The Oklahoma City Thunder, led by the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, are thriving even without one of their other stars, Jalen Williams, in their lineup this year. Early on in the 2025-26 NBA season, which marks their championship defense run, the Thunder have been playing without the services of All-Star Williams, who has missed the first 16 games due to his injury recovery process.
The injury that Williams has been dealing with is a fully torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, which he has been experiencing since the 2025 playoffs, where they eventually won it all. In July, it was reported that he had undergone surgery on this, and as seen in the past few months, Williams has been sitting out games to recover from the procedure.
But Williams not playing may be a blessing in disguise for coach Mark Daigneault‘s Thunder squad in terms of financial flexibility. According to a report by Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports, Williams’ time away from playing may save OKC some money from his potential $287 million, five-year rookie max extension, as he is set to miss key incentives attached to it this year.
As it stands, Williams is set to make around $6.5 million this campaign, which is the final year of his rookie contract. Given the timeframe, Williams will likely not win any individual awards this year, considering the 65-game stipulation, and is skeptical of making the All-Star Game once again this season. This means that the new deal that was supposed to pay Williams north of $50 million in the 2026-27 season will now be reduced to just $41.5 million.
Thus, the Thunder will have an extra $8.5 million to work with in terms of negotiating with other teams in trade talks and draft picks. Oklahoma City has made a point of emphasis to hoard as much draft capital as possible, as they hold several of other teams’ future first-round and second-round picks while working towards building a potential dynasty.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder Lead The NBA Even Without Jalen Williams In The 2025-26 Season
The Oklahoma City Thunder currently lead the whole NBA with a league-leading 15-1 overall record as they all stand atop of the hotly-contested Western Conference.
Their only loss came at the hands of coach Thiago Splitter’s Portland Trail Blazers in a neck-in-neck affair in which the Thunder lost by just two points, 121-119. Their sights are currently set on the Utah Jazz, who they face in away territory on Saturday, Nov. 21.
Also Read: “Would’ve Killed You”: Charles Barkley Bickers With Shaq; Ranks Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama And Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP
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