Kenrich Williams' Deal Adds Extra Flexibility to Bricktown
Kenrich Williams remains to be a bargain.
On Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder signed Kenrich Williams to a four-year, $37.2 million extension. The deal, which will kick in for the 2023-24 season, includes three guaranteed years and a team option on year four.
For the Oklahoma City Thunder, this addition should conclude their offseason activities, inking the 27-year-old long-term along with Lu Dort this offseason.
Williams’ deal comes after his well-documented support for the franchise, even mentioning his hope to retire one day in Bricktown. While this deal takes a large stride towards this accomplishment, concluding his full-length deal at age 32 – there’s still a lot that goes into his deal.
Rotationally, questions have arisen as to how the blueprint has changed following his deal. Quite frankly, it hasn’t. Williams has proved over the last two seasons his ability to defend both wing positions and shoot from range at a solid clip, going 39.1% in his 115 games with the franchise. As his long-term deal indeed “locks” up a rotational spot, it hasn’t changed the game plan leading into next season. Williams has found his niche as a 3-and-D presence in Bricktown, becoming one of the team’s defensive anchors off the bench. In a regular rotation, players such as Williams net a minute output around 20 – he’ll get that – and he deserves it.
As for how the other dominoes are impacted by Williams’ role, the first players to look at would be lottery selection Ousmane Dieng and Vit Krejci, as both are vying for backup minutes at the three. Similar to the past two years, the young guys, such as these two, will get their shine. However, that’ll likely come past the trade deadline. In the early segments of the season, it wouldn’t be shocking to see either of these two guys within the Blue system for some time before returning to the NBA floor.
In terms of talent, Dieng is deserving of a bench role with this team. However, because of his lackluster play off-the-catch and players in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, and Tre Mann controlling most on-ball duties – his opportunities to pioneer a team start in the G League.
During Williams’ deal, the franchise will most definitely change. With players such as Jalen Williams and Dieng improving alongside the current core, there may be a point where a roster crunch sees Kenny Hustle battling for wing minutes. If it comes down to this, his cheap deal should make him a hot trade deadline name just as he’s been previously.
Williams’ deal, on a flat rate, would be $6.8 million per year. While his deal likely is backloaded, his contract won’t reach the eight figures in one season. For his archetype, that’s unprecedented.
Currently, 3-and-D veterans such as Robert Covington and P.J. Tucker are netting eight figures a year at 31 and 37 years old, respectively. This offseason, Royce O’Neale, who is signed to a four-year, $36 million deal, was dealt for a 2023 first-round pick. When breaking down why that is, his budget contract is definitely worthy of note.
Williams has yet to prove he’s on the same tier of defensive-oriented players such as Covington and Tucker. But, it’s a smart investment by Presti to see if he outplays his deal yet again.
Williams is a 16-win type of player. While rotations may be crammed in the regular season, his ability to shoot off the ball and defend multiple positions makes him someone who’ll be in your playoff rotation. It’s nearly impossible to sign a playoff contributor for an average pay of $6.8 million, much less for four seasons.
So, regardless of direction with this team, Williams will be a valued asset upon his four-year deal. And regardless of the domino effect to come, Presti made a smart choice by signing him long-term sooner rather than later.
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