Chet Holmgren signs a five-year rookie max extension with Thunder

Chet Holmgren signs a five-year rookie max extension with Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed fourth-year big Chet Holmgren to a five-year rookie max extension that can be worth up to $250 million, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania first reported Wednesday.

Breaking: Oklahoma City Thunder star and NBA champion Chet Holmgren has agreed to a fully guaranteed five-year maximum rookie contract extension that could reach $250 million, agent Bill Duffy of WME Basketball told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/PsdxZq275C

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 9, 2025

Holmgren becomes the second player this week to sign a rookie max, joining Orlando Magic wing Paolo Banchero. For more on that, click here!

He also becomes the second Thunder player to sign a hefty max this offseason; in late June, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed a five-year supermax.

The incentives that allow him to reach the full $250 million have not been disclosed at the time of this publication. According to Spotrac, Holmgren’s salary will be $239 million (based on the 2026-27 seven percent cap increase), starting at $41.4 million in ’26-27.

Even though he’s battled injuries over his first three NBA seasons, there’s no doubt that Holmgren’s been one of the most impactful young bigs in the NBA. In 114 career games, he’s averaged 16.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game on 51.9 percent shooting and 37.2 percent from 3-point range. In last year’s NBA Finals run, he averaged 15.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 29.8 minutes per game.

Where he’s struggled at times is playing through contact, but at just 23-years-old, he still has plenty of time to grow into his frame. He’s a remarkable shot-blocker and has even flashed legitimate floor-spacing chops. Oklahoma City is one of the few franchises that could afford to pay Holmgren without sacrificing too much, and it was in a situation where it had to back up the Brink’s truck for the 7-foot-1 big.

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