Oklahoma City enters the opener carrying a $216.2 million payroll above the first apron, built on a roster that posted the league's best net rating last season. The same body of work shows real strain late in that season: a shrinking margin over the final ten games and bigger minutes for two players when a teammate sat.
The Bill Comes First
Oklahoma City's payroll sits at $216.2 million, clear of the $200.4 million tax threshold and the first apron both. Four contracts drive it: Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams each at $41.5 million, Gilgeous-Alexander at $40.8 million, Isaiah Hartenstein at $23.1 million. That bill buys continuity, not certainty. It says the front office is paying to keep last season's group together; it says nothing about how that group performs once games start counting.
What Last Season's Defense Bought
A net rating of 11.1 last season led the league, paired with a 106.5 defensive rating and a 64-18 finish. Gilgeous-Alexander's 31.1 points a game anchored the offense across 68 games. Those numbers explain why the roster was kept intact at this price. They do not say how a group with new depth pieces like Buddy Boeheim and Dariq Whitehead, and without Otega Oweh for the year, will hold up over 82 games.
Minutes Moved Late Last Season
Over the final three games of last season, with a teammate sidelined, Jared McCain played 11 more minutes a night than his season rate, and Alex Caruso saw a 10-minute jump of his own. Over the final ten games, Oklahoma City's scoring margin shrank to +2.0 a game, well below its season-long mark. That is a sign the bench got tested late, not proof it will be tested the same way this season.
Is the Thunder's payroll over the luxury tax line?
Yes. Oklahoma City's $216.2 million payroll clears the $200.4 million tax threshold and sits above the first apron as well.
What was Oklahoma City's net rating last season?
The Thunder finished last season with a league-best net rating of 11.1, built on a 106.5 defensive rating and a 64-18 record.
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