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CHET HOLMGREN AND THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER …
The Thunder grew from upstarts to champions in the blink of an eye. Now, their stars’ bank accounts are growing, too. Chet Holmgren agreed to a fully guaranteed five-year maximum rookie extension worth up to $250 million. It comes shortly after Oklahoma City signed Shai Gilegous-Alexander to a four-year, $285 million extension.
- Holmgren, 23, has been a defensive menace for the Thunder, who boasted an all-time great defense. His 2.3 blocks per game over the past two seasons are third in the NBA behind Victor Wembanyama and Walker Kessler.
- Overall, Holmgren has averaged 16.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his two seasons.
- Injuries have been a big storyline, too, though. He missed his entire first season with a foot injury and played in just 32 games this season due to a pelvic fracture.
Yes, it’s a ton of money, but Holmgren actually did the Thunder a financial favor considering Paolo Banchero just signed an extension worth up to $287 million, Sam Quinn explains.
- Quinn: “If a player in Banchero’s or Holmgren’s position makes an All-NBA Team or wins Defensive Player of the Year in the most recent season or two of the previous three seasons, or wins MVP in any of the previous three seasons, he becomes eligible instead for a contract up to 30% of the cap. That is where Banchero’s $287 million figure comes from. … Holmgren, a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate with a reasonable chance of making an All-NBA Team under the right circumstances, did not sign a deal that could take him up to $287 million.”
So Holmgren gets paid, and if he produces like he can, the Thunder still potentially saved some money. It’s a win-win for a young team and a young player player who have already done a lot of winning.
… AND ALSO A GOOD MORNING TO DEVIN BOOKER
Holmgren’s money is awesome. Devin Booker‘s money is historic: a two-year, $145 million max extension with the Suns, the largest per-year extension in NBA history ($72.5 million). Overall, Booker, 28, has five years and $316 million on his contract, which runs through 2029-30.
Booker, 28, is a good player. A great player, even: a four-time All Star and two-time All-NBA selection.
But the Suns, unlike the Thunder, are going nowhere. They’ve been one of the most disappointing teams of the past couple of years, in fact. Booker becoming the highest-paid player in a league where he’s probably a top-20ish player is, simply, a massive overpay by a directionless organization, Sam writes.
👍 Honorable mentions
🏈 And not such a good morning for …
TRISTAN WIRFS AND THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Making news at this point of the NFL offseason is rarely a good thing, and the Buccaneers are the latest team to find out. All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs will miss the start of the season after undergoing arthroscopic right knee surgery.
- Wirfs recently aggravated an injury that caused him to miss a game last year. The surgery Tuesday revealed additional damage in the knee.
- Wirfs will likely land on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. If he’s still on the PUP list after final roster cuts, he’s required to miss the first four games of the season.
- Wirfs has made four Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams (two first-team selections) in five seasons. He was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded pass blocker at tackle last season, and he came in 20th in Pete Prisco’s top 100 players.
- Charlie Heck projects to be the starter in Wirfs’ absence. He made two starts for the 49ers last season.
Last season, Tampa Bay averaged a full yard per play more (6.3 vs. 5.3) with Wirfs on the field compared to when he wasn’t. He is not just a great player but a true weapon in a way few offensive linemen are, so Tampa Bay, with newly promoted offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard taking over for Liam Coen, is hoping for a fast recovery.
👎 Not so honorable mentions
🏀 NBA Eastern Conference offseason grades
NBA free agency has (finally) quieted down, and while there’s seemingly always a surprise or two waiting in the wings, it’s a good time to hand out some offseason grades. Sam starts us off in the Eastern Conference, where the Hawks earned an “A+” — and they’re the only ones at the head of the class.
We’ve also talked at length about one of his “B+” teams — the Magic — so let’s shift our focus to a “C+” team. After a brutal season, the 76ers have done well.
- Quinn: “The 76ers have only added a single veteran player from the outside this offseason, Trendon Watford, and they likely won’t even consider bringing in another until they get a new contract for Quentin Grimes sorted out. … Perhaps most importantly, they haven’t panicked off of a single bad season. They didn’t throw valuable future assets after win-now additions. They didn’t try to force a Paul George cap dump. Last year was a worst-case scenario.”
Last year as a whole wasn’t a worst-case scenario for the Celtics, but it did end that way with Jayson Tatum‘s torn Achilles. James Herbert examines how the injury impacted Boston’s offseason: Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday and Luke Kornet have departed, and the latest rumors suggest newly acquired Anfernee Simons could be next.
That may sound bad. It’s not. Boston earned a “B+” in Sam’s grades, and James says he would have given an even better mark.
🏀 NBA Summer League storylines: Cooper Flagg to debut for Mavericks
The Las Vegas Summer League begins today with plenty of familiar names, especially for you college basketball fans out there.
We’ve seen some remarkable summer league scenes in recent years, like Victor Wembanyama two years ago and Bronny James last year. This year? It’s Cooper Flagg making his (unofficial) Mavericks debut, against James and the Lakers no less.
Flagg, unsurprisingly, leads Cameron Salerno’s summer league storylines, but don’t sleep on some breakout candidates, including a few second-year guys, either. Here’s more:
🏈 10 future NFL bets to make now
For NFL players, what’s done in the darkness (the offseason) comes to the light (the regular season). This is the time of the year for them to get better and see it pay off in the coming months.
But that can also be true for NFL bettors. Taking advantage of early markets can lead to big money. As such, Tyler Sullivan has 10 NFL futures bets to make right now, including …
- Sullivan: “Dak Prescott to throw for 4,000 yards (+130) — Back in 2023, when Prescott played all 17 regular season games, he threw for 4,516 yards. When he played 16 games in 2021, he threw for 4,449 yards. In 2019, Prescott had 4,902 yards through the air in 16 games played. … With Dallas’ running game still a major question and the addition of George Pickens to play opposite CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys are expected to throw early and often in 2025.”
Prescott already has high praise for Pickens.
📺 What we’re watching Thursday
🏀 We’re watching the NBA Las Vegas Summer League. Here’s how.
⚾ Mets at Orioles, 12:05 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Cubs at Twins, 1:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Mariners at Yankees or Rays at Red Sox, 7:05 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Aces at Mystics, 7:30 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ Diamondbacks at Padres, 9:40 p.m. on MLB Network
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Author: Zachary Pereles
July 10, 2025 | 9:45 am
