{"id":849330,"date":"2026-08-09T17:16:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T17:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/849330\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T17:16:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T17:16:09","slug":"thunder-could-be-in-serious-trouble-with-latest-ausar-thompson-prediction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/849330\/","title":{"rendered":"Thunder could be in serious trouble with latest Ausar Thompson prediction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Though most of the boxes on the OKC Thunder’s offseason to-do list have already been checked off, one key move remains. Cason Wallace still awaits a contract extension, and recent moves elsewhere in the NBA may have made retaining him all the more complex.<\/p>\n

It was reported earlier this week that Detroit Pistons wing Ausar Thompson is trending toward getting a five-year extension worth upwards of $30 million<\/a> per year. If that ends up being the case, then the Thunder have almost no hope of retaining Wallace.<\/p>\n

Thompson is coming off a year in which he averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists as a starter. The career 20.4 percent three-point shooter is primarily known for his defensive prowess, but his offense is considered more of a liability than a serviceable skill.<\/p>\n

Having no perimeter game and shooting just 60.0 percent from the free-throw line in his career, Thompson is a borderline one-way player.<\/p>\n

Wallace, on the other hand, legitimately has the makings of becoming a two-way backcourt stud.<\/p>\n

Cason Wallace could price himself out of Thunder apron restrictions<\/p>\n

Wallace pairs his defensive skill set with an impressive knack for scoring.<\/p>\n

He’s a career 37.4 perimeter shooter and just shot 48.8 from range in the 2025-26 playoffs. When stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Ajay Mitchell were all hurt, Wallace stepped into a ball-dominant role with ease, registering multiple 20-plus-point games and posting gaudy assist numbers.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, if OKC fails to secure his services by the end of the offseason, he could end up pricing himself out of town.<\/p>\n

The Thunder already had to jump through a few hurdles<\/a> to get under the second apron this summer, and next offseason could be even worse. SGA’s supermax deal kicks in at the beginning of 2027-28, and GM Sam Presti will arguably be more financially restricted than ever.<\/p>\n

Signing Wallace this offseason to a $20 to $25 million range feels like a must, as he has shown he is on the verge of reaching another level in his game.<\/p>\n

If his breakout postseason performances, namely against the San Antonio Spurs in the Conference Finals, were any indication of what’s to come, then he will easily turn himself into a commodity that OKC won’t be able to afford.<\/p>\n

As lesser players are laying down the blueprint for Wallace’s baseline value, the Thunder can do nothing but panic. Every time a role player signs for a hefty sum, it prices Cason Wallace further out of OKC’s range.<\/p>\n

Ausar Thompson’s potentially gaudy extension could just be the beginning.<\/p>\n

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