A Cason Wallace Extension Top Priority for OKC Thunder After Stellar Postseason

Despite the Oklahoma City Thunder's season ending in heartbreaking fashion Saturday, losing 111-103 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals to the San Antonio Spurs, in a game the Thunder were never out of on home court, failing to become the first team to appear in back-to-back NBA Finals this decade, one shining star remained. Thunder guard Cason Wallace is going to be a problem for opposing teams for a long time.

The third-year guard ended his strong playoff run in style, scoring 17 points while grabbing seven rebounds, assisting on four scores and racking up two steals and a block. Wallace shot 6-for-10 from the floor and 5-for-9 from long range.

The Kentucky product went on a torrid run in the fourth quarter to keep Oklahoma City in the contest. Fourteen of his 17 points came in the game's final period, shooting 83.3% in the process.

“We’re competitors. We didn’t want to lose," Wallace said in the postgame press conference. It’s a 48-minute game, so we’re gonna play 48 minutes. We tried to make a late push. It just wasn’t enough.”

Wallace's impact was felt on both ends of the floor all night long, arguably being the Thunder's best player outside of the MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, in the win-or-go-home contest. Head Coach Mark Daigneault's adjustment in putting Wallace in the starting five paid off, but it was not enough to secure a win.

Wallace laid it all out in the Thunder's final two games of the season, scoring 11 points with three steals on three made 3-pointers in Game 6 prior to his heroic Game 7 performance. In all likelihood, Wallace will be crucial as the Thunder now have to chase this Spurs team next season.

“They’re a good team. Beatable team," Wallace said of San Antonio. "But we gotta do things better for a longer period of time.”

From the Thunder Front Office and General Manager Sam Presti's point of view, inking up Wallace on a long-term contract extension should be a top priority in what is expected to be an eventful offseason. The 22-year-old is eligible to sign a rookie-scale contract extension this offseason, but his current rookie deal does not expire until the 2028 season.

OKC did a stellar job extending crucial players from last season's championship run to long-term deals last offseason, most notably Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. Now, the 10th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft is next on the list.

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