Fresh off their champagne-soaked victory parade, the Oklahoma City front office got to work on next season. They locked up a long-time part of their bench in big man Jaylin Williams, while trading away a rookie who played a limited role in guard Dillon Jones.
Williams and the Thunder agreed to a three-year, $24 million contract extension, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. Williams, a second-round pick out of Arkansas who has been with the Thunder for three years, is a power forward/center who came off the bench for 47 games last season for OKC. While minutes were limited when both Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein were healthy, when called upon Williams stepped up with 5.9 points and 5.6 rebounds a game while shooting 39.9% from beyond the arc (in about three attempts a game).
Williams came of age with the young core of the Thunder and is a part of their chemistry. The Thunder retained him on a fair contract for both sides — the third year is reportedly a player option.
The Thunder also traded Dillon Jones and a second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Colby Jones. Once the trade is complete, OKC will waive Colby Jones. The second-round pick in this deal is the 2029 Houston Rockets’ second-round pick, which the Wizards controlled.
Oklahoma City needed to open up a roster spot with 15 players under contract for next season, and having just drafted Thomas Sorber out of Georgetown with the No. 15 pick in this week’s NBA draft.
The Wizards initially selected Dillon Jones at No. 26 in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, then traded him on draft night to New York, which flipped him to Oklahoma City. He averaged 2.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in 54 games last season, playing 10.2 minutes a night. In Washington, Jones joins a very young team trying to find and build around a young core, and there Jones should get an opportunity to prove himself.
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