Report: Thunder, Williams agree to extension

Kenrich Williams will convert 28 in December, and he is used by a basketball team that went 24-58 last time. He performs both of those forward places, has gained the nickname “Kenny Hustle” and is coming into the 3rd and remaining time of a contract that pays him $2 million annually. He is precisely the kind of part participant that contending groups covet, so persons on the internet are regularly concocting hypothetical trades to ship him to one of them. 

On Monday, CelticsBlog’s Keith Smith released a list of players that Boston could focus on with its quickly-to-expire traded participant exception. Williams was No. 2. Hrs later on, Williams and the Oklahoma Town Thunder agreed to a 4-year, $27.2 million agreement extension, in accordance to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. 

This does not always mean that Williams will shell out his full vocation with the Thunder. It’s well worth noting, having said that, that he desires to. 

“This might sound considerably-fetched, but I would like to retire right here with the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder,” Williams instructed The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto in January. 

Williams recurring himself at his conclude-of-period media availability in April, introducing that he enjoys getting in Oklahoma Town and it indicates a great deal to have remained on a roster that has noticed tons of turnover. He wished to stay there simply because of his “coaches, teammates, all the things,” he explained to reporters. “Just the society.”

If Oklahoma Town would like to construct on the defensive id it started to build very last year, locking up Williams is a very good get started. The Thunder, an ordinary defensive staff general, authorized just 100.3 details for every 100 possessions in Williams’ 1,072 minutes. (As a issue of reference, the Boston Celtics’ league-finest defense permitted 106.2 for each 100.) In the 397 minutes that Williams shared the court with Luguentz Dort, who is also signed by the 2026-27 season, Oklahoma City permitted 97.1 for each 100.

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In two a long time with the Thunder, Williams has averaged 7.7 factors, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 21.7 minutes. He manufactured 44.4 percent of his 3s in Yr 1, but his 33.9-% mark in 12 months 2 is closer to his profession common and he would not shoot them at a particularly substantial quantity. Williams is a connector, however, and an intelligent player on both of those finishes. In April, Sam Presti, the normal manager in demand of Oklahoma City’s rebuild, claimed in a marathon media session that Williams has “purchased in.” Presti also mentioned that he is “grateful” that Williams would like to stick close to.  

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“It really is a excellent match with him,” Presti advised reporters. “And he is about the correct things, so we seriously benefit that. And [we are] happy to have him on the staff.”

There is definitely a rate at which Presti would element with Williams in a trade. If it was not by now very clear, though, this deal shows that the Thunder actually do value him. They are primarily targeted on drafting and building potential stars, but they know from working experience that those star gamers will need function players like Williams.

In 2010, Oklahoma Town signed backup massive guy Nick Collison to a four-yr agreement extension. Collison was 30, eight years more mature than Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, 9 years older than James Harden. Like Williams, nevertheless, he was beloved inside the business and did all the glue-person stuff that coaches respect, notably on the defensive conclude. 

Collison put in his whole profession with the franchise, experienced his No. 4 jersey retired in 2019 and nevertheless hasn’t left — he is now a special assistant to Presti. The most important change concerning his 2010 extension and Williams’ currently is that, back then, the Thunder had been coming off a 50-acquire time, evidence of concept for the sustained achievement that would adhere to. This time, they are nonetheless a approaches away from turning into the sort of workforce that generally treasures fellas like Collison and Williams. But they can see it. 

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