ARTICLE AD BOX
Jalen Williams decided to stay in the ranks of the current NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, extending his cooperation for another five years. At the same time, one of the most recognizable faces of the Phoenix Suns, Devin Booker, signed a contract extension for two more seasons.
A big deal for a team that has ambitious plans for the future.
The twenty-four-year-old wing basketball player from Thunder delighted the club's management, so he was awarded a rich five-year contract worth as much as 287 million dollars. On the other hand, the experienced shooter from Phoenix received a record 145 million dollars, which is currently the most expensive two-year extension in NBA history.
Contracts that change the history of the league
Williams, who was selected with the 12th pick in the 2022 draft, was one of the key factors in Oklahoma's title run. During the regular part of the season, he averaged 21.6 points, and 21.4 in the playoffs. He especially excelled in the fifth game of the Western Conference Finals against Indiana when, despite being injured, he scored 40 points. Not long after the end of the season, he had surgery on his wrist.
The extension was already signed by two other important members of the championship team – Canadian point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and tall center Chet Holmgren.
Booker, who has worn the Suns jersey for almost a decade, has become the face of the Arizona franchise. A four-time All-Star player and two-time Olympic champion with the USA national team, he was selected 13th in the 2015 draft. During the last seven seasons, he regularly recorded more than 25 points per game.
His annual salary of $72.5 million is now the highest in the history of American basketball when it comes to extensions. He also left behind the previous record holder, Gilgeous-Alexander, who provided 285 million dollars for his new four-year cooperation with Oklahoma.
Despite big names like Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant, the Suns didn't even make the playoffs this season. Mike Budenholzer was fired in April, and forty-year-old Jordan Ott became the new coach.
English (US) ·