Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams missed his 18th consecutive game of the regular season due to a wrist injury, forfeiting his eligibility for postseason awards, and a hefty performance bonus. After undergoing surgery to correct a torn ligament in his right wrist, Williams underwent a second procedure in October.
Instead of making up to the full potential value of Williams' five-year supermax extension, his salary for the first year of his new deal is projected to be 25% of the cap instead of 30%, as Spotrac's Keith Smith noted.
“Jalen Williams is no longer eligible for the 30% of the cap bump on his extensions. Williams has now missed too many games to be eligible for postseason awards, which would have qualified him for the 30% of the cap max,” Smith reported. “He'll now make 25% of the cap at a projected $41.5M.”
Before the injury, Jalen Williams earned his first All-Star selection last season in his third year with the Thunder. He was also an All-Defensive Second Team forward for the first time and Williams made All-NBA Third Team before he helped lead Oklahoma City to its first championship.
Williams agreed to a five-year extension, worth $287 million during the offseason. He averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.6 steals in 2024-25.
Mark Daigneault on timetables for Thunder's slew of injuries
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault set the record straight on his players' timetables for their respective return from injuries. While most fans assume the Thunder's depth combined with its best record in the NBA is reason for players to take their time recovering, Daigneault dismissed that notion before Sunday's game against the Trail Blazers.
“No. Those are all health decisions,” Daigneault said. “We're always conservative. We're always cautious because of the health of our players. If we have to wait another day or another week, or another game, to get a more full version of the player that's going to be more sustainable from a health standpoint, we're always going to do that. Those decisions are not made with any association to team performance, depth, or anything like that.
“If we got guys out, we'll go all the way to the end of our roster, and play the guys that are on two-ways. Those minutes has nothing to do with how we make health decisions with the players,” Daigneault concluded.
The Thunder beat the Trail Blazers 122-95 to improve to 17-1.
