Alex Caruso signs four-year extension with Thunder

Matt Hanifan / NBA / December 22, 2024

<a rel= — Alex Caruso, who the Thunder acquired this offseason, was entering the last year of his current contract. (Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images)

Alex Caruso signs four-year extension with Thunder

Over five months after the Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Alex Caruso from the Chicago Bulls, the team has signed the outstanding two-way guard to a four-year, $81 million extension, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania first reported Sunday.

Oklahoma City Thunder two-time NBA All-Defensive Team guard Alex Caruso has agreed to a four-year, $81 million contract extension with the franchise, his agent Greg Lawrence of Wasserman told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/22YqvnXaOd
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 22, 2024

Caruso, 30, was in the last year of his current four-year, $37 million deal he signed with the Bulls ahead of the 2021-22 season. His cap-hit will begin at $18.1 million in 2025-26 while the percentage of the cap he takes up isn’t expected to exceed 11.7 percent over his next four seasons, according to Spotrac.

The 6-foot-5 guard has long been one of the best defensive guards in the NBA. Even though his opportunity has slightly shrunk in this new context, he’s still averaging a career-high 1.9 steals in 20.2 minutes per game. In a per-75-possession basis, he’s posting three steals and 4.1 stocks (steals and blocks).

Caruso hasn’t shot the ball well to begin 2024-25, knocking down 38.5 percent of his field goal attempts and 27.0 percent from 3-point range. For comparison, over his previous four seasons, those numbers were 44.5 and 38.6 percent, respectively.

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His down-shooting season doesn’t mean he hasn’t impacted winning. He’s still an elite role player who can defend multiple positions and generate havoc at a high level. He’s also an above-average rebounder (for his position) and a valued connector on the offensive end.

The Thunder are the No. 1 defense despite being without Chet Holmgren, and Caruso–along with Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein–has been a critical piece to it. He’s a winning player, point blank. I expect the shooting numbers to progress to the mean, but the Thunder are getting a bargain with Caruso on this deal.

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