NBA Front Office Insider Predictions Josh Giddey Rookie Scale Extension Outcome

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen Josh Giddey have an up-and-down third season which leads to most being low on his extension eligibility.

Nov 18, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (3) reacts after a foul is called in favor of the Golden State Warriors during the second half at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports | John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder enter the 2024 NBA offseason with plenty of questions. Many of them are centered around how the Thunder can bolster a 57 win ball club with such a young core that already has the team primed for contention in the coming seasons.

With plenty of big decisions to make, top decision-maker Sam Presti has to figure out what to do with former No. 6 overall pick Josh Giddey. The 2021 NBA Draft class is now eligible for rookie-scale extensions and Front Office insider - and salary cap guru - Keith Smith gave his prediction for each first-round pick.

Smith projects no extension for Giddey and the Thunder this offseason with fairly simple reasoning behind it.

"OKC keeps things pretty quiet, as far as future plans go. That said, it seems like something has to give with the roster. Not in a bad way, but to take the next step. Feels like that something may involve Giddey getting traded. He was played off the floor for parts of the playoffs. Feels like the Thunder may deal him now and let another team figure out what to do with Giddey’s next contract," Smith opines.

While some will look at this as a no-brainer prediction, others clamor for the Thunder to work out a team-friendly deal to continue to showcase Giddey to recoup some of his lost trade value if nothing else.

However, it takes two sides to tango and want to agree to such an extension - furthermore, the pathway to putting Giddey in a position to maximize his skillsets just doesn't seem to be there for the Bricktown boys.

NBA teams are smarter than given credit for, despite a rocky 2023-24 campaign, the decision makers can see the 21-year-old was in a less-than-ideal role and factor that into the trade discussions.

With Presti's history of not allowing players to reach restricted free agency - which Giddey would be hurling toward with no extension - the next most likely avenue is exploring a trade that makes sense for both sides.

Though nothing is set in stone with what the Thunder will do, it should be at the top of Presti's priority list to figure out.

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