Former Zag Chet Holmgren agrees to five-year maximum extension with Oklahoma City Thunder

Weeks after helping the Oklahoma City Thunder capture the franchise’s NBA title, former Gonzaga standout Chet Holmgren has been rewarded with a five-year maximum rookie contract.

Holmgren’s deal, first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania on Wednesday morning, could make him the highest-paid former Gonzaga player in the NBA.

The center’s fully guaranteed contract could reach $250 million, or $50 million per year, agent Bill Duffy of WME Basketball told ESPN.

Prior to Holmgren’s deal, Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis, a three-time NBA All-Star, held that title after inking a five-year, $217 million deal in 2023.

Locking up Holmgren signifies one major step toward keeping Oklahoma City’s young core together for the next five-plus years. According to ESPN, the organization is expected to prioritize an extension for All-NBA wing Jalen Williams, a former standout at Santa Clara who had an instrumental role in Oklahoma City’s championship run.

Holmgren’s dealt with multiple injuries over three seasons in the NBA, missing the entirety of his rookie year with a Lisfranc fracture before being sidelined for three months at the start of the 2024-25 season with a hip injury.

Holmgren returned to the team in early February and was an impact player at both ends of the floor during the playoffs, totaling six double-doubles in conference quarterfinal and semifinal series against the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets.

The former No. 2 overall draft pick averaged 18.0 points per game during the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves and registered two more double-doubles in the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers and former Gonzaga teammate Andrew Nembhard.

Holmgren came up with a big defensive effort in Game 7 of the Finals, rejecting five shots – the most by any player in a Game 7 – while also scoring 18 points and hauling down eight rebounds to help the Thunder clinch the title with a 103-91 victory.

The 23-year-old averaged 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 32 regular-season games.

Holmgren is one of just three players in NBA history with 150 made 3-pointers and at least 250 blocks through their first two seasons, joining Victor Wembanyama and Kristaps Porzingis.