Alex Caruso Contract Extension Eyed By Thunder GM: We Want Him Here for 'Long Time'
September 26, 2024
After trading for Alex Caruso in June, the Oklahoma City Thunder are hoping to keep him beyond his current contract that expires after the 2024-25 season.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti told reporters on Wednesday that they hope to have Caruso around "for a really long time."
Joel Lorenzi @jxlorenziPresti on Caruso being extension eligible in December: "I think it's clear that he fits a lot of the criteria and characteristics we want here." Mentions recognizing him back when he was with the Blue, saying "every time I say that, I'm completely admitting that we completely…
Oklahoma City acquired Caruso from the Chicago Bulls for Josh Giddey in a rare one-for-one player trade. The move was praised from the Thunder's perspective because of how well Caruso fits on paper with a talent group that already includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
B/R's Andy Bailey gave the Thunder an A for all of their offseason moves, with the Caruso addition being singled out because he can "punish opposing defenses that choose to pack the paint rather than close out to his open catches, and he won't take many (if any) on-ball opportunities away from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams."
The Thunder have plenty of room to operate under both tax aprons right now. They are $17.4 million under the first apron going into the 2024-25 campaign. Things will get more difficult with Holmgren and Williams eligible to sign extensions next summer.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who is signed through 2026-27, is eligible for a four-year, $295 million extension after the upcoming season.
Caruso is unlikely to have a price tag nearly as high as those three players, but he would seem to be in line for a sizeable raise from his $9.9 million salary in 2024-25.
The 30-year-old is one of the best defensive players in the NBA. He has made the All-Defensive team and earned Defensive Player of the Year votes in each of the past two seasons.
On top of his unique defensive prowess, Caruso has developed into a very reliable shooter. He shot 40.8 percent from three-point range on a career-high 4.7 attempts in 71 games for the Bulls last season.
Expectations are very high for Oklahoma City this season after earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in 2023-24. The Thunder lost in the second round of the playoffs in six games to the Dallas Mavericks.
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