By the Numbers: OKC's Payroll, Pace and Efficiency Marks…

By the Thunder Nightly Desk · Wednesday, September 23

Oklahoma City has not played a game yet, so its clearest numbers still come from last season's 64-18 finish and the payroll built around that core. Four figures below show a team financed to contend and a scoring gap that already separates its stars.

A Payroll Built To Repeat

Four deals anchor that number. Chet Holmgren's and Jalen Williams' cap hits each land at $41.5 million, Gilgeous-Alexander sits at $40.8 million, and Isaiah Hartenstein adds $23.1 million. Alex Caruso's $19.6 million contract rounds out the five largest deals on the books. That total clears the $200.4 million luxury tax line and sits above the first apron, the threshold that restricts how Sam Presti can maneuver this roster all season. None of it moves with wins or losses yet, since the record is still 0-0.

Efficient On Both Ends

Last season's net rating of 11.1 led the NBA, built on defense that finished first in the league and an offense that finished seventh under Mark Daigneault. Oklahoma City scored 117.6 points per hundred possessions and allowed 106.5, playing at a pace of 100.4. That efficiency carried the Thunder to a 64-18 record and a third straight Western Conference top seed, clinched April 9. Daigneault enters his seventh season running that group, with an 18-man roster that averages 24.2 years old.

A Growing Gap At The Top

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.1 points a game last season, still well clear of every teammate's scoring average, including Jalen Williams' 17.1 and Holmgren's 17.1 across a shortened 33-game season. Isaiah Hartenstein's 9.4 rebounds a night led all regulars, a reminder OKC's ceiling was built on more than scoring. Cason Wallace's efficiency told a different story down the stretch: his true shooting rose to 71.3 percent over the final 10 games, far above his season-long mark, while Oklahoma City's overall scoring margin shrank to +2.0 a game across that same run. Both numbers reset once the preseason opens Oct. 6 against New Orleans.

What is Oklahoma City's payroll for the 2026-27 season?

The Thunder's payroll sits at $216.2 million, above the $200.4 million luxury tax line and the first apron.

Has Oklahoma City played any games yet this season?

No. The Thunder are 0-0, with the preseason opener set for Oct. 6 against the Pelicans and the regular-season opener Oct. 20 at the Spurs.

By the Thunder Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.