going to be a challenge for us to see how fast we can take that collection of individuals and turn them into a team. But it’s going to be a fun ride.”
The entire state of Nebraska thought Frost’s return to Lincoln was going to be a fun ride.
Tulsa native and Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is among the six favorites to win the NFL rushing title.
Mike Roemer, AP
The List: Likely NFL rushing leaders
Tulsa native Josh Jacobs, the pride of McLain High School and Alabama; former OSU Cowboy Chuba Hubbard; and former OU Sooner Josh Mixon are among the favorites to win the NFL rushing title. BetOnline.ag has established odds on who will rush for the most yards in the NFL this coming season. Here are the top 20:
1. Saquon Barkley, Eagles, 5:2
2. Derrick Henry, Ravens, 4:1
3. Bijan Robinson, Falcons, 10:1
3. Christian McCaffrey, 49ers, 10:1
5. Jonathan Taylor, Colts, 11:1
6. Josh Jacobs, Packers, 14:1
6. Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions, 14:1
8. Ashton Jeanty, Raiders, 16:1
9. Bucky Irving, Buccaneers, 22:1
10. Chuba Hubbard, Panthers, 25:1
10. Kyren Williams, Rams, 25:1
11. Breece Hall, Jets, 28:1
12. De’Von Achane, Dolphletins, 40:1
13. Joe Mixon, Texans, 45:1
14. Kenneth Walker, Seahawks, 50:1
15. Aaron Jones, Vikings, 66:1
15. Chase Brown, Bengals, 66:1
15. Omarion Hampton, Chargers, 66:1
15. Quinshon Judkins, Browns, 66:1
15. R.J. Harvey, Broncos, 66:1
15. Tyrone Tracy, Giants, 66:1
Mailbag: Thunder questions
The Thunder added Georgetown big man Thomas Sorber and Northwestern wing Brooks Barnhizer in the NBA Draft. Readers have questions.
Gary: “What were the Thunder’s needs? Did they need a third big man, or a 3-point shooter?”
Berry: Everyone can use more shooting, but the Thunder doesn’t want to obtain it at the expense of the defense. And really, a 68-team that wins the NBA title has no glaring weaknesses, especially a team this young.
So the Thunder probably is looking at the future, two years or so hence. And the pick of the Georgetown center addresses the need as good as any. Isaiah Hartenstein probably will be the first of the main guys to go — OKC likely won’t be able to afford him after next season. The hope would be that Sorber could move into the void if Hartenstein leaves.
But who knows? Aaron Wiggins, Jaylin Williams, Isaiah Joe and Ajay Mitchell all were second-round draft picks. Luguentz Dort, Alex Caruso and Kenrich Williams were undrafted out of college. Help sometimes comes from the strangest places.