On April 13, Beijing time, the Thunder defeated the Bucks 125-107 at home, and the Thunder returned to the first place in the West. Alexander played 29 minutes and finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. The regular season is coming to an end, and it's time to talk about the best team. Jokic, Alexander, Doncic and Antetokounmpo locked in four positions in advance!
According to the rules, Alexander could sign up to a four-year, $258 million contract extension this summer if he is named to the All-NBA team this season. Alexander's current contract is a five-year, $172 million contract expiring in the summer of 2027, with a 15% trading margin. Alexander has a salary of $33.39 million this season, which is 32nd in the league.
Alexander could also refuse to renew his contract this summer, and he could wait until the summer of 2025 or the summer of 2026 to sign. As the NBA's salary cap rises, Alexander will be able to get an even more staggering contract: $350 million over five years or even $370 million over five years. Alexander's treatment with the Thunder is like Doncic with the Mavericks, where the team gives as much as they can.
The Thunder have a top-three record in the West, and Alexander is a top-three MVP list, and he is definitely eligible to sign a super-max contract. But everyone's choice is different, some players want to settle in the bag, sign early and rest assured, no one knows what will happen in the future. Some players are more patient, waiting a year or two to get an extra $100 million, why not?
So far this season, Alexander has played in 75 games, averaging 34.3 minutes per game, scoring 30.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.9 blocks and 2.2 turnovers, shooting 53.4%, 35.3% and 87.2% from three. Alexander is No. 2 in scoring, No. 1 in steals, and +7.8 plus/minus per game, fourth in the league!
Alexander played 68 games for the Thunder last season, averaging 35.5 minutes per game, with 31.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.6 steals, 1 block and 2.8 turnovers, shooting 51%, 34.5% and 90.5% from three. Alexander became the first player after Jordan to score 30+ in two consecutive seasons while committing fewer than three turnovers.
Many NBA celebrities supported Alexander in winning the MVP in interviews, including Rudy Gay, Arenas, Jeff Teague, O'Neal and others. Despite Alexander's excellent performance and the Thunder's record is impressive enough, Jokic is likely to be the MVP this season, after all, Jokic has long led the NBA's official MVP rankings.
Recently, ESPN conducted a mock ballot for the MVP of the regular season, and the result was that Mr. Joshua got 85 first-place votes, far ahead. Alexander received 10 first-place votes, followed by two each for Antetokounmpo and Tatum. Alexander was born on July 12, 1998, he is not yet 26 years old, it doesn't matter if he doesn't get it this season, he will have a chance in the future!
In his freshman year of high school, Alexander couldn't even make it to the varsity team. When he graduated from high school, he was just a four-star high school student. In the 2018 NBA Draft, the Clippers used the No. 12 pick + 2 second-round picks to bring in the Hornets No. 11 pick, and then selected Alexander. In the summer of 2019, the Clippers traded 9-for-1 to get Paul George, and Alexander was sent to the Thunder.
The Clippers and the Thunder, both know that Alexander can play. But they wouldn't have imagined that five years later, Alexander would be the MVP favorite. Final question: Who would you give the first vote to this season's MVP?