The Oklahoma City Thunder have long stood by Alex Caruso being a part of their core. How much longer can they afford for that to be true after giving Cason Wallace his brand-new extension on Sunday night?
There is only so much money to go around. Three Thunder players found that out the hard way during the 2026 offseason. Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Isaiah Joe were all sent packing for Oklahoma City to balance the books. Those financial figures just got a whole new problem to deal with.
Shams Charania reported Wallace was inking a five-year, $139 million rookie-scale extension to stay put in Oklahoma City. For a young player who is already elite defensively and still has room to level up on offense, an annual average of $27.8 million is a fair gamble for the Thunder. It does make their top six quite expensive, though.
Between just Caruso, Wallace, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Hartenstein, the Thunder will already be pushing close to the second apron. There are still a handful of players to pay beyond that. The former Los Angeles Lakers champion could get squeezed out in the process.
Alex Caruso's job security is quickly fading in Oklahoma City
Of that top six, Caruso would come in at the lowest financial figure for 2027-28 season. Even so, the near $21 million owed to him is certainly not pocket change. It sticks out even more when considering AC is easily the oldest of that bunch.
That is not to say Caruso should already be dialing his real estate agent.
Hartenstein could be expendable if Aday Mara proves to be as good as his preseason tape suggests he could be. The possibility of trading Williams should not be ruled out either. Health issues forced a tremendously underwhelming campaign in 2025-26 for the Thunder star. Those problems persisting would invite difficult conversations in Oklahoma City.
Dumping Caruso as a part of the solution does stick out as the low-hanging fruit, though. That is never a comfortable spot to be in for any player, especially after watching what Sam Presti did in the summer of 2026.
The former Laker had a concerning season of shooting in 2025-26 before catching fire in the NBA Playoffs and making his spot on the Thunder far more secure. That comfort may be short-term. With OKC's ability to refresh their core via the NBA Draft, a Caruso cap dump is certainly on the table.
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