By the Numbers: Thunder Payroll, Net Rating and Last…

By the Thunder Nightly Desk · Friday, October 2

The 2026-27 record is still 0-0, so every number below comes from last season's 64-18 run and its stretch drive. Together they show a team carrying a heavy price tag, an elite defense, and one historic scoring season, with the margin for error already shrinking before camp opens.

A Payroll Built To Win Now

Oklahoma City carries $216.2 million in salary across 15 contracts, clear of the $209.0 million apron line and well above the $200.4 million luxury-tax threshold. Holmgren and Williams both sit at $41.5 million, Gilgeous-Alexander follows at $40.8 million, and Hartenstein's deal runs $23.1 million, with Caruso adding $19.6 million to that total. That kind of spending buys a team built to win now — the cost shows up in pick swaps owed for 2027 and 2028, with Oklahoma City's own first- and second-round picks intact starting in 2029.

Last Season's Defense Set The Standard

Last season's defense, not the scoring, carried Oklahoma City to a 64-18 record: a 106.5 defensive rating paired with a 117.6 offensive rating produced a net rating of 11.1, the best mark in the league. Pace sat at 100.4, middle of the pack for a team that wins on defense and takeaways. None of that carries into 2026-27 — the record is 0-0, and the regular season begins October 20 at the Spurs.

One Scorer, Then A Late Squeeze

Gilgeous-Alexander led that run at 31.1 points a game across 68 games; Holmgren added 17.1, and Williams matched that scoring average in just 33 games. Behind them, Wallace averaged 8.6 points over 77 games and Mitchell 13.6 over 57. The scoring margin still narrowed late: the final 10 games produced a +2.0 margin, down from the pace the team set across the full season. Depth covered part of that drop — with a teammate out, Caruso logged 10 extra minutes per game, well above his season average of 18.2, and McCain logged 11 extra minutes per game over the same stretch.

Is Oklahoma City over the NBA's luxury tax?

Yes. The team carries $216.2 million in salary, above the $200.4 million luxury-tax line and the $209.0 million apron threshold below it, across 15 contracts.

Did the Thunder's scoring margin shrink last season?

Yes — the final 10 games of last season produced a +2.0 margin, down from the pace the team set across the full season en route to a 64-18 finish.

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.