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How Jalen Williams' injury could affect All-NBA status, upcoming salary with Thunder
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- How Jalen Williams' injury could affect All-NBA status, upcoming salary with Thunder
Jalen Williams ' recovery from offseason wrist surgery has been slowed.
Late last week, the Thunder announced that Williams underwent a follow-up procedure on his shooting wrist to remove a screw that was causing Williams irritation in his recovery process.
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A short-term bummer for Williams and the Thunder — which keeps winning anyway — with potential long-term consequences. Millions of them, perhaps.
Williams, the 12th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, is in the last year of his original four-year rookie contract. He's making $6.6 million, but the newly-minted All-Star, All-NBA player and NBA champion is due a big raise starting next season.
More: Why OKC Thunder is 'better team' than last season as it looks to set franchise record
Over the summer, the Thunder and Williams agreed to a no-brainer extension — a five-year deal worth a projected $240.7 million . His $41.5 million projected salary in 2026-27, the first year of his new deal, amounts to 25% of the projected salary cap — the max a player in Williams' position can sign for under the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement.
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Thanks to escalators in his contract, though, Williams' five-year deal could be worth as much as $287 million over the next five years, as was widely reported.
If Williams makes third-team All-NBA this season, before his new contract kicks in, he can make up to 26% of the salary cap next year instead of 25%, The Ringer's Zach Lowe reported . That bumps to 27% if Williams makes second-team All-NBA and 30% if Williams makes first-team All-NBA or wins one of the major awards.
Wait, didn't J-Dub already make All-NBA? He did indeed, a third-team selection last season. But the way the CBA is written, a player has to make All-NBA in their fourth season or in two of their last three seasons to trigger the escalators. It's a goofy rule , and one that could cost Williams a couple of million dollars (and save the Thunder a a couple of million), starting next season.
To make an All-NBA team, players must play in a minimum of 65 games.
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After the follow-up procedure to remove the screw, the Thunder announced that Williams will be reevaluated in 10 to 14 days. That puts the reevaluation window between Nov. 10 and Nov. 14.
At minimum, Williams will miss the Thunder's next four games. That's if he's reevaluated on Nov. 10 and plays the very next day. Under that dream scenario, there would be 71 games remaining, giving Williams a buffer to meet the 65-game minimum.
But what if he's reevaluated on the 10th, and it's determined he needs to rest another week? Williams is then looking at a 15-game absence, which would give him two games of wiggle room — 67 games to play 65 — over the next five months.
Outside of the most optimistic scenarios, Williams' chances of making an All-NBA team are slim. And making first-or second-team All-NBA, which would trigger higher escalators, seems all but impossible at this point.
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Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) smiles in the first quarter agianst the Pelicans at Paycom Center on Nov. 2. Williams has yet to play this season after undergoing multiple surgeries on his wrist.
Even if he had been healthy, it's no guarantee Williams would've repeated as one of the 15-best players in the NBA.
The NBA projected a $166 million salary cap for next season. Set to make 25% of the cap under his new contract, that projects to a $41.5 million salary for Williams in 2026-27.
But if he made third-team All-NBA again, Williams would start his new deal at 26% of the salary cap: $43.2 million. (Shoutout to local CBA extraordinaire Jon Hamm, one of my partners on the OKC Dream Team podcast , for looking over these numbers).
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It doesn't sound like much, but a couple of million here and a few million there is going to add up for the Thunder. The new CBA doesn't prohibit Sam Presti from keeping this Thunder team together. Each of the Big Three has already signed long-term extensions. OKC is the deepest and most-talented team in the league.
Eventually, though, the price tag of the team is going to be prohibitive. Not to keep the Big Three, but to sustain the same complement of role players. Worries for another day.
The Thunder happily signed Williams to a max extension and would be happy if he landed on another All-NBA team. But his short-term injury could lead to long-term savings for a team that will eventually need financial flexibility.
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com . Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com .
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Jalen Williams contract breakdown
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2025-26:$6.6 million
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2026-27:$41.5 million
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2027-28:$44.8 million
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2028-29:$48.1 million
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2029-30:$51.5 million
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2030-31:$54.8 million
- Based on salary cap projections
Thunder vs. Trail Blazers
TIPOFF:9 p.m. Wednesday at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon (FanDuel Sports Network)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How Jalen Williams' injury could affect All-NBA status, upcoming salary
