Shai Gilgeous-Alexander agrees to 4-year, $285 million mega contract extension with Thunder

The NBA's reigning MVP isn’t going anywhere—Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is locked in with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the long haul. Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the star guard has inked a four-year supermax extension worth a staggering $285 million, securing his services through the 2030-31 season.

This blockbuster deal will give Gilgeous-Alexander the highest average annual salary in league history once it kicks in during the 2027-28 campaign, following the conclusion of his current contract. In total, he's set to rake in $364 million over the next six seasons.

Before the new extension begins, Gilgeous-Alexander is set to earn $38 million in 2025-26 and $40 million the following year. For OKC, this move firmly plants their franchise cornerstone in place, and sends a clear message to the rest of the league: the Thunder are building for sustained greatness.

Few players in recent memory have had a season quite like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just did. Averaging 32.7 PPG, 5 RPG, 6.4 APG and 1.7 steals per game throughout the 2024-2025 season. The Oklahoma City Thunder star didn’t just lead his team to an NBA championship—he also took home both league MVP and Finals MVP honors, capping off a remarkable 2024–25 campaign.

Having already earned All-NBA nods in two of the last three years, Gilgeous-Alexander officially met the service time threshold this season to become eligible for a supermax extension. With that in place, OKC wasted no time, signing their franchise cornerstone to a four-year, $285 million deal—averaging more than $71 million annually.

SGA still has two years remaining on his current contract, worth $79.1 million, which means he’s set to rake in over $400 million in total career earnings by the time this new deal runs its course. He’ll be just shy of 33 when the extension ends, leaving the door wide open for another lucrative payday—part of the reason he chose the four-year version now, rather than waiting to sign a five-year deal projected to be worth $380 million next summer.

It’s a win-win move: financial security now, and flexibility for a second supermax down the line.

NBA rules cap individual contracts at five years and restrict extensions from exceeding six total years with the same team. That’s why, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still under contract for two more seasons, the Thunder could only offer a four-year extension this summer.

Had Alexander waited until next offseason, he would've been eligible to ink a longer deal with more guaranteed money. But instead of rolling the dice, he and the Thunder opted to get the deal done now—securing their superstar early and avoiding any offseason uncertainty.

From Oklahoma City's perspective, the timing is key. By locking in their franchise talisman now, the front office maintains crucial financial flexibility ahead of what promises to be a pricey few years. With Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams eyeing hefty rookie extensions and Cason Wallace potentially in line not far behind, GM Sam Presti has some major cap gymnastics ahead.

Fortunately, OKC’s arsenal of draft picks and savvy salary planning gives them an edge that most contenders can only dream of.