Overview
- After missing the Thunder’s first 18 games, Williams cannot reach the 65-game minimum and is ineligible for All-NBA and other major awards this season.
- Losing award eligibility voids Rose Rule escalators on his five-year rookie extension, capping it at 25% of the salary cap (projected to start near $41.5 million) instead of up to 30%, an estimated hit of roughly $47 million.
- Williams had right-wrist surgery in July to repair a torn scapholunate ligament and an October procedure to remove an irritating screw, with no firm return timetable.
- He made All-Star, All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive Second Team last season, but the contract bump is a one-shot trigger he cannot recoup in later years under current terms.
- Oklahoma City is 17-1 without him, and the forfeited escalators modestly ease the team’s 2026-27 payroll outlook given substantial non-guaranteed deals and other flexibility.