Oklahoma City’s season is about to begin, and it has one less thing to worry about ahead of opening night.
On Sunday night, the Thunder’s biggest remaining offseason question was finally answered with the signing of Cason Wallace to a five-year, $139 million extension. After seeing several other players from the 2023 draft class get signed to big deals, questions only became more frequent as time passed and Wallace remained unsigned.
Of course, that saga has finally ended, and despite the lengthy negotiating window, it was mostly drama-free. The benefits of the deal are obvious, as the Thunder retain their newest member of the starting lineup for the foreseeable future and don’t have to worry about any issues that restricted free agency might have caused.
Given that those are both long-term solutions that have been taken care of, it’s also important to note the short-term solution that came from the deal. With Wallace now signed, there won’t be any distractions for the Thunder as they head to San Antonio for an opening night matchup.
Although the rematch of the Western Conference Finals has been heavily anticipated for many reasons, the Thunder would’ve had a cloud hanging over them if Wallace wasn’t signed to an extension. While it’s hard to imagine this Thunder squad would’ve let that become a problem, it still would’ve led to some outside noise that could have taken away from the preparation for opening night.
While opening night is certainly the top priority for Oklahoma City, the tension wouldn’t have gone away after just one game. Wallace’s future would’ve been a topic of conversation all season, and now if may not even be a topic for a single regular season matchup.
Going into the game, the Thunder will likely be asked about Wallace’s future being secured, which will be much more fun questions for the team to answer than the alternative. In that respect, it should give the Thunder a bit of a boost going into the game.
Knowing that everyone, including the newest member of the starting five, is locked in and focused fully on the upcoming season is just another thing the Thunder won’t have to worry about. With Wallace now having his future secured, he can play freely on opening night and throughout the season without having to be concerned about whether his performance will make or cost him money.
The Thunder extending Wallace solved plenty of problems, and getting to go into opening night without any distractions may be the most important piece of this story in the short term.
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