OKC Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander Show Commitment with Quick Extension

The NBA offseason is constantly surrounded by drama and breaking news all over social media, but the Oklahoma City Thunder's biggest point of emphasis came rather stress-free.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander inked a four-year, $285 million supermax extension with the Thunder on Tuesday, keeping him in Oklahoma City through the 2030-31 season — though that includes an opt out option. On an annual basis, it is the richest contract in NBA history.

There was never any doubt that Gilgeous-Alexander was staying put for the forseeable future. The Thunder might be used to star players not signing extensions and testing the waters, but the reigning MVP has always remained committed to it, even through a period at the bottom of the Western Conference.

Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City to its first-ever NBA Finals victory, positioning himself as an all-time great for the franchise — if not already the greatest. At 26-years-old, he's only just entering his the prime seasons of his career.

While he didn't exactly take a pay cut as some might've expected, it wasn't a necessity to. Gilgeous-Alexander more than earned his staggering beg, and instead of dragging out, he got it done as soon as he could. Plus, the Thunder will still be able to hand out the impending extensions to Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren once they're ready.

Oklahoma City's corps group of players will stay in-tact, and Gilgeous-Alexander wants to keep leading the charge. The franchise will keep competing for championships throughout the decade — possibly growing even stronger with the development of talent on the younger end.

The plan general manager Sam Presti laid out once the inaugural rebuild began in 2019 has paid off. The coveted championship has already been earned, but for this era of the Thunder, it's just getting started.

Gilgeous-Alexander technically wouldn't be a "lifer" for Oklahoma City if he stayed put for the remainder of his career, but he might as well be in that case. With this commitment, he has plenty more time to build his legacy as a Thunder.

Let the celebration continue.