Oklahoma City Thunder star guard Jalen Williams underwent offseason wrist surgery for the injury he suffered late last season against the Phoenix Suns in the second game of a back-to-back.
Jalen Williams Remains Sidelined
Williams, 24, underwent surgery at the start of July to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist that caused him discomfort throughout the Thunder’s championship run.
He required a second procedure in late October to remove a screw that was causing irritation. There’s still no timeline for the former first-round pick to return to action.
Jalen Williams getting shots up pregame in Oklahoma City with that recovering right wrist. Team announced he had a screw removed from it 11 days ago because of irritation in late stages of his rehab. pic.twitter.com/4GKq8XbFsl
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 12, 2025
“It’s not an injury that people have a problem recovering from,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said then during his end-of-season news conference. “It’s pretty common.”
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon also reported in October that head coach Mark Daigneault said Williams had been “progressing on a normal timeline” and “he’s where he’s supposed to be.”
Williams No Longer Eligible For NBA Honors
Williams has missed all 18 of Oklahoma City’s games this season. With only 64 games remaining in the season, he is no longer eligible for postseason awards since he was unable to reach the 65-game threshold.
In addition, the five-year maximum rookie contract extension Williams signed in July includes contract escalators for receiving All-NBA honors, being named MVP, or achieving Defensive Player of the Year.
Per Spotrac, Williams is making $6.6 million this season on the final year of his rookie contract. His 2026-27 salary will climb to $41.5 million. Reaching all the escalators would have raised his salary to nearly $50 million.
Jalen Williams is no longer eligible for the 30% of the cap bump on his extensions. Williams has now missed too many games to be eligible for postseason awards, which would have qualified him for the 30% of the cap max. He’ll now make 25% of the cap at a projected $41.5M.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) November 24, 2025
Last season, Williams earned his first All-Star selection after averaging career highs of 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game in 69 appearances.
What’s more, the Santa Clara product earned a spot on the All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive Second Team. He also averaged 21.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game during the playoffs.
In the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers, Williams averaged 23.6 points on 43.3% shooting from the floor to go with 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest.
Thunder To Become Second-Apron Team
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Thunder project to have a payroll of $246 million in 2026-27, which will take them over the first and second apron.
Despite the enormous figure, Oklahoma City still has about $54 million in non-guaranteed contracts that provide financial flexibility. Players on those deals include Isaiah Hartenstein ($28.5 million), Luguentz Dort ($18.2 million), and Kenrich Williams ($7.2 million).
During the offseason, the Thunder also locked in Chet Holmgren and reigning league MVP and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to long-term maximum extensions.
Holmgren inked a fully guaranteed five-year maximum rookie contract extension that could reach $250 million, while Gilgeous-Alexander signed a four-year, $285 million contract extension through the 2030-31 season.
