MVP, Finals MVP, and the championship. For any player, this seems like a dream run. Similarly, for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, this was the perfect season he could ask for. The Canadian superstar was only the fourth player in league history to achieve all of the above while leading the league in scoring. His arrival and evolution have changed the Oklahoma City Thunder’s fortune for the foreseeable future. And it’s only right that he is playing for the team once again.

According to Shams Charania, SGA has wasted no time extending his future with the Thunder organization. “NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has agreed to a four-year, $285 million super maximum contract extension with the championship Oklahoma City Thunder through 2030-31, sources tell ESPN. This is now the richest annual salary for a player in league history,” the insider announced.

His average salary comes up to $71 million. No player before this had ever touched that figure. But in SGA’s case, it’s all been earned by the effect he has had on the Thunder. This is his second extension with the franchise since 2019. This one certainly ensures he will spend the rest of his prime years with OKC, and the franchise feels they can maximize their window with him leading the way.

However, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did have the opportunity to wait and get more money. The Thunder guard could have chosen to sign an extension in the 2026 offseason. Then he would be eligible to sign a whopping five-year $380 million contract. It would still be the most lucrative deal. However, taking that little less allows the Thunder’s front office some flexibility to keep the team’s core together for the coming seasons.

Considering the camaraderie they share, Gilgeous-Alexander’s move to sacrifice could inspire his teammates. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren will negotiate their extensions in the coming years. This act could motivate them to take a lesser sum in order to help the team retain some of the championship pieces and also continue to build on the foundation of having won this season.

But the environment isn’t the same anymore. Last season, the Thunder were hunting for success. But now, they are the ones who will be hunted by every other team in the NBA.

LeBron James prepares the Thunder for next season

Once you win a championship, everything changes. For the Thunder, it was finally seeing a young core reach the promised land. They failed to do that with Kevin Durant, Westbrook, and Harden. The victory will undoubtedly fill them with incomparable joy. But the dynamics are about to change. The doubts about them being too young or untested are now erased. Now, every team is going to look at them with one vision. How do we beat the champions? It’s going to float around the league, and LeBron James sent that warning across.

“Now you go from doing the hunting to now being the hunted as well if they take, if they win at all. It’s a different dynamic that as well. I mean, we’ve both been there. Understanding like, once you win it, because you’ve been trying to get there. So, you know, everything is geared to we want to be the next champion. We want to be the next champion. And then when you get there, now everybody else is all 29 teams, is now like how do we dethrone them?” he said on Mind The Game.

That’s the reason there hasn’t been a repeat champion since the Golden State Warriors in 2017-2018. It’s not about copying the Thunder. But teams are going to prepare especially hard to assemble teams who can stand the best chance against them. At the same time, OKC has the advantage of being one of the youngest teams in the entire league.

They made several errors en route to the championship. Those are going to be polished, making the hunting for other teams a lot harder than it was this year. The battle for the Thunder is to survive through it all. They have started by inking Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the future. It’s now about avoiding falling into financial penalties and keeping their infrastructure stable in the coming years.

Because now, even a little deviation will be an indicator for other teams to latch on to.