Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has chosen to represent himself ahead of a potential $345 million extension, but money didn’t fuel his decision.

Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

This season will likely see another international player secure the MVP trophy, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looking well-positioned for that honor right now.

Shai also is in line to sign a $345 million supermax extension this summer. Ahead of the new contract, Shai decided to part with his agent and will represent himself in his contract negotiations.

While many believe Shai did so to not pay a cut to an agent when the supermax contract is all but guaranteed anyway, the Thunder guard made it clear it wasn’t a decision motivated by just money.

“It wasn’t entirely that (agent fees). I think, for myself, I wanna be a well-rounded human being. Not just a basketball player, a businessman, a father, a husband.

I want to check all the boxes. I think it would be a good experience for me to learn and get better in another area of life that I’m not too familiar with.”

Shai is averaging 32.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists this season. He’s penciled in to make his third consecutive All-NBA First Team appearance this season while being a front-runner for MVP.

The Thunder are also in contention for the best record in the NBA, with their 47-11 this season being just one game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As far as contracts go, Gilgeous-Alexander is most definitely going to have a supermax extension in his hands the second OKC can offer him one.

This won’t be like the Luka Doncic situation where the franchise is looking to move off the player to avoid paying a supermax, so Shai definitely doesn’t need an agent to negotiate on his behalf.

He’s negotiated the best deal possible already by being who he is on the court. By entering the negotiating room at this stage of his life, he is essentially getting to practice for eventually handling these deals for himself in the post-basketball chapter of his life.

Shai Wants To Stay In Oklahoma City

Shai didn’t choose to be a member of the OKC Thunder, as the franchise landed him in a trade after his rookie season with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Shai for Paul George trade in 2019 will be remembered as one of the most significant trades in NBA history, primarily because OKC built the foundation of their current competitive core through that deal.

Even though Shai was sent from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City, the guard doesn’t imagine himself playing anywhere else.

“I love Oklahoma City. I can’t see a world where I’m not in OKC. Market, no market. I don’t care. I love where I am. I go to work every day with a smile on my face.

The money doesn’t matter to a certain extent. As long as I enjoy what I’m doing at a very high level, and love the people that I’m around doing it, the market doesn’t matter to me.” 

The franchise has given Shai no reason to think about any other potential destinations. Despite a few tough seasons at the start where OKC were soft-tanking to land elite players, the team has been a bona fide contender for two seasons and are projected to only get better going forward.

He’s their franchise superstar and could find himself becoming a multi-time NBA Champion in OKC.