As the NBA’s latest collective bargaining agreement, specifically its widely chronicled tax aprons, continues to reshape the modern model of championship-contending roster construction, a common denominator in these 2025 NBA Finals has emerged.
Depth.
In Oklahoma City’s runaway Game 2 victory over the Pacers on Sunday, which evened the series at one game apiece, Aaron Wiggins came off the bench to hit five 3-pointers en route to 18 points in 21 minutes. He was a game-high plus-24.
On almost any other team, Wiggins would be something close to foundational young player. He’s 26 years old. A 6-foot-6 shooter, defender and capable creator, he’s a prototypical two-way wing in today’s league, yet OKC has him on a five-year, $47 million contract that gets cheaper every year.
2025-26: $9.7M2026-27: $8.8M2027-28: $7.9M2028-29: $7.9M (team option)
These descending contracts are highly valuable as teams are forced to pinch every penny to stay below tax lines. But even without this bonus, having a player like Wiggins locked up for five years at $47 million is a big value. Assuming he’s still in OKC in 2028 (trading a player on this kind of contract as OKC’s roster will only get more expensive is unlikely) and hasn’t suffered some sort of major injury, the Thunder are going to jump on that team option. Factor in rising salary caps, and having Wiggins at less than $8 million is, in NBA money, couch-cushion stuff.
Again, on just about any other team, Wiggins would be a core guy — either a starter or first-guy-off-the-bench nightly fixture. In Oklahoma City, he’s the eighth man. Four times in these playoffs he has played fewer than 10 minutes. He played nine in Game 1 of the Finals. Then he pops into Game 2 and starts doing things like this:
And this:
This is a luxury to have coming not just off your bench, but deep off your bench, and a necessary contract on the books as the Thunder will eventually have to balance two more max- or near-max salaries when Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren come up for their extensions.
That’s why you see the…
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