The Golden State Warriors and the rest of the Western Conference are chasing the Oklahoma City Thunder right now, with the franchise three games atop the standings with a 22-5 record.
The Thunder are arguably the most talented young team in the league and are moving to fortify their future, having officially signed Alex Caruso to a four-year, $81 million contract extension on Sunday as first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania.
The Warriors may have luckily missed out on trading for Alex Caruso
The new deal is good reward for Caruso who has battled his way up from G League player to one of the best defensive guards in the league, having previously spent time with the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls before being traded to the Thunder for Josh Giddey during the offseason.
Caruso has undoubtedly played a big part in the Thunder's number one ranked defense, but his offensive struggles this season have led some to question the value of this extension which will pay him over $20 million per season.
The 30-year-old is averaging just 5.7 points across 20.2 minutes in 19 games this season, having shot 38.5% from the floor and a dismal 27% from 3-point range on 3.3 attempts per game.
idc what yall see, this and that OG contract is absolutely insane. caruso has been one of the worst offensive players in the league this year https://t.co/oKVbwV0Jde
— tj 🈂️ (@bigdawggtjj) December 22, 2024
Caruso deserves the world bro but holy shit, this is straight robbery, 27% from 3 and 5PPG im sure https://t.co/sRXAUZeCsG
— ADHD (@ADHDGoat) December 22, 2024
It's easy to forget that Caruso could have easily been a Golden State player, with Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office aggressively pursuing the 6'5" guard prior to last season's trade deadline, as recently reported again by Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
"Golden State, as one recent example, offered multiple first-round draft picks for Caruso at last February's trade deadline and was even willing to part with Moses Moody, along with other players, sources said, in a trade construction that could have also landed Torrey Craig and Andre Drummond with Golden State," Fischer wrote.
The Warriors may have been fortunate that the Bulls rejected their advances, particularly given the price it's taken to re-sign Caruso on this extension. While he would have become a strong part of the Golden State rotation, Caruso's questionable 3-point shooting would bring some concerns to a team that already possesses a number of defensive-minded players with offensive limitations.
The Thunder can afford to pay this price when they're atop the standings and have a number of their best players still on rookie contracts, but you'd have to question how much value it would provide the Warriors if they had traded for Caruso and were in this situation.
The other factor is that giving up multiple first-round picks would have put Golden State in a far less flexible situation right now, with the franchise expected to remain aggressive in trade talks over the coming weeks after recently acquiring Dennis Schroder from the Brooklyn Nets.