OKC Thunder Issue Contract Extension to Alex Caruso

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen Alex Caruso make a massive impact on the roster since trading for him this season. Caruso is a big help in the Thunder's historic defensive start while finding his footing offensively.

Nov 20, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) reacts after a play against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Alex Caruso to tip-off the offseason, swapping former no. 6 overall pick Josh Giddey for the defensive ace.

After that move, Caruso was not eligible for a contract extension until Dec. 21 to tact on years to his expiring deal. The OKC Thunder wasted no time locking Caruso in long-term.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the 30-year-old veteran are in agreement on a 4-year deal worth $81-million dollars.

"Well, we can't have that conversation until December. When we can, we will. I think it's clear that he fits a lot of the characteristics and the criteria that we value. Having had him here starting with the Blue, every time I say that, we're also admitting that we completely fumbled the ball on that, but we also did identify him, but we weren't smart enough to keep him," Presti said at his preseason press conference. "But we know him to a degree, the early stage. We know, I think, enough to want to have him here for a really long time based on his performance at his different stops but the human that we know from having been around him in the short time that he was here."

When you close your eyes and envision a Thunder player a picture of Caruso likely fills the gaps in your mind. A defensive star with offensive versatility, a grind it out player that always shows up to do the dirty work and another selfless option on this roster. Just this week, Mark Daigneault spoke about Caruso's team-oriented nature.

After the Thunder's win against Orlando on Dec. 19, Daigneault told a story about sending Alex Caruso to the scorers table before the Thunder went on a run. Once the guys in the game got it going, Caruso turned to make and asked "Why don't we roll with these guys?" before retreating to the bench.

The Thunder head coach summarized that story simply "[Caruso] is just all-team."

This season, the defensive ace is averaging 5.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.5 stocks per game.

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